Created as Menelaos's disbanded.
Who are we?The 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot is a North American regiment based on skill, activity, and discipline. We are a community that plays games together, fights in line-battles and sieges, and finally consider each other more as a community than clan. In the regiment you may find yourself surrounded with veteran players who can significantly increase your melee skills or even show simple tricks that advanced fighters use. The intention of the 44th is to provide a fun, enjoyable, yet disciplined unit that fights primarily as line infantry as a centre & light company. Based on a historical regiment that participated throughout many battles in the Peninsular campaign and finally into Waterloo.
If you are interested in joining a serious, disciplined and aspiring regiment then join the 44th!Take the King's Shilling
RankingsOfficers
Captain - Cpt
Lieutenant - Lt
Ensign - Ens
| | Non-commissioned Officers
Serjeant Major - SjtMaj
Colour Serjeant - CSjt
Serjeant - Sjt
Corporal - Cpl
| | Enlisted Men
Lance-Corporal - LCpl
Fusilier - Fus
Private - Pte
Recruit - Rec
|
The Napoleonic Wars - "The Fighting Fours" and the Salamanca EagleThe outbreak of war with revolutionary France in 1793 found the 44th and the 56th in Ireland. Both Regiments were sent to the West Indies, being employed in operations against the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. While the 56th Foot was to remain in the West Indies until 1799 fighting both the French and the yellow fever until decimated, the 44th returned home in 1794 to be sent, ill-prepared and under strength, to fight under the Duke of York in Flanders. This ill-conceived campaign ended for the 44th in the spring of 1795, when it returned with the other remnants of the army to England, only to be sent once more to the West Indies. Returned home in 1797, the 44th next garrisoned Gibraltar from October, 1800, at a time when Napoleon conquered Egypt only to have his fleet destroyed by Nelson at the Battle of the Nile. Isolated by British sea-power, the eventual fate of the French was certain and only depended on when the hard-pressed England could spare the force necessary for their destruction. In 1801 the 44th was made part of this expedition. It took part in the Battle of the Pyramids and the Siege of Alexandria. It was awarded its first battle honour, "The Sphinx Superscribed Egypt", to be borne on the Regimental Colour. A Sphinx formed part of the Regimental cap badge.
Expansion of the army during the Napoleonic Wars resulted in the raising of the 2/44th (1803) and the 2/56th (1804), while the 3/5th was raised in 1813. The 2/44th was raised in Ireland, and it is perhaps to commemorate this and the many Irishmen who served with gallantry in the ranks of the 44th and 56th in their earlier years that both regular battalions of The Essex Regiment always marked St Patrick's Day by the beating of reveille by the Corps of Drums playing traditional Irish airs - a custom still observed today. The 44th served in Malta, Sicily, Spain and North America. In the latter campaign the battle honour "Bladensburg" was awarded for the part the Regiment took in the advance to and occupation of Washington, the American capital, 1814.
The 2/44th in its short life crowned itself with glory, gaining great distinction under Lord Wellington in the Peninsular War and at Quatre Bras and Waterloo. It won for the Regiment the battle honours of "Badajoz", "Salamanca", "Peninsula" and "Waterloo". It was a party of the 2/44th, under command of Lieutenant W. Pearce, that captured the Eagle Standard of the 62nd Regiment of French Infantry during the Battle of Salamanca in 1812. This Eagle (only five were taken in battle in all the wars with the French) rests in the Museum and an Eagle badge is worn as an arm badge by the Royal Anglian Regiment. The gallantry of the 2/44th in the Peninsular War gained them the nickname "The Fighting Fours".
*** |  A Private from the 44th during the Peninsular Campaign. |
 The Eagle of the 62nd Captured at Salamanca | Capture of an Eagle at Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca, 22 July 1812 - the attack by Sir James Leith's 5th Division. At about 1640hrs the 5th Division, after enduring a prolonged period under fire from French artillery, began its attack on Maacune's division just above the village of Los Arapiles. When the 5th reached the crest of the heights they found Maucune's division drawn up in squares. In the ensuing contest, the British firepower broke the squares apart.
The eagle of the 62nd was taken by Lieutenant Pearce of the 44th English, who appeared in front of its bearer at the moment when he was taking it off its staff to protect it under his coat. They got involved in a fight, in which they were joined by a 2nd eagle-bearer, a French soldier and three English of the 44th. The French soldier was going to drive his bayonet into the Lieutenant, when Private Finlay shot him in the head, saving the Lieutenant’s life and spraying the eagle with the soldier’s blood. The two French bearers also died straight away, one of them killed by Lieutenant Pearce, who snatched the eagle from the hands of one of the dead, then nailed their trophy to a sergeant’s pike, carrying it triumphantly throughout the remainder of the battle, presenting it to Wellington the following day.
Brevet Lieut Colonel Hardinge gained a medal for this victory and the 44th were permitted to bear the word Salamanca on the regimental colour. The battalion had Captains John Berwick Ensign William Standley and four rank and file killed two sergeants one drummer and twenty rank and file wounded at the battle. |
Quatre Bras & Finale
The Battalion then moved to quarters in Ostend until April 1815, when they where posted to the 95th British Infantry Brigade under the command of Sir Dennis Pack. The 2nd Battalion suffered 165 casualties during the Waterloo Campaign and was particularly hard pressed at Quatre Bras, where on June 16th Ensign Christie, despite receiving serious injuries, distinguished himself by saving the regimental Colour. After the battle of June 18th, the 44th marched to Paris, not returning to England until January 1816. In January 1816 the 2nd Battalion of the 44th Regiment of Foot embarked at Calais for Dover and on the 24th January was disbanded. The Officers received full pay until 24th March and all men fit for service were transferred to the 1st Battalion. The 44th East Essex remained a one battalion regiment, winning more glory and honours until 1881, when on 1st July, as a result of the territorial reorganisation scheme, the 44th became the 1st Battalion, the Essex Regiment and the 44th East Essex ceased to exist. Gone but never forgotten. |  44th Defending Their Colours at Waterloo (Ensign Christie). |
 44th Kings Colour | |  44th Regiment Colour |
 Last stand of the 44th at Gandamak, painted by William Barnes Wollen
| First Anglo-Afghan War
The 44th Foot fought in the First Anglo-Afghan War and the regiment formed the rearguard on the retreat from Kabul. After a continuous running battle in two feet of snow, the force had been reduced to fewer than forty men. On 13 January 1842, the few survivors of the decimated regiment made a last stand against Afghan tribesmen on a rocky hill near the village of Gandamak. The ground was frozen and icy. The men had no shelter and were starving. Only a dozen of the men had working muskets, the officers their pistols and a few unbroken swords. When the Afghans surrounded them on the morning of the 13th the Afghans announced that a surrender could be arranged. "Not bloody likely!" was the bellowed answer of one British sergeant. It is believed that only two survived the massacre. Most notable was Captain Thomas Souter, who by wrapping the regimental colours around himself was taken prisoner, being mistaken by the Afghan as a high military official. The other was Surgeon William Brydon who rode his exhausted horse for days until he came to the British garrison at Jalalabad. A vivid, if romanticised, depiction entitled "Last Stand of the 44th Regiment at Gundamuk" was painted by the artist William Barnes Wollen in 1898 which now hangs in the Chelmsford and Essex museum in Oaklands Park, London Road, Chelmsford. This disaster to British arms served to encourage the Indian nationalists who were leaders in the great mutiny in India. |
AcknowledgementsI'd like to thank the NW community for all that it has provided for me, and their support for whatever the hell I do. I'd like to thank Diplex for building a large regiment fame for the 44th prior to this thread. I'd probably be Prussian had I not watched too much Sharpe and decided to stay British after the 60th. Notable influential people: Joshly, Millander, Peter Broetz, and friends that I've met along the way. I could probably go on and on and cry a river but that's unneeded. Anyway, I'll post some other cool regiments below should the 44th not interest you.
NB: I am happy to schedule private 1v1 linebattles, however I have a few conditions that which may apply. I will not do last second 1v1's and not abide with terrible attitudes regarding rule infractions, something that new players can't grasp. An average attendance of 10-15 is somewhat needed and a friendly attitude is helpful. I will not post 1v1 results on this thread and just leave what happened on the field, hopefully you do the same if challenged. With that aside, if you are interested in having a 1v1 then feel free to contact me via forums or Steam. I'm happy to follow any ruleset that you challenge given. Currently, applicable days for a private event for us are on Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday. Thanks for reading!
