American Revolution
66th (Berkshire) British Regiment of Foot Cuff Button
66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot Soldier's Pewter Cuff Button, .5" diameter, Original Shank, British, Choice Very Fine.
An original Revolutionary War era British Military Soldier's Button of The 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. The formation of the regiment was prompted by the expansion of the army as a result of the commencement of the French and Indian / Seven Years' War. On 25 August 1756 it was ordered that a number of existing regiments should raise a second battalion; among those chosen was the 19th Regiment of Foot. The 2nd Battalion of the 19th Regiment of Foot was formed on 10 December 1756 and renumbered as the 66th Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. The regiment was posted to Jamaica in 1764 and then returned home in 1773. The regiment was given a county designation as the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot in 1782.
French and Indian War: (1754 to 1763)
What came to be known as the Seven Years' War (1756"1763) began as a conflict between Great Britain and France in 1754, when the British sought to expand into territory claimed by the French in North America. The war came to be known as the French and Indian War, with both the British and the French and their respective Native American allies fighting for control of territory. Hostilities were heightened when a joint British and native Mingo force (led by a 22-year-old Lt. Colonel George Washington and Chief Tanacharison) ambushed a small French force at the Battle of Jumonville Glen on 28 May 1754. The conflict exploded across the colonial boundaries and extended to Britain's seizure of hundreds of French merchant ships at sea.
The British settlers along the coast were upset that French troops would now be close to the western borders of their colonies. They felt the French would encourage their tribal allies among the North American natives to attack them. Also, the British settlers wanted access to the fertile land of the Ohio River Valley for the new settlers that were flooding into the British colonies seeking farm land.
The most important French fort planned was intended to occupy a position at "the Forks" where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River (present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). Peaceful British attempts to halt this fort construction were unsuccessful, and the French proceeded to build the fort they named Fort Duquesne. British colonial militia from Virginia accompanied by Chief Tanacharison and small number of Mingo warriors were then sent to drive them out. Led by George Washington, they ambushed a small French force at Jumonville Glen on 28 May 1754 killing ten, including commander Jumonville.
The French retaliated by attacking Col. George Washington's army at Fort Necessity on 3 July 1754 and forced Washington to surrender. These were the first engagements of what would become the worldwide Seven Years' War.
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Button Collecting, American Revolutionary War Military Button, Historic British Army Buttons, Rare Buttons