Scots Guards

The Scots Guards is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division, and have a long and proud history stretching back hundreds of years.

Seeing the New World

In 1776, the American colonists, in Philadelphia, declared their independence from Great Britain during the American War of Independence. In response, fifteen men from each company of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards and the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards, formed a composite battalion of Foot Guards to be sent to North America. The composite battalion was subsequently split into two battalions, with both battalions seeing action at the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of White Plains that same year. The following year, in September, the composite Foot Guards took part in the Battle of Brandywine Creek. The British and their Allies, the Hessians, were slightly outnumbered by the Americans, though the British and Hessians did triumph, with both sides sufferering large casualties. Later that year, both composite battalions took part in the Battle of Germantown which also ended in a British victory.

Related Topics:
1776 - Philadelphia - American War of Independence - 1st Regiment of Foot Guards - Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards - North America - Battle of Brooklyn - Battle of White Plains - Battle of Brandywine Creek - Hessian - Battle of Germantown

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In 1781, the two composite Foot Guard battalions took part in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The force was commanded by General Charles Cornwallis and comprised of 1,900 troops while their American opponents numbered 4,400. The Foot Guards were in the thick of it for much of the battle with exceptional professionalism. During the course of the battle, the Foot Guards were involved in a very bitter struggle with American Dragoons after being the subject of an attack by the Dragoons from the rear. The Americans also launched a counter-attack and chaos obviously ensued. General Cornwallis made the difficult choice of firing grapeshot into the intermingling masses of the British and American troops. Grapeshot was an ammunition that was usually nine metal balls loosely packed into a canvas bag, that was, like a shotgun, deadly. The grapeshot hit both American and British, though unpleasant, it caused the Americans to withdraw, thus giving the British a victory against the Americans, though the British suffered irreplaceble casualties. The Foot Guards suffered quite heavily, losing many men killed and wounded, as-well as their commanding officer, Brigadier Charles O'Hara, a Coldstreamer, being wounded.

Related Topics:
1781 - Battle of Guilford Courthouse - Charles Cornwallis - Dragoon - Grapeshot - Charles O'Hara

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The composite Foot Guards, due to the casualties that the Guards had suffered, was reduced to a single composite battalion. Later in 1781, the composite Foot Guards took part in its last engagement, at the Battle of Yorktown, which began when Yorktown was besieged by the Americans. The British defended their positions with great courage into October, but the British commander, General Cornwallis, on the 19th October, marched out, along with his army, of Yorktown to surrender to the Americans. The Foot Guards would not depart America until 1782, finally returning home to Great Britain in 1783. The composite Foot Guards were disbanded that same year and the men were returned to their previous regiments.

Related Topics:
Battle of Yorktown - Yorktown - 1782 - 1783

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