The 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, which was formed in Ireland in 1793 for service in the French Revolutionary Wars. The regiment served in the West Indies, South Africa and the Peninsular War, and after the end of the wars with France spent much of the nineteenth century in colonial garrisons. Among other service, the 83rd fought in the Ceylon Great Rebellion of 1817–18, the Canadian Rebellions of 1837, and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Under the Childers Reforms, the regiment amalgamated with the 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Irish Rifles in 1881.
History
The regiment was raised in Dublin by Major William Fitch as the 83rd Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by the French Revolution, on 28 September 1793. The regiment was quartered in the newly completed Custom House while it formed, and at the end of the year was assigned to serve as part of the regular garrison in Dublin in the Royal Barracks. A second battalion was raised in October 1794, but was quickly separated to become the 134th (Loyal Limerick) Regiment of Foot.Memoirs, p. 13
At its formation, the regiment wore scarlet uniforms - the traditional red coats of line infantry - with yellow facings. The regiment did not have any formal title - the Dublin name would not be added for many years - but was nicknamed "Fitch's Grenadiers", due to the small size of many of its recruits.Farmer, p. 201
West Indies and South Africa
The regiment sailed for England, and in mid-1795 was sent overseas to the West Indies, where half of the regiment fought in the Second Maroon War on Jamaica for eight months. Among the seventy dead from the campaign was Lieutenant-Colonel Fitch, who was succeeded in the colonelcy of the regiment by Major-General James Balfour. The other half of the regiment was sent to garrison Santo Domingo, where it took heavy losses through disease; the remnant of this detachment returned to rejoin the main body in Jamaica in 1798. The regiment remained on garrison duty until 1802, when it was ordered back to England. Most of the remaining men were drafted to other garrison units - mostly the 60th and 85th Foot - before departure. During these seven years, around 900 officers and men had died, almost all from disease, from an original strength of around 1100.Memoirs, pp. 14-15 No battle honours were awarded for the regiment's service in the West Indies, though the 83rd was one of a number of infantry regiments to apply unsuccessfully for a "West Indies" honour to be awarded for the overall campaign.Baker, p. 239
The regiment spent a few months in England, rebuilding its strength, and then garrisoned Jersey during 1803–1805; in 1804 a second battalion was raised in Sussex, drawing a large number of men from the 3rd Royal Lancashire Militia.Memoirs, pp. 16-17
In 1805, the 1st Battalion of the 83rd was assigned to a force sent to capture the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope, and saw service at the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, for which it was awarded the battle honour Cape of Good Hope.Memoirs, p. 16; Baker, p. 262 It would remain as a garrison there for the next decade, until 1817, receiving occasional drafts from the 2nd Battalion.Memoirs, p. 16
Peninsular War
The 2nd Battalion remained on home service until 1809, with garrison postings in England, Jersey, and Ireland. In 1808 it was raised to an establishment of 1000 men, rather than the lower home service establishment of 600, and in early 1809 was ordered to sail for A Coruña, in Spain, for service in the Peninsular War. It was recalled while at sea following the Battle of Corunna, and then sailed successfully for Lisbon, arriving safely in Portugal on 6 April 1809. It was put under the command of Brigadier Alan Cameron, alongside the 1st Battalion of the 9th Foot.Memoirs, pp. 17–19
The battalion advanced north into Portugal with the main force of the army, whose first objective was the recapture of Porto. In the Second Battle of Porto, the light company of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) crossed the river by boat and captured the seminary, a strategically located building, along with troops from Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill's Brigade. while the main force entered the town from a different direction. The defenders were surprised while withdrawing, and took heavy casualties.Memoirs, p. 19 The force pursued the French army into Spain, with the 83rd's brigade engaging and routing the French rear-guard at Salamonde on the 16th before breaking off the pursuit. The force then was garrisoned along the Tagus River, where it suffered heavily from illness spreading among the men.Memoirs, pp. 19–20
On 27 and 28 July, the army was deployed at the Battle of Talavera, where the 83rd formed part of the central division; despite being exposed to heavy fire from French artillery, it held its position until the French infantry had approached to around thirty metres, and then made a bayonet charge to scatter the attackers. The battalion's casualties were very heavy, with seventy men killed including the commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, and another 295 wounded, and the 83rd was withdrawn to Lisbon to rest and receive reinforcements. It was later awarded the battle honour Talavera for its part in the battle.Memoirs, pp. 20–23
The battalion spent October 1809 to September 1810 in Lisbon, when it rejoined the army as part of the left brigade in Picton's 3rd Division. It arrived in time for the Battle of Bussaco on 26/27 September, where it was only lightly engaged but still received the battle honour Busaco, and retreated along with the army to Torres Vedras, where it spent the winter.Memoirs, pp. 23–25
The army advanced out of the fortress in March, and the 83rd was involved in a number of the skirmishes fought with the retreating French army through the spring of 1811. In May, it fought at the Battle of Fuentes d'Onor, where its defence of the village was mentioned in Wellington's despatches, and the regiment was awarded Fuentes d'Onor as a battle honour. It was then deployed at the siege of Badajoz and the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, where on 25 September it helped drive off a large French relief force. The siege of Ciudad Rodrigo ended when the fortress was stormed on 19 January 1812. The light company of the 83rd led the attack on the right flank, while the main body of the battalion provided covering fire for the central attack. The battalion lost four dead and fourteen wounded, and was awarded the battle honour Ciudad Rodrigo.Memoirs, pp. 25–26
The army then returned to besiege Badajoz, where the 3rd Division successfully stormed the fortress in early April. The 83rd played a major role in the attack on La Picurina, an outpost of the fortress, on 25 March, and in the main assault on 6 April. On the 6th, they led the division's attack, scaling the walls of the castle and securing the gates against a French counter-attack, but at the cost of a third of the force involved (40 killed, 87 wounded). The officers leading the attack were promoted, and the regiment was awarded the battle honour Badajoz.Memoirs, pp. 26–29 Through the summer of 1812, the British army advanced into Spain, fighting a major engagement at the Battle of Salamanca on 22 July; here, the 83rd's division counterattacked a large body of French troops spread out in marching order, capturing three thousand prisoners. The regiment was awarded the battle honour Salamanca.Memoirs, pp. 29–30
In the following year's campaign, the battalion saw service at the Battle of Vittoria, on 23 June 1813, where it led the 3rd Division's crossing of the River Zadara. The 83rd saw heavy fighting, with 35 dead and 78 wounded; after the battle, medals were awarded to two senior officers, the regiment was awarded the battle honour Vittoria, and the commander of the 83rd's brigade personally gave a one-guinea bounty to a large number of men as a mark of their bravery. Following the battle, the battalion briefly served at the siege of Pamplona before being assigned to secure the flank of the army, where it was lightly engaged on 27 & 28 July.Memoirs, pp. 31–33
Following the French defeats at San Sebastien and Pamplona, the British army advanced into France in late 1813. The first major fighting after crossing the border was the Battle of Nivelle on 10 November, where the 83rd received the battle honour Nivelle for its services and . It later saw service during the passage of the Gave d'Oloron and at the Battle of Orthez on 27 February 1814. At Orthez, the battalion lost 11 killed and 39 wounded. After the fighting, it received the formal thanks of Colonel Keane, commanding the brigade, and the battle honour Orthez; the commander of the light company, Captain Elliott, received a brevet promotion and a medal for his services. The advance continued through the following months, with the 83rd fighting at Vic-en-Bigorre, on 19 March, where it lost 7 killed and 18 wounded. The final battle of the campaign was the Battle of Toulouse on 10 April; the 83rd was only lightly involved in the fighting, but was nonetheless awarded the battle honour of Toulouse.Memoirs, pp. 33–36
After the close of hostilities, the 2nd Battalion was garrisoned in France until 1 June, when it left Bordeaux to return to England. It was then sent to Ireland in July 1814, with the depot rejoining them in November. The battalion transferred to Dublin in 1815, when all officers on active service were sent to join the 1st Battalion in South Africa, and then moved to detached duty in Armagh through 1816. It was finally disbanded in April 1817, with around 390 men posted to join the 1st Battalion, then under orders for garrison duty in Ceylon. 186 men were discharged, mostly wounded and unfit for further service.Memoirs, pp. 36–37
Ceylon
In October 1817, the regiment, now reduced to a single battalion, was ordered from the Cape of Good Hope to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) for garrison duty. While they were in transit, the Third Kandyan War broke out, and on arrival the 83rd was sent directly into the hills for active service. Over the year and a half of active duty, the regiment lost only twelve men to combat, but 121 to disease and illness; a further 91 died from long-term effects over the following year. The regiment was also reduced progressively in size, to 750 men in 1818, and under 650 in 1822.Memoirs, pp. 39-40
In early 1824 the 83rd was ordered to return to England, but after the Anglo-Burmese War broke out in March this order was cancelled, and it remained in Ceylon, though with an increased establishment of 850 men. Finally, in December 1825, it sailed for England; over the nine years in Ceylon, over five hundred men had died of illness. It arrived in England in May 1826, over twenty years since the original 1st Battalion had left for South Africa. Shortly after its arrival, the commanding officer retired, and was succeeded by Henry Dundas MP, a line officer in the regiment.Memoirs, pp. 40-43
Canada
After a year in Glasgow, the regiment returned to Ireland, where it was dispersed among a number of stations for several years. In the winter of 1833–34, it concentrated in Dublin, and in February 1834 was ordered to Canada. Here, it garrisoned Halifax, with detachments on some outlying islands. In June 1837, following political unrest in Lower Canada, it moved to Quebec, and in December to Montreal. They arrived here two days before the Battle of Saint-Eustache, where they were one of three government regiments engaged in defeating the Patriote militia.Memoirs, pp. 43-46