83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot
Encyclopedia
The 83rd Regiment of Foot was a British Army
line infantry
regiment
. During the Childers Reforms
it was united with the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Ulster Rifles
.
.
Their first service was overseas, seeing action and garrison duty in the West Indies between 1795 and 1798.
Following this they were returned to Europe, and fought under Wellington
in the Peninsular campaign
. In this they saw action at Talavera, Busaco, Badajoz and Salamanca
.
In 1815 they again served under Wellington in the Waterloo
campaign, which saw the final defeat of Napoleon.
The 83rd was stationed in Canada from 1834 to 1843. During this time the 83rd was posted in Halifax 1834 through 1837, Quebec 1837, Montreal 1837, Kingston 1838 through 1843, and Quebec 1843. During this period the 83rd supplied detachments to London, St Thomas, and Amherstburg. The primary role of the 83rd while in Lower and Upper Canada was to maintain order during the Rebellion of 1837, and to repel invaders from the United States. A key engagement with rebels and invaders took place at the Battle of the Windmill
1838.
In the post-war colonial period the 83rd were stationed in India, and were engaged in the Sepoy rebellion
of 1857.
In 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms
the 83rd amalgamated with the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot
to become the 1st battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles
.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
line infantry
Line infantry
Line infantry is a type of infantry which composed the basis of European land armies from the middle of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century....
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
. During the Childers Reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
it was united with the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Ulster Rifles
Royal Ulster Rifles
The Royal Ulster Rifles was a British Army infantry regiment. It saw service in the Second Boer War, Great War, the Second World War and the Korean War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.-History:...
.
Service history
The 83rd was raised in 1793 by William Fitch, their colonel, in and around Dublin, for service in the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
.
Their first service was overseas, seeing action and garrison duty in the West Indies between 1795 and 1798.
Following this they were returned to Europe, and fought under Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
in the Peninsular campaign
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. In this they saw action at Talavera, Busaco, Badajoz and Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
.
In 1815 they again served under Wellington in the Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
campaign, which saw the final defeat of Napoleon.
The 83rd was stationed in Canada from 1834 to 1843. During this time the 83rd was posted in Halifax 1834 through 1837, Quebec 1837, Montreal 1837, Kingston 1838 through 1843, and Quebec 1843. During this period the 83rd supplied detachments to London, St Thomas, and Amherstburg. The primary role of the 83rd while in Lower and Upper Canada was to maintain order during the Rebellion of 1837, and to repel invaders from the United States. A key engagement with rebels and invaders took place at the Battle of the Windmill
Battle of the Windmill
The Battle of the Windmill was a battle fought in November 1838 in the aftermath of the Upper Canada Rebellion. Loyalist forces of the Upper Canadian government defeated an invasion attempt by Hunter Patriot insurgents based in the United States.-Background:...
1838.
In the post-war colonial period the 83rd were stationed in India, and were engaged in the Sepoy rebellion
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
of 1857.
In 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
the 83rd amalgamated with the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot
86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot
The 86th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1793 and amalgamated into The Royal Irish Rifles following the Childers Reforms in 1881....
to become the 1st battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles
Royal Ulster Rifles
The Royal Ulster Rifles was a British Army infantry regiment. It saw service in the Second Boer War, Great War, the Second World War and the Korean War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.-History:...
.
Known Stations
The 83rd Regiment of Foot has been Barracked at:- Fort Henry Kingston, Upper Canada
- Fort York Toronto, Upper Canada
- The Wooden Barracks London, Upper Canada
Other Ranks
- Sergeant Jamieson Smith 1810-1881, enlisted 1826, discharged 1850
- Sergeant Robert Brown 1835-1897, enlisted 86th foot 19/10/1849 army no 3005 sgt{band master}86th foot from 21/6/1879, wot{band master} royal irish rifles 1/7/1871