The Gordon Highlanders was raised in 1794 by the 4th Duke of Gordon as a regiment of Highland Foot (infantry). Originally designated the 100th Regiment of Foot and later the 92nd, the regiment was officially named "The Gordon Highlanders" in 1881. Many of the original recruits were drawn from the Gordon estates. The early recruitment campaign was assisted by the 4th Duke’s wife, the Duchess of Gordon (Duchess Jean). The Duchess is said to have offered a kiss as an incentive to join her husband's Regiment.The Gordons were formed during the French Revolutionary Wars. They saw action against the armies of France, first at Egmont-op-Zee in Holland in 1799, then in the Egypt expedition of 1801, and in the long campaigns and many battles of the Peninsular War in Spain from 1808-14. The Regiment then played a prominent role in the final defeat of Napoleon at Quatre Bras and Waterloo in 1815.
