List of British units in the American Revolutionary War
This is a list of British units which took part in the American Revolutionary War, fighting against the American rebels and their French, Spanish and Dutch allies in the thirteen North American colonies, including battles in Florida and the West Indies. In addition to the regular army the list includes German auxiliary units, and militia and provincial units formed from Loyalists, West Indians, and Canadians.
No battle honours were ever awarded to British regiments who fought in America as it was seen by the British to be a civil war. Four battle honours were, however, awarded for actions against the French and Spanish in the West Indies and other theatres.
Of the British Army regiments raised during the war, primarily for military service in North America or the Caribbean, only three, the 23rd Light Dragoons and the 73rd and 78th Foot, survived the post-war reductions in the Army. The 23rd Light Dragoons served in India until 1806; the 73rd later became part of the Highland Light Infantry while the 78th became part of the Seaforth Highlanders in 1881.
The newly raised 85th Foot, 86th Foot, 87th Foot, 88th Foot, 89th Foot, 90th Foot, 91st Foot, 92nd Foot, 93rd Foot, 94th Foot and 99th Foot were stationed on garrison duty in the West Indies. All were disbanded at the end of the war.
Infantry units which remained in the British Isles during the war included the 2nd Foot, the 11th Foot, the 12th Foot, the 25th Foot at Sussex, the 32nd Foot at Cornwall, the 36th Foot at Herefordshire, the 39th Foot at East Middlesex, the 41st Foot, the 51st Foot and the 81st Foot.
The 78th Foot, the 83rd Foot and the 95th Foot were stationed in Jersey, where they defeated a French invasion of the island in 1781. Other regiments were in service in India or Gibraltar.
British Regular Army">British Army during the American War of Independence">British Regular Army
Artillery
- Royal Regiment of Artillery
- Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery
Cavalry
- 16th The Queen's Lancers a.k.a. the 16th Regiment of Dragoons
- 17th Regiment of Dragoons
Infantry
[Foot Guards]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
[Line Infantry]
- British Regulars
- 1st Regiment of Foot
- 3rd Regiment of Foot or "Buffs" and "Royal East Kent Regiment"
- 4th Regiment of Foot
- 5th Regiment of Foot
- 6th Regiment of Foot
- 7th Regiment of Foot
- 8th Regiment of Foot
- 9th Regiment of Foot
- 10th Regiment of Foot
- 13th Regiment of Foot
- 14th Regiment of Foot
- 15th Regiment of Foot
- 16th Regiment of Foot
- 17th Regiment of Foot
- 18th Regiment of Foot
- 19th Regiment of Foot
- 20th Regiment of Foot
- 21st Regiment of Foot
- 22nd Regiment of Foot
- 23rd Regiment of Foot
- 24th Regiment of Foot
- 26th Regiment of Foot
- 27th Regiment of Foot
- 28th Regiment of Foot
- 29th Regiment of Foot
- 30th Regiment of Foot
- 31st Regiment of Foot
- 33rd Regiment of Foot
- 34th Regiment of Foot
- 35th Regiment of Foot
- 37th Regiment of Foot
- 38th Regiment of Foot
- 40th Regiment of Foot
- 42nd Regiment of Foot
- 43rd Regiment of Foot
- 44th Regiment of Foot
- 45th Regiment of Foot
- 46th Regiment of Foot
- 47th Regiment of Foot
- 48th Regiment of Foot
- 49th Regiment of Foot
- 50th Regiment of Foot
- 52nd Regiment of Foot
- 53rd Regiment of Foot
- 54th Regiment of Foot
- 55th Regiment of Foot
- 57th Regiment of Foot
- 59th Regiment of Foot
- 60th Regiment of Foot
- 62nd Regiment of Foot
- 63rd Regiment of Foot
- 64th Regiment of Foot
- 65th Regiment of Foot
- 69th Regiment of Foot
- 70th Regiment of Foot
- 71st Regiment of Foot
- 74th Regiment of Foot
- 76th Regiment of Foot
- 79th Regiment of Foot
- 80th Regiment of Foot
- 82nd Regiment of Foot
- 83rd Regiment of Foot
- 84th Regiment of Foot
- 105th Regiment of Foot,
- 110th Regiment of Foot,
- 85th Regiment of Foot
- 86th Regiment of Foot
- 87th Regiment of Foot
- 88th Regiment of Foot
- 89th Regiment of Foot
- 90th Regiment of Foot
- 91st Regiment of Foot
- 92nd Regiment of Foot
- 93rd Regiment of Foot
- 94th Regiment of Foot
- 99th Regiment of Foot
H.M. Marine Forces">History of the Royal Marines">H.M. Marine Forces
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
American establishment">American establishment (British army)">American establishment
- 1st American Regiment
- 2nd American Regiment
- 3rd American Regiment
- 4th American Regiment
- 5th American Regiment
American Loyalist units">Loyalists Fighting in the American Revolution">American Loyalist units
Provincial Corps">Provincial (soldier)">Provincial Corps
- American Legion
- American Volunteers
- Armed Boat Company
- Black Company of Pioneers,
- British Legion
- Bucks County Dragoons
- Butler's Rangers
- Caledonian Volunteers
- Campbell's Dragoons
- Canadian Companies
- Claus' Rangers
- Collett's Independent Company
- De Lancey's Brigade
- Detroit Volunteers
- Diemar's Troop of Black Hussars
- Duke of Cumberland's Regiment
- Duchess County Company
- Emmerich's Chasseurs
- Fenwick's Dragoons
- Forshner's Independent Company
- Georgia Light Dragoons
- Georgia Loyalists
- Governor Wentworth's Volunteers
- Guides and Pioneers
- Harkimer's Batteau Company
- Hierlihy's Corps
- James Island Light Dragoons
- King's American Dragoons
- King's American Regiment
- King's Rangers
- King's Rangers
- King's Orange Rangers
- King's Royal Regiment of New York
- Kinloch's Light Dragoons
- Locke's Independent Company
- Loyal American Rangers
- Loyal American Regiment
- Loyal Foresters
- Loyal New Englanders
- Loyal Rangers
- Loyal Rhode Islanders
- Maryland Loyalists Battalion
- McAlpin's Corps
- Nassau Blues
- Newfoundland Regiment
- New Hampshire Volunteers
- New Jersey Volunteers
- Newport Artillery Company 1741
- New York Volunteers
- North Carolina Highlanders
- North Carolina Independent Company
- North Carolina Independent Dragoons
- Pennsylvania Loyalists
- Philadelphia Light Dragoons
- Prince of Wales's American Volunteers
- Provincial Light Infantry
- Queen's Rangers
- Roman Catholic Volunteers
- Royal American Reformers
- Royal Fencible Americans
- Royal Garrison Battalion
- Royal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment
- Saint John's Volunteers
- Starkloff's Dragoons
- South Carolina Rangers
- South Carolina Royalists
- Stewart's Troop of Light Dragoons
- Van Alstine's Batteau Company
- Volunteers of Ireland
- Volunteers of New England
- West Florida Royal Foresters
- West Jersey Volunteers
Militia">Militia (English)">Militia
- Charleston Militia
- Charleston Volunteer Battalion
- Detroit Militia
- East Florida Militia
- Georgia Artillery
- Georgia Militia
- German Independent Company,
- Independent Troop of Black Dragoons
- Loyal Commissariat Volunteers
- Loyal Ordnance Volunteers
- Loyal Volunteers of the City of New York
- Massachusetts Militia
- Massachusetts Volunteers
- McDonald's Company of Volunteers
- Minorca Volunteer Company
- New Jersey Militia
- New York City Militia
- New York Independent Highland Volunteers
- New York Marine Artillery Company
- New York Militia
- New York Rangers
- North Carolina Militia
- Nova Scotia Militia
- Nova Scotia Volunteer Militia Regiment
- Quebec City Militia
- Quebec Militia
- Saint Johns County Volunteers
- South Carolina Militia
- South Carolina Volunteers
- Westchester Chasseurs
- West Florida Militia
Local Volunteer Corps">military volunteer">Local Volunteer Corps
- Adams Company of Rangers
- Bay Fusiliers
- Bucks County Volunteers
- Detroit Volunteers
- Dunlop's Corps
- East Florida Rangers
- East Florida Volunteers
- Ethiopian Regiment
- Georgia Light Dragoons
- Georgia Rangers
- Georgia Rifle Dragoons
- King's Dock Yard Volunteers
- King's Loyal Americans
- Loyal Volunteers of the City of New York, under the command of Mayor David Mathews
- Mackay's Corps
- Mayor's Independent Company of Volunteers of New York City under the command of Loyalist Mayor David Mathews
- McAlpin's Corps of Royalists
- Mosquito Shore Volunteers
- Natchez Volunteers
- Negro Volunteers
- Newfoundland Volunteers
- North Carolina Volunteers
- Queen's Loyal Rangers
- Queen's Loyal Virginia Regiment
- Queen's Royal Rangers
- Rattan and Black River Volunteers
- Royal Bateaux Volunteers
- Royal Ethiopian Regiment
- Virginia Light Horse
- Virginia Volunteers
- Volunteers of Augusta
- West Florida Provincials
- West Florida Refugees
Associators and Refugees">Associators">Associators and Refugees
- Associated Loyalists
- Black Brigade
- Brant's Volunteers
- De Lancey's Refugees
- Hatfield's Company of Partisans
- Hazard's Corps of Refugees
- James Stewart's Company of Refugees
- King's Militia Volunteers
- Loyal American Association
- Loyal Associated Refugees
- Loyal Irish Volunteers
- Loyal Newport Associators
- Loyal Refugee Volunteers
- Maryland Royal Retaliators
- Pepperell's Corps
- Robins Company of Partisans
- Royal North British Volunteers
- Sharp's Refugee Marines
- Uzal Ward's Company of Refugees
West Indian Forces
- Barbados Militia
- Barbadian Rangers
- Black Carolina Corps
- Grenada Militia
- Jamaica Corps of Foot
- Independent Companies
- Jamaica Legion
- Jamaica Light Dragoons
- Jamaica Militia
- Jamaica Rangers
- Jamaica Volunteers
- Turks Island Company
German Auxiliaries">Hessian (soldier)">German Auxiliaries
Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst">Anhalt-Zerbst">Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst
- Rauschenplatt's Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst's Regiment, and 1 "Pandour" in New York )
- Nuppenau's Jäger Company
- Company of Artillery
[Margrave of Ansbach] and Bayreuth">Margrave of Bayreuth">Bayreuth
- 1st Regiment Anspach
- 2nd Regiment Bayreuth
- Anspach Jäger Company
Duchy of Brunswick">Brunswick-Lüneburg">Duchy of Brunswick
- Dragoon Regiment Prinz Lüdwig Ernst
- Grenadier Battalion Breymann
- Light Infantry Battalion von Barner
- Musketeer Regiment Riedesel
- Musketeer Regiment Specht
- Regiment Prinz Friedrich
- Regiment von Rhetz
- von Geyso's Jäger Company
[Electorate of Hanover]
- 1st Battalion von Reden
- 1st Battalion von Hardenberg
- 1st Battalion la Motte
- 2nd Battalion Prinz Ernst von Mecklenburg
- 2nd Battalion von Goldacker
- 14th Regiment
- 15th Regiment
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)">Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel">Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)
- Combined Regiment von Loos
- Fusilier Regiment von Dittfurth
- Fusilier Regiment Erbprinz
- Fusilier Regiment von Knyphausen
- Fusilier Regiment von Lossburg
- Grenadier Regiment von Rall ; von Trümbach ; d'Angelelli )
- *1st Battalion Grenadiers von Linsing
- *2nd Battalion Grenadiers von Block
- *3rd Battalion Grenadiers von Minnigerode
- *4th Battalion Grenadiers von Koehler
- Garrison Regiment von Bünau
- Garrison Regiment von Huyne
- Garrison Regiment von Stein
- Garrison Regiment von Wissenbach
- Jäger Corps
- Leib Infantry Regiment
- Musketeer Regiment von Donop
- Musketeer Regiment von Trümbach
- Musketeer Regiment von Mirbach
- Musketeer Regiment Prinz Carl
- Musketeer Regiment von Wutginau
County of Hesse-Hanau">Hesse-Hanau">County of Hesse-Hanau
- Janecke's Frei Corps of Light Infantry
- Musketeer Regiment Erbprinz
- Creuzbourg's Jäger Corps
- Pausch's Company of Artillery
Principality of Waldeck">Waldeck (state)">Principality of Waldeck
- 3rd Waldeck Regiment