Officers of the Royal Fuziliers
1772-1783
The following pages attempt to trace the officers who served with the 7th Regiment during its time in America. The pages are organized by year, then by company according to seniority. The information is drawn from the regiment's muster rolls (WO 12/2474 and WO12/2475) and checked against British Army Officers Who Served in the American Revolution, 1775 - 1783. Sadly, the 1773, 1774 and 1775 regimental rolls are missing. It is likely they were lost when the regiment's stores were captured at Ft Chambley in 1775.
Each entry shows the company captain's rank, name and date of commission followed by the junior officers of the company. Promotion or transfer are not noted. Instead, the officer's new rank and date of commission simply appear in the corresponding spot on the next year. If an officer died in service, the date is listed as either with (d.) or (KIA).
Changes in command were frequent due to injuries, death, retirement, and the exchange of officers between the regiment in America and the additional companies recruiting in England. Lieutenants were the most frequently shifted between companies. This make it tricky to track the movement of companies. To follow all of the changes would involve a great deal more space and confusing matrices. To simplify the breakdown, a snapshot of the regiment in the first quarter of each year is presented.
It should be noted that the Royal Fuziliers did not have ensigns. Nor did they utilize the ranks of 1st Lieutenant and 2nd Lieutenant as the two other fusilier regiments did. Instead, the 7th simply had 2 Lieutenants for every company (except the Colonel's, which had a Captain Lieutenant).
Eventually, we may see the rolls completely transcribed here.
Each entry shows the company captain's rank, name and date of commission followed by the junior officers of the company. Promotion or transfer are not noted. Instead, the officer's new rank and date of commission simply appear in the corresponding spot on the next year. If an officer died in service, the date is listed as either with (d.) or (KIA).
Changes in command were frequent due to injuries, death, retirement, and the exchange of officers between the regiment in America and the additional companies recruiting in England. Lieutenants were the most frequently shifted between companies. This make it tricky to track the movement of companies. To follow all of the changes would involve a great deal more space and confusing matrices. To simplify the breakdown, a snapshot of the regiment in the first quarter of each year is presented.
It should be noted that the Royal Fuziliers did not have ensigns. Nor did they utilize the ranks of 1st Lieutenant and 2nd Lieutenant as the two other fusilier regiments did. Instead, the 7th simply had 2 Lieutenants for every company (except the Colonel's, which had a Captain Lieutenant).
Eventually, we may see the rolls completely transcribed here.
Muster Rolls of the 7th Regiment, 1760-1780. National Archives, Kew. WO 12/2474.
Muster Rolls of the 7th Regiment, 1781-1798. National Archives, Kew. WO 12/2745.
Baule, Steven M. and Gilbert, Stephen. British Army Officers Who Served in the American Revolution, 1775-1783. Heritage Books, Westminster, MD. 2003
Muster Rolls of the 7th Regiment, 1781-1798. National Archives, Kew. WO 12/2745.
Baule, Steven M. and Gilbert, Stephen. British Army Officers Who Served in the American Revolution, 1775-1783. Heritage Books, Westminster, MD. 2003
All of the information contained within the pages of this website are the property of Jason Melius. Great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information provided. The information is not to be used without the express permission of the author and proper credit.
