1835 - 1880: Early Victorian Era

When Britain and France went to war with Russia in 1854, the 92nd  was part of the British garrison at Gibraltar.  Rather than joining the Allied invasion of the Crimea peninsula, the 92nd was ordered to send reinforcements to other regiments.  Over 300 men volunteered for active service in this way. They were sent to the Crimea in the autumn of 1855 after the fall of Sevastopol in September. The Regiment maintained a presence in the Crimea until the Treaty of Paris was signed in March 1856.

A British and Gurkha force defeated a force of Indian soldiers who had rebelled against the British East India Company.  British forces were split into three brigades, the cavalry and part of the infantry and guns deploying to the right and left in order to take the enemy in the rear and in the flank. When facing off with the opposition, the main column soon ran into difficulty as they were entirely exposed to the enemy’s guns and their own guns were too few and too light a calibre to silence the opposing battery. As a last resort, the 75th were called upon to charge the enemy’s guns, which they did so, taking them at the point of the bayonet. The British victory allowed them to besiege and ultimately capture Delhi.

The 75th were part of the relief column that lifted the siege of the Residency of Lucknow. However it was not then held, instead the defenders withdrew, abandoning the Residency.

Under the command of Major George Stuart White, the 92nd and other regiments were tasked with clearing the Sang-i-nawishta gorge. The Gordons skirmished from rock to rock under heavy fire. On reaching the top they charged their enemy, who turned and fled. A further 100 reinforcements from the 92nd were despatched to clear other hills in the same manner, which they did successfully.

There were a considerable number of engagements around Kabul because of the volatile politics of the mountainous North West Frontier. This instability provided the British with a near constant source of trouble. At Takht-I-Shah, the 92nd rushed the fortress 2,500 feet above the plain to drive out the enemy.

At the end of August 1880, the Regiment formed part of the force which marched under General Roberts from Kabul to Kandahar to relieve besieged British forces that had been defeated at the battle of Maiwand. The Regiment then took part in the Battle of Kandahar on 1 September as part of the 1st Brigade, who were then tasked to flush out the forces surrounding the garrison.