85th Regiment of Foot (Royal Volunteers)

For other units with the same regimental number, see 85th Regiment of Foot (disambiguation).

85th Regiment of Foot (Royal Volunteers)
Active	1759–1763
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800)
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Commanders
Colonel of the Regiment	Col. John Craufurd [ citation needed ]

The 85th Regiment of Foot (Royal Volunteers) was a short-lived British Army regiment during the Seven Years' War. It was recruited at Shrewsbury in 1759 as the first full regiment of light infantry in the British Army and originally intended for service in the North American campaign of the war (French and Indian War). ^[1] The unit was raised in 1759 by William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath. ^[2] His son William Pulteney, Viscount Pulteney served as the unit's lieutenant-colonel from its foundation ^[2] until his 1763 death by a fever in Madrid. ^[3]

Combat history

The unit took part in the Capture of Belle Île in February 1761 ^[2] , before being sent to Portugal in 1762. The regiment returned home to be disbanded the following year after the Treaty of Paris (1763) as part of a general demobilisation. ^[4]

Colonel

The Colonel of the Regiment throughout its life was Colonel John Craufurd, who was afterwards made Colonel of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment).^{[ relevant? – discuss ]}

References

1. "The 85th Regiment : History 1759 - 1881". Shropshire Regimental Museum. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
2. Sir Lewis Namier, John Brooke, ed. (2002). The House of Commons, 1754-1790. Vol. I. London: Secker & Warburg. pp. 339–340.
3. Conolly, Matthew Forster (1866). Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Men of Fife of Past and Present Times. Cupa, Fife: John C. Orr. pp.  148.
4. "85th Regiment of Foot (1759)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007.