In July, Charles Stuart landed in Scotland to launch the 1745 Rising and two companies of Lascelles garrisoned Edinburgh Castle.[3] The remaining eight companies fought at the Battle of Prestonpans in September, when the government army was swept aside in less than 20 minutes; most of the regiment was taken prisoner, except for Lascelles who fought his way out.[4]
Lascelles, together with Sir John Cope, commander at Prestonpans, and his deputy Thomas Fowke, were tried by a court-martial in 1746; all three were exonerated, but Cope never held a senior command again.[5]
As part of the reforms enacted by the Duke of Cumberland, the regiment was designated the 58th Regiment of Foot in 1747, before being re-numbered 47th Regiment of Foot in 1751.[1]
The siege of San Sebastián, where the 2nd battalion lost 17 of its 22 officers and almost half the other ranks in August 1813, by Denis Dighton
In 1803, a second battalion was reformed and the following year deployed to Ireland.[9] In 1806, the 1st battalion was sent to garrison the former Dutch settlement of the Cape of Good Hope,[8] then joined the 1807 River Plate expedition under Sir Samuel Auchmuty, fighting at Montevideo in February and Buenos Aires in July.[7] The battalion was deployed to India in 1808 and the following year its flank companies took part in an expedition to the Persian Gulf.[8]
Meanwhile, the 2nd battalion was deployed to Gibraltar in 1809 and to Portugal in 1811 for service in the Peninsular War.[9] The battalion took part in the Battle of Barrosa in March 1811 and the successful siege of Tarifa in December 1811.[7] The battalion was victorious at the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813 and took part in the successful but bloody siege of San Sebastián in August 1813.[7] At San Sebastián the battalion lost 17 of its 22 officers and almost half the other ranks.[7] The battalion then crossed the River Bidasoa and pursued the French Army into France fighting at the Battle of the Nive in December 1813 and taking part in the Battle of Bayonne in April 1814 before returning home and being disbanded at Portsmouth.[9]
The Victorian era
Lieutenant Gaynor of the 47th Regiment photographed on campaign in the Crimea in 1855.Men of the 47th Regiment huddling around a fire during the winter in the Crimea in 1855.
The regiment returned to Nova Scotia in 1861 to reinforce Canada's defences during tension with the United States arising from the Trent Affair.[7] It then helped defend Canada against Irish-American ex-soldiers during the Fenian raids in 1866.[7] The regiment then went to Barbados in 1868 before landing in Ireland in 1870.[8]
^Lord Elcho, David (1907). Charteris, Edward Evan (ed.). A short account of the affairs of Scotland : in the years 1744, 1745, 1746. David Douglas, Edinburgh. p. 242.
^Royle, Trevor (2016). Culloden; Scotland's Last Battle and the Forging of the British Empire. Little, Brown. pp. 17–18. ISBN978-1408704011.
^Blaikie, Walter Biggar, ed. (1916). Publications of the Scottish History Society (Volume Ser. 2, Vol. 2 (March, 1916) 1737-1746). Scottish History Society. p. 434.
Kingdom of Great Britain (1741–1800)
United Kingdom (1801–1881)
British Army
