Recently painted No 26 - FIW British 55th Foot

It's been quite a while since I last painted a unit for my 15mm French Indian Wars armies, I fancied something different (Posties Russians are really getting on my tits), and they'd been sitting undercoated in a box for far too long, so in a moment of madness I got stuck in, after painting them I got got the FIW bug and made the Indian longhouses, that were in the previous posts. The figures are from Essex, and the bases are metal bases bought from Peter Pig, nearly all of my FIW armies are based up on these, as they're magnetic, I thought I'd make up movement stands, to try and make it easier to move them in units. Anyway the 55th.....

The regiment was raised in 1755 as the 57th Foot, with George Perry Esqr  appointed as their Colonel. In 1757 two regiments of Marines were disbanded so they moved up to become the 55th.
The regiment saw active service overseas in North America, arriving  in Nova Scotia on 8 July 1757 to take part in the abandoned attack on the Fortress Louisberg. During the voyage Colonel Perry died, in September Lord George Augustus Viscount Howe was appointed their Colonel.

In November of that same year, the 55th arrived in Albany, New York. It was during this time that Lord Howe accompanied Major Robert Rogers, commander of His Majesty's Independent Companies of Rangers on a scout, to learn the art of "bush fighting." It was during this time that Howe won the respect of both colonist and British redcoat being described as the "Idol of the army." In the spring of 1758, Howe began to train and accoutre the men in the 55th more like rangers to better adapt them to warfare in America. One person said of Lord Howe's innovations that he has made the men of the 55th "almost as dexterious as the rangers." The regiment became the example for the whole of General James Aberbromby's army that was to assembling to attack the French fort at Ticonderoga. A flotilla of 15000 men sailed up Lake George enroute to Ticonderoga. At the onset of the battle Lord Howe was killed. His death proved to be more than the army of Abercromby could bear, several writers commented on Lord Howe's death in regards to the effect it had on the morale of the army. Without Howe, Abercromby was at a loss as to what to do and decided to attack the fort without bringing up the artillery, a decision that would prove costly and lead to the defeat of his army.

After Lord Howe's death John Prideaux was appointed commander of the regiment though he did not arrive in North America until the following spring. Upon his arrival, he was detached to command the forces bound for Fort Niagara, while the 55th again participated in the successful attacks on Ticonderoga and Crown Point. In an unfortunate accident Prideaux was killed by the blast of a cohorn while walking through the entrenchments during the siege of Fort Niagara. The 55th meanwhile a part of General Jeffery Amherst's army participated in the capture of forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point, halting at Crown Point to construct a new, larger fortification. As the warm months were coming to an end the regiment moved south to winter quarters around Albany.

The following year, 1760 Colonel James Adolphus Oughton took command of the regiment and the 55th travelled to Oswego, where General Jeffery Amherst was assembling his army to attack the last stronghold in French Canada, Montreal. Enroute they defeated the French at La Gallete (present day Ogdensburgh, NY) and Fort Levis, and then further up the St. Lawrence River they went to witness the fall of Montreal to the British. Following the conclusion of hostilities the 55th garrisoned several frontier outposts in New York including Crown Point, Fort Ontario, and Fort Brewerton. In 1762 William Gansell became the colonel of the 55th Regiment.