79th Regiment of Foot (Royal Liverpool Volunteers)
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- For other units with the same regimental number, see 79h Regiment of Foot
The 79th Regiment of Foot (Royal Liverpool Volunteers) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, also known as the Liverpool Blues.
The regiment was raised at the expense of the port of Liverpool on 8 January 1778, becoming one of many volunteer regiments formed during the American Revolutionary War.
The regiment, in the role of marines, moved abroad in 1779, when it arrived in Jamaica. In February 1780, the regiment took part in an expedition against the Spanish colony of Nicaragua, ferried by young Captain Horatio Nelson. Disease became rife in the inhospitable climate, decimating the expedition. An evacuation was carried out later in the year.
In 1781, Banastre Tarleton became the lieutenant-colonel of the Liverpool Volunteers, though remained in command of the 5th American Regiment (British Legion). An infamous cavalry officer during the American Revolution, Tarleton was the son of a former Mayor of Liverpool.
The regiment returned to Liverpool in early 1784, where it disbanded following Britain's defeat in the American Revolution.
[edit] References
- Regiments.org. Accessed 21 December, 2005
