, founder of the regiment, by
Thomas Lawrence Formation 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. It embarked for
Gibraltar in September 1794 and then moved on to
Corsica in June 1795. From Corsica a detachment was sent to
Elba in August 1796 and the whole regiment returned to Gibraltar in September 1796. The regiment returned to England in March 1798 but was then deployed to Ireland in May 1798 to help suppress the
Irish Rebellion. The regiment was re-ranked as the
92nd (Highland) Regiment of Foot in October 1798. At this point some members of the regiment clung to the
stirrups of the passing Greys so that they could reach the French troops. Corporal Dickson of "F" Troop of the Scots Greys, reported: "They were all Gordons, and as we passed through them they shouted 'Go at them the Greys! Scotland for ever!' My blood thrilled at this and I clutched my sabre tighter. Many of them grasped our stirrups and in the fiercest excitement, dashed with us into the fight." After the battle, the regiment marched to
Paris and then embarked for home in December 1815. After arriving in
Edinburgh on 7 September 1816, it was cheered by a large crowd. The regiment embarked for India in January 1858 to help suppress the
Indian Rebellion and were engaged in several skirmishes with remaining rebel forces. In December 1878, the regiment was ordered to
Afghanistan where it was engaged in various security operations following the outbreak of the
Second Anglo-Afghan War. In October 1879, it took part in the
Battle of Charasiab, where the regiment captured three hills, thereby turning the enemy's flank. Major
George White received the
Victoria Cross for his part in this action. A further Victoria Cross was won by Lieutenant
William Dick-Cunyngham at the
Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment on 13 December 1879. At the end of August 1880, the regiment formed part of the force which marched under General
Frederick Roberts from
Kabul to
Kandahar, and at the
Battle of Kandahar on 1 September 1880, formed part of the 1st Brigade, which led the advance in sweeping the enemy out of the closely wooded enclosures along the western slopes of the hill on which the village of Gundi Mullah Sahibdad stood. Instead of returning to the United Kingdom in 1881, the regiment was diverted to
Natal to serve in the
First Boer War. The regiment participated in the disastrous
Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881. After capturing the hilltop in order to dominate the Boer line, the force of 350 British soldiers of the
58th and 92nd Regiments including a number of
Royal Navy gunners, found themselves exposed to heavy and accurate fire early on the following day. This was followed by an assault by 2,000 Boers; despite a desperate last stand, the survivors were swept from the summit. On 1 July 1881 the
Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the
75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot to form the
Gordon Highlanders. The
Regimental Colours of the 92nd were laid-up in
St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, some two years later by the
Duke of Cambridge, where they remain to the present day. ==Battle honours==