The 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a British Army infantry regiment, raised in 1794. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gordon Highlanders in 1881.
The regiment was raised in Aberdeenshire by General George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon, as the 100th (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by the French Revolution, on 10 February 1794.[2] It embarked for Gibraltar in September 1794[3] and then moved on to Corsica in June 1795.[4] From Corsica a detachment was sent to Elba in August 1796[5] and the whole regiment returned to Gibraltar in September 1796.[6] The regiment returned to England in March 1798[7] but was then deployed to Ireland in May 1798 to help suppress the Irish Rebellion.[8] The regiment was re-ranked as the 92nd (Highland) Regiment of Foot in October 1798.[2]
The regiment embarked for Holland in August 1799 and saw action at the Battle of Alkmaar in October 1799 during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland, an intervention which was aimed to overthrow the Batavian Republic, a French client republic.[9] It returned home later that month.[10] The regiment embarked for Menorca in June 1800[11] and then sailed on to Abu Qir in Egypt in March 1801 to take part in the Egyptian Campaign.[12] It saw action at the Battle of Mandora on 13 March 1801.[13] This was a preliminary action before the Battle of Alexandria eight days later on 21 March. That morning, the regiment had been ordered to return to Abukir, having now only 150 effective men, because of illness and casualties sustained. However, on hearing the sound of firing, the regiment saw the commander-in-chief, Sir Ralph Abercromby, passing on his horse and called out to be allowed to return to the line of battle, to which he gave his assent.[14] The regiment sailed for home in October 1801.[15]
A second battalion was raised in November 1803 but it solely served as a reinforcement pool and never left the United Kingdom. The 1st Battalion embarked for Copenhagen in August 1807[16] and took part in the Battle of Køge[17] and then the Battle of Copenhagen later that month during the Gunboat War.[18]
The regiment embarked for Portugal in July 1808 for service in the Peninsular War.[19] It served under Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore at the Battle of Corunna in January 1809 and subsequent evacuation.[20] The regiment was renamed as the 92nd Regiment of Foot in 1809.[2] It then took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in autumn 1809.[21]
The regiment returned to Portugal in September 1810 to resume its service under General Viscount Wellesley in the Peninsular War.[21] It saw action at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811,[22] the Second Siege of Badajoz in June 1811[23] and the Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos in October 1811[24] as well as the Battle of Almaraz in May 1812[25] and the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813.[26] It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813,[27] the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813[28] and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813[29] as well as the Battle of Orthez in February 1814[30] and the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814.[31]