 In January 1852 , under the command of Captain Robert Salmond RN , the Birkenhead left Portsmouth conveying troops from ten different regiments , including the 74th Regiment of Foot and Queen 's Royal Regiment , to the 8th Xhosa War ( then called the " <unk> War " ) against the Xhosa in South Africa . On 5 January , she picked up more soldiers at Queenstown ( now Cobh ) , Ireland , and conveyed some officers ' wives and families . 
