[5] "Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty."--_General Orders in 1801._ In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is stated:--"On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves; and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield,--that no circumstances can appal,--and that will ensure victory when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means." [Illustration: FIFTY THIRD REGIMENT. _Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t. Strand_ _For Cannon's Military Records_] HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE FIFTY-THIRD, OR THE SHROPSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. [Sidenote: 1755] In the winter of 1755, when the attacks made by the French on the British settlements beyond the Allegany Mountains, in North America, appeared to render a war between the two countries inevitable, King George II. resolved to augment the strength of his regular army, and a letter of service was addressed to Colonel William Whitmore, major in the third foot guards, authorizing him to raise, form, and discipline a regiment of foot, of ten companies, which was numbered the FIFTY-FIFTH; but two colonial corps being soon afterwards disbanded, viz., Major-General Shirley's and Major-General Sir William Pepperell's, which had been numbered the Fiftieth and Fifty-first regiments, it obtained rank as FIFTY-THIRD regiment.[6] This regiment was raised in the south of England: its uniform was cocked hats; red coats, faced with red, lined with yellow, and ornamented with yellow lace; red waistcoats and breeches, and white gaiters. The colonelcy was conferred on Colonel William Whitmore, by commission dated the 21st of December, 1755; the lieut.-colonelcy was given to Major George Craufurd, from the thirty-fifth regiment, then in Ireland; and Captain William Arnot was nominated major.