78th Fraser Highlanders
Encyclopedia
- For other units with the same regimental number, see 78th Regiment of Foot78th Regiment of FootThe 78th Regiment of Foot was a Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line raised in late 18th Century Scotland for service against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.- History :The original 78th Foot was raised by the Earl of Seaforth in 1778...
The 78th Regiment, (Highland) Regiment of Foot otherwise known as the 78th Fraser Highlanders was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
infantry regiment of the line unit raised in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1757, to fight in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
History
The regiment was formed as the "2nd Highland Battalion" having its roots in a Highland company of 1745. With the buildup of 2nd battalions of various regiments into separate regiments it was then numbered as the 62nd Regiment of Foot, the 63rd and then finally as the 78th in 1758.The regiment fought at the capture of Louisbourg
Siege of Louisbourg (1758)
The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
in 1758, at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War...
in 1759, at the capture of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1760 and at the Battle of Signal Hill
Battle of Signal Hill
The Battle of Signal Hill was a small skirmish, the last of the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. The British under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst forced the French to surrender St...
in 1762. In 1763 at the end of the war, they were disbanded in what is now Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Many soldiers remained in the area of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, others returned to Scotland and some joined the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)
84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)
The 84th Regiment of Foot was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present day Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutionaries...
.
A new 78th (Highland) Regiment of Foot
78th Regiment of Foot
The 78th Regiment of Foot was a Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line raised in late 18th Century Scotland for service against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.- History :The original 78th Foot was raised by the Earl of Seaforth in 1778...
was created in 1793.
Equipment
The 78th Fraser Highlanders wore both the great kilt (feileadh mor) and the little kilt (feileadh beag). It is unknown whether they wore the government settTartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
(Black Watch) or the modified Fraser sett, although several sources, including Benjamin West's The Death of General Wolfe
The Death of General Wolfe
The Death of General Wolfe is a well-known 1770 painting by Anglo-American artist Benjamin West depicting the death of British General James Wolfe during the 1759 Battle of Quebec of the Seven Years' War. It is an oil on canvas of the Enlightenment period...
, indicate the latter.
They wore a short red coat with buff facings, and red and white diced hose. Blue balmorals with bearskin hackles were issued. Sporrans and dirks were not issued, and reflected the soldier's wealth.
The 78th were issued with the Long Land Pattern musket, although the Short Land Pattern musket which was commonly issued to dragoons was also used. Soldiers were also issued the basket-hilted broadsword, though this fell out of use for enlisted men at the end of the century. Examples exist which are marked '2 - HB' for the 78th's precursor, the 2nd Highland Battalion (Darling 1988).
Recreation
A reenactment group recreated the regiment for the 1967 Worlds Fair in Montreal. The recreated regiment has grown to include many branches across North America, taking part in various cultural and reenactment activities. During the summer months, one group portraying the regiment performs musket and bagpipe demonstrations at the Fort de l'Île Sainte-HélèneFort de l'Île Sainte-Hélène
The Fort de l'Île Sainte-Hélène, an historic site on Saint Helen's Island that belongs to the city of Montreal, Quebec, was constructed in the early 1820s as an arsenal in the defensive chain of forts built to protect Canada from a threat of American invasion. Although not heavily fortified, it...
.
See also
- 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe BandThe 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, is a pipe band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 78th Frasers became the first non-Scottish band to win the World Pipe Band Championships, in the summer of 1987...
, a pipe band from Toronto with the same name. - 71st Regiment of Foot (Frasers Highlanders)