The formation of the regiment was prompted by the expansion of the army as a result of the commencement of the 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 4th Regiment of Foot. The 2nd Battalion of the 4th Regiment of Foot was formed on 10 December 1756 and renumbered as the 62nd Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. he regiment returned to North America in 1776, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Anstruther. Initially dispatched to Canada, the regiment took part in the Canadian campaign during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment's companies were reunited to support the British drive to clear the Americans from the rest of Canada, including the Battle of Valcour Island in October 1776. Following its participation in the Canadian campaign of 1776, the regiment was assigned to serve as part of Major-General John Burgoyne's forces. The regiment served under Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga in September 1777. The regiment surrendered along with the rest of the force and most of the regiment remained imprisoned until 1781 when they were repatriated to England.