1756
In February, 1756, the two additional companies were incorporated in the fifty-sixth regiment, then newly raised; and in May the EIGHTEENTH were reviewed by Lieut.-General Bland, commanding the forces in North Britain, and afterwards marched to Fort William, with numerous detachments at various posts in the Highlands.
1757
Orders were received in February, 1757, for the regiment to proceed to Ireland, and it was stationed in that part of the United Kingdom during the remainder of the seven years' war.
1762
Lieut.-General Folliott died in January, 1762, and in April King George III. conferred the colonelcy of the EIGHTEENTH regiment on Major-General Sir John Sebright, Bart., from the eighty-third foot, which corps was disbanded in 1763.
1767
1775
In 1767 the ROYAL IRISH regiment proceeded from Ireland to North America, where it was stationed when the unfortunate misunderstanding occurred between Great Britain and her North American colonies on the subject of taxation. The Americans manifested a disposition to violence, and three companies of the EIGHTEENTH were stationed at Boston, the capital of the state of Massachusetts, under the Governor of the province, General Gage.
General Gage, having ascertained that the Americans had collected a quantity of military stores at Concord, detached the grenadiers and light infantry, including the companies of the EIGHTEENTH, to effect the destruction of these stores. These companies embarked in boats, under Colonel Smith, of the tenth, on the evening of the 18th of April, 1775, and sailed up Charles river to the marshes of Cambridge, where they landed and marched towards Concord. At the village of Lexington they were opposed by a party of American militia; some firing occurred, and several men were killed and wounded: thus the first blood was spilt, and open resistance followed. The King's troops continued their march to Concord, and effected the destruction of the stores. In the meantime the country had been alarmed for many miles, and, when the soldiers commenced their journey back to Boston, they were fired upon from behind the walls, trees, fences, barns, &c., on both sides of the road, and skirmish succeeded skirmish until they arrived at Lexington, where they were met by Earl Percy's brigade, with two field-pieces. The fire of the artillery checked the Americans, and the troops continued their march to Boston. The flank companies of the ROYAL IRISH regiment had two men killed and four wounded on this occasion.
This open resistance to legal authority was followed by the appearance of multitudes of armed Americans in the neighbourhood of Boston, and on the night of the 16th of June they commenced throwing up entrenchments on the peninsula of Charleston, on a height called Bunker's Hill; and on the following day General Gage detached a body of troops, of which the flank companies of the ROYAL IRISH regiment formed part, to drive the Americans from the hill. The attack was made about three o'clock in the afternoon, and British valour was conspicuously displayed; but the Americans had a great superiority of numbers and a strong post. The King's troops were twice arrested in their progress, but by a determined effort they carried the height at the point of the bayonet, and triumphed over thrice their own numbers. The loss of the EIGHTEENTH was limited to three rank and file killed, Lieutenant William Richardson and seven rank and file wounded.