Of the 71M Regiment Highland Light Infantry

H I S TO RI CAL RECO RD

O F TH E

71m REGIMENT HIGHLAND LIGHT INFATR N Y,

ROM I TS ORM A ON I N 1 U N D R TH E F F T I 7 7 7 , E

T ITL E OF TH E

7 B C E ’ RD, OR M L OD S HIG HL AN DERS,

UP TO TH E 1 8 6 YEAR 7 .

' COM P I L ED BY

E N A N T H E N RY H I L D Y AR L I E U T J T. D . L ,

st 7 1 E L I .

3 01mm O PAL L M AL L HARRI S N AN D SON S, 5 9, ,

no h llr to “ : u c m aah ” : m m of wi nks. g n ru 3 Q , 3 93

1 8 7 6 . L ON DO N : S AN D S S P S I N ORDX N ARY TO H E R H ARRI ON O N . RINTER

ST. M ARTI N S L ANE . S U CCESS I ON OF COL O N EL S

I N TH E

T Y N 1 7 m H I G H L AN D L I G H T I N F AN R . N 2

John L ord M c L eo d . d G . T he Hon . Wm . or on

B . F a c is G . C . Sir John r n Cradock,

F ra nc is Dundas .

G d G B . . C . Sir or on Drummond , l i K B C . G . . Sir o n H alkett,

n Sir Samuel F ord Witti gh a m .

R e n ll t K B e G . . Sir Thomas y , Bar , . K o . B . G . Sir Thomas Arbuthn t, K B . K . H . G . C. . Sir J ames Macdonell , and

K . . B G . Sir T homas Napier,

The Hon . Charles Grey . K H R b e t . . o r Law, K B G . . The Hon . Sir George Cadogan , . The Seventy- ﬁ r st H ighlan d L ight I n fa ntry bears the following h onorary records of its varied services on the regimental colour and appointments

H in do o sta n , for its distinguished services in India ,

I between I 7 80 and 7 97 . “ C ape of Good Hope, for its part in the capture of

1 806 that colony in .

” Ro l eia ,

i r Vim e a ,

Corunna,

’ d 0n 01‘ Fuentes , For its several actions in which it z Almara , was engaged in Spain and th e ” Vittoria, South of France from 1 8 08 to I 8 Pyrenees , I 4. ” Nive,

Orthes,

Peninsula,

1 8 1 Waterloo, for its share in that battle in 5 . ” Sevastopol .

Central I ndia . H I S T O R Y

OF TH E

1 “ H HL A D L H F 7 IG N IG T I N AN TRY ,

F o r m er l n u m ber ed t/ze r d R e i m en t a n d y 7 3 g , ’ ’ c a ll ed M CL eoa s H

TOWARDS the end of the year 1 7 7 7 every effor t was made by the British M inistry to encourage the country to raise troops voluntarily for the prosecution of the war then bei n g waged between Great Britain and her American

Colonies . Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, each raised a regiment of a thousand men at its own expense, and several independent companies were formed in Wales . I n this manner men were raised and presented to the

- O State, of which upwards of two thirds were btained from

n Scotland, and principally from the H ighla d clans .

m M L eo d so n At this ti e Lord c , the eldest of the Earl of Cromarty, whose title had been attainted and his estates 1 forfeited for his participation in the Rebellion of 7 45 , returned to England from Sweden , having attained in its

- service the rank of Lieutenant General . Being well received by H is Majesty King George I I , and ﬁnding his i nﬂuence in the H ighlands still considerable, although ff destitute of property, he o ered his services to raise a regiment . The offer was accepted , and such was the respect entertained for his family and name, that in a short time 840 H ighlanders were recruited and marched to Elgin . HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

2 6 H ere they were joined by 3 Lowlanders, raised by Cap tains the Honorable J ohn Lindsay, David Baird , J ames

O Fowlis, and other fﬁcers, and by 3 4 English and I rish , b e who had een recruit d in Glasgow . They amounted in all to men , and were embodied at Elgin under the

’ M c L eo d S s 1 8 name of Highlander in April 7 7 , where they were inspected by General Skene, and approved by him as an excellent hardy body of men , ﬁtted for any service .

I mmediately after the completion of this battalion , letters O f service were granted for the creation of a second batta

in lion , which was raised like manner, with nearly the same expedition and in equal numbers . There is no record extant to Show the different nationalities of which this battalion was formed , but it is probable that its compo sitiou was very Similar to that of the ﬁrst battalion when

M c L eo d raised . T hus in the course of a few months Lord from being an exile without fortune or British military

rank, found himself at the head of upwards of of his countrymen , of whom nearly were from that district and neighbourhood in which h is family had once possessed so much inﬂuence . 0 0 Each battalion consisted of 5 sergeants, 5 corporals,

2 ﬁ fer s 2 0 drummers and , pipers , and privates, and was o fﬁc er ed as under.

Co l on el M c L eo d . , J ohn Lord

O FIRST BATTALI N .

’ - l n el M c Ph er so n L zeu t. o o . C , Duncan

El h in sto n z J ohn p J ames Macken ie.

Capta in s.

George Mackenzie . H ugh Lamont .

Alexander Gilchrist Hon . James Lindsay.

J ohn Shaw. David Baird .

Charles Dalrymple . - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT INFANTRY . 7

Ca ta in L ie uten a n t a n d a ta in . p C p , David Campbell

L ieu ten a n ts .

A . Geddes Mackenzie . Simon Mackenzie . l ill M e v . Hon . J ohn Lindsay . Philip

’

A t . Abraham Mackenzie, af . J ohn Mackenzie

Alexander Mackenzie . J ohn Borthwick .

J ames Robertson . William Gunn .

ie G o r r . J ohn Hamilton . William Charles

J ohn Hamilton . Hugh Sibbald .

in n ie R a . Lewis Urquhart . David

George Ogilvie . Charles M unro .

I nnes M unro .

i E n s lgn s .

J ames Duncan . George Sutherland .

Simon Mackenzie. James T hrail .

Alexander Mackenzie . H ugh Dalrymple .

J ohn Sinclair .

l lza a in . C p , Colin Mackenzie

’

Aa u ta n t . j , Abraham Mackenzie

u a r ter m as ter L tr o tt. Q , John y ‘ D u a l l u r eo n M o . S g , Alexander g

O SECON D BATTALI N .

- L ie ut o l o n el . . C , The Hon George Mackenzie

H amilton Maxwell Norman M c L eo d .

a Capt in s .

. Hon . Colin Lindsay. Mackay H ugh Baillie

I n sh . John M c to . Stair Park Dalrymple

J ames Fowlis . David Ross .

l C . Robert Sinc air . Adam olt HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

L ieu ten a n ts.

Norman Maclean . Alexander Mackenzie .

. J ohn I rving . Phipps Wharton ‘ n h l a n M a h l n sen io r L a L u a . Rod . Mackenzie, . g g

Charles Douglas . Kenneth Mackenzie .

sh z . Angus M c I n to . Murdoch Macken ie

J ohn Fraser . George Fraser.

u n io r Robert Arbuthnot . J ohn Mackenzie, j . ‘ u l l o c k . David M C . Martin Eccles Lindsay

z u n io r . . Rod . Macken ie, j John Dallas ‘ sh . Phineas M I n to . David Ross

sen io r . John Mackenzie, . William Erskine

E si n s n g .

John Fraser . J ohn Forbes . ‘ u a l ZE n ea s . J ohn M D o g . Fraser H ugh Gray William Rose

ohn Mackenzie . Simon Fraser,

/za l a in [ C p , Eneas Macleod .

Ad u ta n t j , Simon Fraser .

u a r ter m a ster . Q , Charles Clark

u r e n S g o . Andrew Cairncross .

Th e uniform of the regiment was red , with the regular

Highland equipments .

th at wh en I t is worthy of remark ,\ ﬁrst raised , there were no less than 1 9 Ofﬁ cers irr the regiment named

Mackenzie . I t is probable that the proportion of non commissioned ofﬁcers and privates of that name was

equally large, owing to the fact of the regiment having,

as already stated , been principally raised on the estates of

M c L e o d the Earl of Cromarty, the father of Lord . T hese e states are now in the possession of the present Du c hess

of Sutherland , who is Countess of Cromarty in her o wn

right . - SEVEN TY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT I NFANTRY . 9

E After being embodied at lgin , the ﬁrst battalion 1 7 7 8 .

r st b at. remained there some weeks, and then marched to Fort

George, where it was formed into ten companies . I t 8th embarked on the of May, strong, under Lord

M c L eo d , for Portsmouth , where it was to be transhipped and accompany the East India Fleet . The passage, how ever, having occupied ﬁfteen days, the ﬂeet sailed before

s the arrival of the transport , which were then ordered to proceed to Guernsey and J ersey. Here the battalion dis embarked , and remained until relieved by the Seventy

' 2 th E m b a r kin o n eighth Regiment on the 7 November . g board the transports which brought the latter, it was con ve ed l o th y to Portsmouth , where it disembarked on the

P eter sﬁ el d December and marched to , where it was quartered until the close of the year. Orders having been

“ received for its embarkation for the East I ndies, a mutiny

n occurred in one of the companies, owi g to a rumour gaining ground that the men had been sold to the East

India Company by the British Government . This was happily checked , by the prompt and resolute spirit displayed

' o ﬂI c er s by the , and the assurance of their Colonel that this report was entirely groundless . I n Jan uary the battalion , about strong, embarked on board I ndiamen , under

M c L eo d the command of Colonel Lord . T hree vessels

- formed part of a ﬂeet, escorted by Rear Admiral Sir

Edward H ughes , which in its passage touched at Goree, on the Coast of Africa, and captured that settlement from the

French . After leaving Goree the ﬂeet proceeded to the

Cape of Good Hope, at that time in possession of the

D utch , where it landed its Sick . I t remained there three months, anchored in T able Bay, and then continued its course to I ndia . The voyage, though tedious, was on the whole prosperous, and was brought to a close by anchor

2 0th r being dropped in Madras Roads on the Janua y,

1 80 . 7 , j ust twelve months subsequent to embarkation T he HISTO RICAL RECORD OF THE

1 7 80. battalion was landed without delay at Fort St . George ,

1 st b a t. where it remained about a month in barracks, after which

it was removed to Poonamallee . zu d b at . Before following the proceedings of the ﬁrst battalion

any further, it will be as well to return to the second

battalion , which, as already mentioned , was embodied i n 1 8 th e September, 7 7 . I n March of following year, this

- . C battalion, strong, and commanded by Lieut olonel

M c L e o d the Hon . George Mackenzie !brother of Lord ) ,

embarked at Fort George, and was conveyed to Plymouth . T here it remained encamped upon Maker Heights until 2 th the 7 November, when it embarked for Gibraltar in transports under convoy of Admiral Sir George Brydges

Ca r a c c a s Rodney . I n the Bay of Biscay the Spanish

Fleet was encountered, and captured , and the Admiral being compelled to employ a n umber of the men Of his

- ships of war to man the prizes, called upon Lieut . Colonel

Mackenzie for the services of the battalion as Marines . A few days after the men had been distributed in this man

fel l ner, the ﬂeet in with the Spanish Admiral Don J uan

o f de Langara , with a ﬂeet consisting of eleven sail the

line, the whole of whose ships were either taken or dis

d 1 1 80 er se . 8 p O n the th January, 7 , the second battalion

disembarked at Gibraltar, then closely blockaded by the

Spaniards, landing at the New Mole and occupying the

’ n Casemates in the King s Bastion , the marching in stre gth being as follows

fﬁ 2 2 3 0 O cers , Drummers, 6 f Sta f ditto, 944 Rank and ﬁle,

5 0 Sergeants .

Here it remained during the whole of the siege of that

fortress by the French and Spaniards , sustaining a high

character as steady and trustworthy soldiers . I n the grand sortie in which the Spanish batteries before - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY .

1 7 80. the garrison were destroyed , all the grenadier and light

b at infantry companies in garrison were made up to their 2 n d ’

Th e establishment previous to the sortie . grenadier and

Offi light companies in this regiment consisted of four cers, T w 1 0 1 . five sergeants, and rank and file each hey ere stationed with the companies of the T hirty- ninth and

- r Fifty sixth Regiments, and a proportion of a tillery and 668 engineers, amounting in all to men , in the centre, or

- 1 . C reserve column, commanded by Lieut olone Dachen hausen and Major Maxwell . T he orders they received were to march through Bayside barrier, towards the mortar

Th e batteries . moon shone brig htly as the soldiers assembled on the sands at midnight . Between two and

’ three o clock darkness overspread the country, and the

r T troops issued silently from the fo tress . hey were chal

’ lenged and ﬁred upon by the enemy s sentries, but the

British soldiers rushed forward , overpowered the Spanish

’ guards, and captured the batteries . T he enemy s soldiers ,

c o m m u instead of defending the works, ﬂed in dismay and

m icated the panic to the troops in their rear . Within an f hour the O bj ect of the sortie was e fected . trains were laid

’

to the enemy s magazines , and the soldiers withdrew . As

they entered the fortress, tremendous explosions Shook the

ground , and rising columns of smoke, ﬂame, and burning timber proclaimed the destruction of the enemy ’ s immense

stores of gunpowder. General Elliot stated in orders

Th e m bearing and conduct of the whole detach ent,

Oﬂi c er s , seamen and soldiers on this glorious occasion,

surpass my utmost acknowledgements . The casualties

2 in the three columns of attack were only 4 killed, 4

i sin I m s . wounded , and g The grenadier company, com

m a n de d C by aptain Sinclair on this occasion , drove the

- enemy from their centre guard house, and the light infantry, C commanded by aptain Dalrymple, obliged them to h l ’ evacuate Pa r c a s battery . HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 7 80. The casualties of the battalion during the three years zu d ba t. I 1 6 that the siege lasted were sergeant, 4 privates killed

o ﬂi c er s 1 08 , 7 sergeants, and rank and ﬁle wounded , and

5 8 privates died from sickness . Although application has

frequently been made to the authorities , for permission to

in ex have Gibraltar inscribed on the colours, yet for some

plicable reason , this has always been refused , though granted to other regiments that served during the siege

- with the Seventy third .

1 8 I n May, 7 3 , it embarked on board transports, and

o c c u sailed for Portsmouth , where it landed in J uly, and

s pied Hilsea Barrack . The following month it marched to

r d Stirling, where it was disbanded on the 3 October after a

Of service ﬁve years, during the whole of which period it was

- commanded by Lieut . Colonel the Hon . George Mackenzie . I n 1 7 84 the off i cers belonging to the late second batta lion who were regimentally senior to those serving with the ﬁrst were given the option of j oining that b a ttatio n in

the East I ndies at their own expense, of which some availed

themselves .

I st b at . We Shall now return to the ﬁrst battalion which we 8 1 0. left in quarters at Poonamallee in February, 7 At the

Of 1 8 0 commencement 7 a new war had broken out in I ndia,

the causes of which it is not easy to unravel , owing to the depth to which the several Presiden cies of the East India Company had entered into th e in tr ig u es and quarrels of the

Native rulers . On the s th April , the Mahratta Chiefs,

S c in dia H o l ka r and , were defeated in their camp whilst

advancing on Surat, and this victory was followed by

numerous less important successes . I n Bengal, militar y movements were taking place under the direction of Sir

Eyre Coote, who had now succeeded to the chief command

in I ndia, and the strong fortress of Gwalior, hitherto r e

garded as impregnable, was taken by escalade on the gr d

August . - I SEVENTY F IRST H IGHLAN D LIGHT INFAN TRY . 3

On the side of Madras the forces on t h e establishment 1 7 80. did not exceed men, dispersed in very distant

em quarters, and the Presidency had unfortunately been grossed in internal disputes rather than in active measures of preparation to oppose the enemy . Such was the state of affairs at Madras when on the l o th of J une information wa s received that a large army was assembling at Banga

so n lore under Hyder Ali , the of a petty chief in Mysore, who had risen to the chief command of the army of that

State . On the death of the Raj ah , Hyder Ali assumed

so n the guardianship of his eldest , who was left a minor , placing him under restraint, and seizing upon the reins of

n government . H avi g a considerable territory under his control , he maintained a formidable military establishment, which he endeavoured to bring into a high state of disci pline and efﬁciency . Standing now in the position of

S ultan of Mysore, he formed a league with the French , and entered into a confederacy with the Nizam of the

Deccan , the Mahrattas, and other native powers , for the purpose of expelling the British from India . 1 80 I n J uly, 7 , Hyder Ali , having passed the Ghauts,

so n Ti o o burst like a torrent into the Carnatic, whilst his , pp ‘i Sa b, advanced with a large body of cavalry against the

Northern Circars , and even the villages near Madras were

’ attacked by parties of the enemy s horse . I n consequence of these events the ﬁrst battalion Seventy- third Regiment was ordered to join the army being assembled at St .

’ Thomas s Mount under the command of Major- General

KB . Sir Hector Munro , This army amounted to upwards of men , consisting entirely of the Honourable East

’ I ndia Company s troops, with the exception of the Seventy 800 third Highlanders, then about strong . I t was com posed as follows HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

Infantry European Artillery Dragoons

Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 w Attached to these were 3 ﬁeld pieces and ho itzers ,

2 - and four battering 4 pounders . 2 th On the 5 August this corps marched to Conj everam , 0 about 5 miles west of Madras on the Arcot road , where

O it was to be met by a body f men under Colonel Baillie ,

s from the Gunton Circar, the joint force proceeding to rai e

2 xst the siege of Arcot, invested by Hyder Ali on the

’ Aug u st . Sir Hector Munro s army arrived at Conjeveram 2 th A on the 9 ugust, being followed the whole way by the

’ enemy s horse . The country here was found to be entirely

SO under water, that no provisions of any kind were to be procured, and the force was consequently dependent upon

’ the four day s provisions in its possession .

Hyder Ali now raised the siege of Arcot, and detached Tipp o o Saib with a force of horse and foot and 1 2 guns to intercept Colonel Baillie and prevent his j unction with the main army . This j unction had been expected to oth e take place on the 3 August, but Bailli being delayed some days by the sudden rising of a small river, this time was utilised by the enemy to intercept him .

P er a m b a u c u m 1 Colonel Baillie reached , 5 miles from ’ 6th General M unro s position, on the September, where he

’ Ti o o i Of was attacked by pp Sa b, whom after a contest

sa th e several hours he repulsed . Strange to y, however, ’ forces of M unro and Baillie, though within a few hours ff march of each other, made no e ort to unite . Two days after the battle, Colonel Baillie sent notice to General - I SEVENTY F IRST H IGHL AN D LIGHT I NFANTRY . S

Munro to push forward with the main body, as, from the 1 7 80. loss he had lately sustained and from want of provisions, he was unable to advance in the face Of an enemy so superior in numbers . After this unaccountable delay, the General sent forward a detachment under Colonel Fletcher consisting of the ﬂank companies Seventy- third !now

- ﬁ r st Seventy ) , two companies of European grenadiers, and 1 1 companies of Sepoys, in all men . Of the ﬂank

- companies, Seventy third , the grenadier company was com m a n ded by Lieutenant the Hon . John Lindsay, and the light company by Captain , afterwards General the Right

. B . C . G . H on Sir David Baird , Colonel Fletcher j oined ’ f h Colonel Baillie s orce on the 9t September .

set Reinforced by this detachment, Colonel Baillie out to j oin Munro on the same evening, but had not proceeded beyond a mile when he fell i n with the pickets of H yder ’ Ali s army . An irregular ﬁre commenced, which was kept up by both parties for several miles, until Colonel Baillie halted about midnight, when he lay on his arms all night without being disturbed by the enemy. H e continued his march next morning without O pposi tion , and after proceeding two miles entered a j ungle .

The S ultan had concentrated his army about this spot ,

th e and on preceding day had thrown up three batteries , one in the centre of the grove and one on each flank . No sooner had Colonel Baillie entered the j ungle than a heavy and destructive fire was opened upon him from 5 7 pieces of cannon . The march was continued in the form of a square, with the sick, baggage, and ammunition in the centre ; and though the detachment was assailed on all sides by an immense force, the enemy after a desperate ’ Of conflict three hours duration , was driven back at every po int .

T hus repulsed , Hyder Ali determined to retreat, and L orders had been given to Colonel ally, a French ofﬁcer HISTORICAL RECORD O F TH E

” 1 7 80. o ﬂ i n the service of the Sultan , to draw his men , and to

the cavalry to cover the retreat, when two explosions were

seen to take place in the British line . T hese laid open one

entire face of their column , destroyed their artillery, and

threw the whole into irreparable confusion . T his occurrence ’ H d er s revived y hopes, his cavalry charged in successive

squadrons, and his infantry poured volleys of musketry

upon the devoted band . Reduced at length to little more 00 than 4 men , Colonel Baillie formed these into a square

- upon a small eminence . H ere , after two thirds of the

Om c er s number had been killed or disabled , the with their

swords, and the soldiers with their bayonets , repulsed

thirteen charges . At length , borne down by fresh bodies

of horse, Colonel Baillie, to save the lives of the few brave

wa s men who su rvived , displayed a ﬂag of truce . Quarter

promised , but no sooner had the men laid down their

arms, than they were savagely attacked , and only by the humane interference of the French ofﬁ cers were any lives

saved . * Ofﬁc er s O f One of these , speaking this action says To o great encomiums cannot be bestowed on the English

s commander and his troops , for in the whole of thi trying conﬂict they preserved a coolness Of manoeuvre which

would have done honour to any troops in the world .

Raked by the ﬁre of an immense artillery, the greater t part of the action within grape sho range, attacked on al l sides by not less than horse and 3 0 battalions

’ H de r s of Sepoys , besides y European troops, the English

column stood ﬁrm , and repulsed every charge with great

slaughter . The horse driven back on the foot, the right

of our line began to give way, though composed of the

best troops in the Mysore army .

o f In this action, known by the name of the battle

o u rn al o f a r en Ofﬁ r J F ch ce .

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 7 8 0 of relinquishing their religion and taking the turban .

s s T he e H ighlander were entirely illiterate , scarce one of

u them co ld have told the name of , any particular sect of

s Chri tians , and all the idea they had of the Mahommedan

religion was that it was adverse to their own , and to

” what they had been taught by their fathers . O f the two entire companies but two men rejoined the

battalion , and these were found in the j ungle desperately

wounded . I n consequence of this , two new ﬂank com

a n i M c L p e s were formed from the battalion by Lord eo d .

’ n After Colo el Baillie s defeat, Sir H ector Munro retired

with the army to Chingleput, being much pressed by the

a n d enemy during his march . T he Sick wounded being

left there, the army went into quarters on Choultry Plain

fo r . the rainy season , which had now set in During the retreat the troop s s uffered severely from

s fatigue and want of provi ions . Captain Gilchrist, of the

grenadiers, whose ill health had prevented his being with

h is company, died , and Lieutenant Alexander Mackenzie ,

with a great many privates , was wounded in skirmi shes

with the enemy . 1 1 7 81 . Upon the 7 th January the army, being reassembled ,

took the ﬁeld under the command of Lieutenant - General

s Sir Eyre Co o te . At thi time the strength of the regiment 00 did not exceed 5 men , and was commanded by Lieu

- ‘ ‘ O IIICCI s ! tenant Colonel J ames Craufurd , this having u e

c e e d ed M c L e o d Lord , who relinquished his command , and

f O returned to England , having, it is said , di fered in pinion

with General Munro on the subj ect of his movements . Hyder Ali was in the T anj ore country committing every

species of outrage and devastation .

I st 1 8 1 M On the J une, 7 , Colonel Lord c L eo d received

- the local rank of Maj or General i n the East Indies . I n J une Sir Eyre Coote moved h is force southwards along

the coast towards Cuddalore, where his outpo sts were - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY .

Ti o o i wa s attacked by pp Sa b, who repulsed . H e after 1 7 3 1 ,

Ch ill u m b o r e m C o l er o o n wards moved to , upon the , where the enemy had a large magazine of grain . T he Pagoda was attacked by the pickets under Maj or J ohn Shaw,

- Seventy third Highlanders, but they were repulsed an d

Of that ﬁcer wounded .

h ill u m b o r e m Hyder Ali , apprehensive for the safety of C , moved his army in that direction from T anj ore and T ri c h in o o l - p y, whilst Lieutenant General Sir Eyre Coote, with

V O the iew of btaining supplies from the Shipping, proceeded towards Cuddalore . By forced marches and manoeuvres, however, Hyder Ali succeeded in nearly surrounding the

’ two latter on the plains of Porto Novo, about days march south of Cuddalore .

a m . About 4 on the I st of J uly, the enemy, whose 2 00 force was computed at 5 battalions of infantry, 4 Euro

- peans, horse , and above matchlock men ,

o l a r s wa s peons, and p yg , with 47 pieces of cannon , seen to

n o t draw up in line of battle . T he British force did exceed

Of - men , which the Seventy third was the only Euro pean regiment . Notwithstanding this immense disparity of force, Sir Eyre Coote determined to attack the enemy,

t wo and drew up his army in lines, the ﬁrst, of which the

- n Seventy third Highlanders formed a part , bei g commanded

- o by Maj or General Sir H ector M unro , the sec nd by Major

General James Stuart . A plain divided the two armies , beyond which the enemy was drawn up on ground strength ened by front and ﬂanking redoubts and batteries . The action commenced by an advanced movement of the

’ English troops, and after eight hours hard ﬁghting the enemy was forced from all his intrenchments and compelled

- to retire . The Seventy third was on the right of the ﬁrst

th e line, and led al l attacks to the full approbation of the

was l a t general commanding . H is attention particu arly tracted by one of the pipers . who always blew up more B 2 HISTORICAL RECO RD OF TH E

1 7 81 . so heartily the heavier the ﬁre became . This pleased the

“ general that he cried out Well done my brave fellow, you Shall have a pair of Silver pipes for this The promise

was not forgotten , for a handsome pair of pipes was pre t sented to the regimen , with an appropriate inscription

’ bearing testimony to the general s e steem for its conduct i ’ and character . M eer Sa b , Hyder Ali s favourite general ,

was mortally wounded in this action , and amongst the

f ﬂﬁ r killed were many O his principal o c e s. T he results of this battle enabled Sir Eyre Coote to th reach Cuddalore, his point of destination , on the 4 J uly, ’ and soon afterwards the army was moved to St . T homas s

r d Mount . On the 3 August the force from Bengal under C the orders of olonel Pearse, arrived and formed a j unction

’ Co o te s with Sir Eyre army at Pulicat, to which place the

O army had moved to facilitate that bj ect . T he British

force now amounted to men the I st Brigade, com

posed entirely of Europeans , was commanded by Colonel

- d Craufurd , Seventy third H ighlan ers , and had its station

- generally in the centre of the line . Major General Sir

Hector M unro commanded the right wing, and Colonel

Pearse the left . About this period died Maj or J ames

Mackenzie , universally regretted by the regiment . H is e xertions in the early part of the campaign had brought

o n s h is an illne s, which terminated valuable life . On the 1 6th August the preparations which had been actively carried on for the siege of Arcot and the relief of

Vellore being completed , the army was p ut in motion .

2 0th Tr i a sso o r Of O n the p was retaken , and a large supply

’ grain found there . Hyder Ali s camp was now at G onj e

ver a m , and every exertion was made by his detachments 2 h o . t t check the progress of the troops On the 7 August, the enemy was found drawn up in order of battle upon the

’ very ground which had witnessed Colonel Baillie s defeat,

’ a position which Hy der Ali s religiou s notions induced him - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY .

1 7 81 . to consider fortunate . H ere he had determined to try the issue of a second general action , the result of which will be best told by the following extract from General Meadows ’ despatch Hyder thought proper to fall back a few miles to the ground on which he had defeated the detachment under

u Colonel Baillie, where he took p a strong position , and , inﬂuenced by a superstitious notion of its being a lucky

in tel l i spot, had determined , as I was informed by my

gence, to try his fortune in a second battle . I accordingly 2 th w marched on the 7 , in the morning , to ards him , and , 8 ’ as reported , about o clock we discovered his army in

order of battle and in full force to receive us, and in

possession of many strong and advantageous posts , ren dered the more formidable by the nature of the country

lying between , which was intersected by very deep

watercourses in Short . nothing could be more formidable

than the situation of the enemy, and nothing more

arduous than our approach to present a front to them . I was obliged to form the line under a heavy cannonade

’

from several batteries , as well as from the enemy s line ,

n which galled us exceed ingly, and was a very tryi g Situa

u n tion for the troops, who bore it with ﬁrmness and

daunted bravery, which did draw the highest honour and showed a steady val our not to be surpassed by the ﬁrst

veterans Of any nation in Europe . T he conﬂict lasted

from nine in the morning till near sunset, when we had

driven the enemy from all their strong posts, and obliged

them to retreat with precipitation , leaving us in full pos

O f session the ﬁeld of battle . The loss of the British 00 was upwards of 4 killed and wounded , almost all being native troops . There was one circumstance peculiar to this ﬁeld of

is battle, which sta mped it with aggravated horrors . I t described by Captain M unro in his narrative as follows HISTORICAL RE CORD OF THE

Perhaps there come n o t within the wide range of human imagination scenes more affecting or circumstances more touching than many of our army had that day to witness

and to bear. On the very spot where they stood lay strewed amongst their feet the relics of their dearest

l l ‘ so l dier s fe o w an d friends, who near twelve months before had been slain by the hands o f those very inh uman monsters that now appeared a second time’ eager to com

l ete . p the work of blood One poor soldier, with the tear

of affection glistening in his eye, picked up the decaying

h is spatterdash of valued brother, with the name yet

n entire upon it, which the ti ge of blood and effects of

Th e weather had kindly spared . scattered clothes and wings of the ﬂank companies were everywhere

perceptible, as also their helmets and Skulls, both of

” which bore the marks of many furrowed cuts .

Upon this Spot the army halted two days , and it then

T r i a sso o r . o retired to p , to secure provisions At this peri d the health of Maj or General Sir Hector M unro compelled him to leave the army, which led to Colonel Craufurd becoming second in command , the charge of the regim ent devolving upon Maj or John Shaw .

2 h Sh o l in a r o On the 7 t September, near g , Col nel

’ Craufurd re c eived the Commander- in - Chief s orders to move the British Army to the front . Hyder Ali , conﬁdent of w success, made a for ard movement to meet it, when a general action ensued . A detachment commanded by

E d m o n sto n e o Colonel , and of which the ﬂank c mpanies

- u Seventy third formed a part, succeeded in t rning the

’ enemy s left ﬂank , and falling upon his camp and rear.

’ T he day closed with the total defeat of Hyder Ali s troops, who were pursued by the cavalry until sunset .

On the I st October, under circumstances the most

w O distressing and unpromising, but ith a hope of btaining provisions, of which the army was quite destitute, and for - 2 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT INFANTRY . 3

which no previous arrangement had been made by the 1 7 81 ,

Govern ment, Sir Eyre Coote pushed boldly through the

S h o lin a r g Pass, and after a march of two days encamped

Al ta m a n c h er r . at y, in the Polygar country Here, by the friendly aid and kindness of Bum Raze, one of the Polygar princes, the troops were well supplied with every requ isite . T he British camp was moved to P o l lip a t o n the 2 6 th

i so r Tr a s o . October, and the Sick and wounded sent to p

Vellore was also relieved , after which the army, reinforced 1 00 by Colonel Laing with Europeans from Vellore, pro c ee d ed k to the attac of Chittoor, which , after a gallant

h is s resistance, capitulated . With a view to draw opponent

so from inaccessible a country, Hyder Ali proceeded to

Tr i a sso o r 2 0th the attack of p , and on the November Sir

P o l l a m o Eyre Coote retired out of the , through the

N a a r gg y Pass, which obliged the enemy to raise the siege

Tr i asso o r of p and retire on Arcot . T he campaign closed t with the recap ure of Chittoor by the enemy . On the

2 n d December, the monsoon having set in , the army broke

Ko il ato o r up its camp on the Plain , and the different corps marched into cantonments in the neighbourhood of

M adras .

At the opening of the succeeding campaign at the 1 7 82 . 1 8 2 a beginning of 7 , the army did not muster larger force than at the commencement of the former year. T he ﬁrst

was and most important obj ect in view the relief of Vellore,

O f kept in strict blockade by the enemy. T he safety this fortress was of paramount consequence, being the only ke s th e y posses ed by British to the passes of the Ghauts, through which an invasion of the enemy ’ s country could alone be accomplished . The army pushed through the

Sh o lin a r 1 1 th g Pass, and by the January Vellore was relieved and supplied with rice for six months . After this was e ﬂ ec t ed 2 0th the army retired , and on the January arrived at Poonamallee, having lost upon this expedition 2 4 HI STO RICAL RECO RD O F TH !

1 7 82 6 Oﬂﬁc er s 0 1 00 . and about 3 Europeans, with Sepoys killed

n and wou ded .

The following account of the death of John Mackay,

a corporal of the battalion, in a skirmish with the enemy

on the march to Vellore, is given by Captain Munro For

o o r the satisfaction of my Highland friends, I take this pp

tu n it y of commemorating the fall of J ohn Mackay, alias

— so n o f Donn , a corporal i n the Seventy third , Robert Donn ,

the famous Highland bard, whose singular talent for the beautiful and extemporaneous composition of Gaelic

poetry was held in such esteem by the Highland Society . This son of the bard has frequently revived the drooping spirits of his countrymen upon the march by singing in a pleasant manner the humoro u s and lively productions of

1 his father . H e was killed by a cannon ball on the 3 th

of J anuary, and on the same evening was interred by his

” disconsolate comrades with all the honours of war. For the ﬁrst three months O f the year 1 7 8 2 the army of Lieutenant -General Sir Eyre Coote was retained i nactive

’ at St . Thomas Mount, the government of the presidency

fo r being apprehensive its own safety, whereas a j udicious movement on Porto Novo might have prevented Tipp o o

' ’ Sa ib s j unction with the strong reinforcement of French

’ troops that had arrived from Europe in Admiral S u ffr ein s

P er m ac o il u dd ﬂeet, or at least averted the loss of and C a

lore . At length Sir Eyre Coote, having been reinforced by the Seventy- eighth !afterwards the Seventy-second) Regi

ment from England, was allowed to commence operations . At the beginning of April he marched in a southerly direction by Co r a n g o o ly and Wa n dewa sh towards the

enemy, encamped upon the Red H ills of Pondicherry . Th e object of the Commander- in - Chief appeared to be to

separate the French from the Mysore troops, for which

Ch ita u t purpose he manoeuvred between p and Arnee,

where he had established magazines . Hyder Ali made a

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 7 82 . 00 s 600 peans, 3 African , and Sepoys , who having expelled

o the inhabitants, and c vered the walls with cannon were

resolved to defend the place to the last extremity . T he failure of the supplies Which Sir Eyre Coote had b een led

to expect from Madras by the ﬂeet, excited so much

’ anxiety and disappointment in the veteran s mind , that a

s . evere illness ensued , which obliged him to quit the army

o - T he command dev lved upon Major General J ames Stuart , who commenced his retreat on the evening of the l o th

. 1 October On the 5 th October, the monsoon set in with

unusual severity, and the army went into cantonments in

the vicinity of Madras . Hyder Ali at the same time

Ol d s resumed his po ition near Arcot . Shortly after this ,

- Rear Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton , with a large ﬂeet

from England , arrived in Madras Roads . Considerable

reinforcements were on board, consisting of the T wenty

third Light Dragoons, One hundred and ﬁrst and One

hundred and second Regiments, and the Fifteenth Regi

o f ment H anoverian I nfantry, which j oined the army in

its cantonments .

I n December occurred the death of Hyder Ali , who

was, however, succeeded without commotion by his son

' Ti o o S aib to pp , whom he left a kingdom of his own acqui

sitio n , which made him one of the most powerful princes in

o I ndia . Notwithstanding that by private informati n over land news was received o f a peace having been concluded between England and the other belligerent powers in

Europe , still the Madras Government determined to per

in severe its original plans for the attack of Cuddalore . With this view Maj or- General Stuart put his army in

2 1 5 t motion on the April, marching by brigades in a 1 7 83 .

- southerly direction . It consisted of the Seventy third

- s and Seventy eighth , and One hundred and ﬁrst regiment ,

s a considerable body of native troop , and a detachment of

H anoverians under Colonel Wangenheim . Brevet L ieu - 2 SEVE NTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 7

- - E l h in sto n 1 7 8 3 . tenant Colonel p , Seventy third H ighlanders,

th e took the lead with the Fifth brigade , to command of which he had been appointed , in consideration of his dis tin g u ish e d conduct and important servi ces I n the ﬁeld .

- - Lieut . Colonel J ames Stuart , Seventy eighth Highlanders , commanded the First or European Brigade, of which the

- Seventy third formed a part, and which amounted to

l n men . Colonel E ph in sto in his advance possessed him ’ Of P e r m a c o il a d self the ruins, from whence the enemy s v a n c e d parties could be plainly seen upon the Red H ills . T he remainder of the army j oined hi m there on the 2 n d

May. About this time accounts were received of the death

- M - of Lieut . General Sir Eyre Coote, and aj or General Stuart temporarily succeeded to the command of the forces in I ndia .

P er m ac o il After leaving , the army advanced to Killi th noor, and from thence towards the Red H ills . On the 4

- P a n n a r J une, Major General Stuart encamped close to the river, about ﬁve m iles west of Cuddalore, behind which the

French army was descried in an intrenched camp . T he British passed the Paunar river on the 6th J une without

O B an di o ll a m pposition , passed the p H ills, and took up a strong position not more than two miles from the south face of the fortress of Cuddalore, having the right ﬂank

sea B a n di o l l a m covered by the and the left by the p Hills .

T he enemy, commanded by General de Bussy , had in the

1 2 meantime thrown up works along his front . O n the th J une Major -General Stuart determined to attack General de B ussy in the position he occupied , and issued prepara

’ o O n tory rders accordingly. At 4 clock on the mor ing of the 1 3 th J une the action commenced by a movement from

’ the British left against the enemy s right ﬂank . A very obstinate and sanguinary contest ensued , continuing with

n out intermission until the eve ing, when , both armies r e

maining upon the ﬁeld of battle, each claimed the victory. HI STO RICAL RECO RD O F THE

1 7 83 - . I n this action the Seventy third H ighlanders highly dis

tin u ish e d g itself, having wrested from the enemy in the f course of the conﬂict seven di ferent redoubts . T he loss it

sustained was very severe, amounting in killed and wounded

1 Oﬂﬂc er s 2 2 m en - to 3 and 7 , being one half of the number

in the ﬁeld . The regiment was commanded by Captain

Hugh Lamont . Captain the Honourable James Lindsay, A commanding the Grenadier Company, Captain lexander

M c Ken z ie L ieu ts , . Simon Mackenzie and James Trail , 4 80 sergeants and rank and ﬁle were killed . Captain John

L ieu ts G o r r ie R a n n ie Hamilton , . Charles , David , J ohn

Sinclair, James Duncan , and George Sutherland , 5 ser

’ ea n ts 1 0 s g and 7 rank and ﬁle were wounded . The enemy

6 2 O fﬁ 6 1 ed loss was estimated at cers , 9 men kill , wounded ,

and missing . The following ﬂattering compliment formed part of the General Orders issue d by the Commander-in - Chief at the conclusion of the action I am also grateful to Captain Lamon t and the ofﬁ cers under his command who gallantly led the pr ec io u s r em a in s of the Seventy- third Highlanders through the most

- perilous road to glory, until exactly one half of the

” o ﬂi c er s and men were either killed or wounded . Th e British prosecuted the siege of Cuddalore with 2 th vigour, and on the 5 J une the ﬁrst parallel was com

l ete d p . On that day the enemy made a sortie, but was

repulsed with considerable loss after a severe contest . The

C l e commander of the party, olonel Chevalier de Damas ,

I st was among the prisoners taken . On the J uly a frigate

Ofﬁ arrived in Cuddalore Roads , bringing cial accounts from

England of a general peace having been concluded , and

hostilities consequently ceased . By t h e 2 n d August the British army had received the

supplies, of which it stood greatly in want, and the camp

’ was broken up , the troops marching to St . Thomas s Mount ‘ - 2 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND L IGHT INFANTRY . 9

where they arrived on the 1 6th August . Shortly after

v 1 7 84 wards , the army went into winter quarters , the Se enty third occupying the fort and canton ment of Arcot . On 1 8 the conclusion of the peace, in March , 7 4, Captains

H o n b l L . Baird and the e . J ohn indsay, Lieut Melville and

’ 0 about 3 men , who were taken in Colonel Baillie s affair,

r e were released and rejoined the regiment . During the m a in d e r - of the year the Seventy third continued at Arcot, and was only employed , beyond the usual routine of e duty in quarters , for a short tim in quelling a mutiny which broke out in the native cavalry at Arnee . T he

- regiment at this period was com manded by Lieut . Colonel

William Dalrymple . I n the course of the month of J une it was removed from Arcot to Fort St . George , where it

o ﬂi c ers was j oined by several of the late second battalion ,

- which had been disbanded . Lieut . Colonel Dalrymple

- H o l . n b e having returned to England , Lieut Colonel the .

z George Macken ie took command of the regiment, which continued in quarters at Madras for the remainder of the * year .

1 86 At the commencement of the year 7 , the numerical title of the regiment was changed to the Seventy -ﬁ r st

Highlanders , and new colours were received from England bearing that number, which designation it has since r e

in ta e d . I n March quarters were changed to W a l l ajah a b a d and Chingleput, nine companies being cantoned at the

- former and one at the latter under Brevet Lieut . Colonel

Hamilton Maxwell .

th 1 8 H o n b l e O n the 4 J une , 7 7 , Colonel the . George

Mackenzie, commanding the regiment, died after a Short illness and was interred at Madras . H e was succeeded in

L - the command by the senior maj or, Brevet ieut . Colonel

Th e e f e t e r e tu rn o f th e r e e t a t t s t e was 2 o ﬁ e rs c iv gim n hi im 9 f c , 93 4 s a ts ra k a n d ﬁl e . e rge n , n 3 0 HI STORICAL RECORD OF THE

E l h in sto n John p , who was succeeded in the maj ority by

Captain David Baird .

1 During the year 7 87 no change o f quarters took place .

1 7 88 . 1 8 8 In February, 7 , in consequence of some disturbance

‘ B o m b a r e side n c — ﬁ r st u or alarm in the y p y , the Seventy , abo t 8 00 strong, marched to Madras , and immediately embarked ’ on board the Company s ships for Bombay, where it arrived t in April af er a favourable passage . It remained here only

s Six months , when , its ervices being dispensed with , it

returned to Madras , and arrived there in December . Five

- E l i companies under Lieut . Colonel ph n sto n occupied the

barracks in Fort St . George , and the other ﬁve companies

- o . H o n b l e pr ceeded to Poonamallee Maj or General the .

wa s th William Gordon appointed Colonel on the 9 April ,

I 8 o - M c L e o d 7 9, in successi n to Maj or General J ohn Lord

deceased . I n the course of the year the ﬁve companies at

T r i a s r Poonamallee were moved to p so o .

1 7 90. 1 0 s Ti o o Early i n 7 9 , ho tilities having commenced by p p

u o f Sultan attacking and capt ring the lines T ravancore , the British Government in I ndia determined to support the

1 8 th Raj ah of that country . On the of March an encamp ment was formed fo r that purpose in the neighbou rhood of

u o Co njeveram nder the command of Col nel Musgrave . The force assembled there consisted of the Nineteenth

ift - - ﬁ r st British Dragoons , the F y second and Seventy H igh

landers , the T hird and Fourth Regiments of native Cavalry,

the ﬁrst Battalion of Coast Artillery, and ﬁve of Coast I n

2 th fa n try . On the 9 of March this force moved to T ri

h in o o l o o c p y, where C l nel Musgrave effected a j unction on

2 th A th e 9 pril , with the division assembled there under

- Colonel Brydges . This comprised the T hirty sixth and

- n Seventy second Regime ts, the Second and Fifth Native

Cavalry, and seven battalions of Coast Sepoys .

- O n the 2 4th of May General Meadows arrived at Tri

h in o o l a n d s c p y , a sumed the command the army consisted - 1 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 3

1 7 90. of men , forming two European and four native

u - brigades . These were divided into wings . Lie t . Colonel

- a J ames Stuart, Seventy second H ighlanders, being p f pointed to command the le t wing, and Colonel Brydges of

’ the East I ndia Company s Service, the right the Seventy

ﬁ r st - and Seventy second H ighlanders , and First East I ndia ’ o Company s European battalion , formed the S econd Eur

- pean brigade, under Lieut . Colonel Clarke of the Com

’ p a n y s Service . T he whole of the cavalry in the advance

- was commanded by Lieut . Colonel Sir John Floyd of the

Nineteenth Light Dragoons .

2 th - w On the 4 May, Maj or General !after ards Sir Wil

2 6th wa s liam) Meadows reviewed the army, which on the moved towards the Coimbatore country by An a to r e and

Kid n av e r a n 1 , O n the 5 th J une the army reached the

Ca r o o r fortiﬁed post of , which the enemy abandoned with out opposition . H ere it remained strengthening the place

z u d and collecting grain till the J uly, when it moved to

A r r iv c o u r c h th a y , where it arrived on the 5 , and , continuing its T o o r a m b o dd D a r a o r a m march by y, reached p on the

1 h o t J uly, where a large supply of grain was found . The

C 2 2 n d army arrived at oimbatore on the J uly, being

' ’ Ti o o S aib s harassed on the march by pp irregular horse .

A halt was made here , and detachments sent to reduce Din

E r r o de P a l h a u tc h er r digul , , and g y, upon which service the ﬂank companies of the Se venty - ﬁ r st were employed under

M ° I n to sh Captains Phineas and J ames Robertson . I n August the whole of the cavalry and the advanced infantry

B o o va n had been pushed forward to the y , near to the

Ti o o i s . G u d z el h e tty Pa s pp Sa b, proﬁting by the divid ed

h is state of the British force, descended with whole army,

- and , after a very severe conﬂict, obliged Lieut . Colonel

. Floyd to fall back T he troops from Coimbatore , however,

had marched to his support , and , on the j unction being ’i Ti o o . effected, pp Sa b retired T he British returned to ' HISTORICAL RECO RD OF T HE

1 7 90. 2 Coimbatore on the 3 r d September. Upon the march of

‘ - ﬁ rst the main body, the ﬂank companies of the Seventy and Seventy- second were withdrawn from the siege of

P a l h a u tc h er r g y , and ordered to take post in the fort of Coimbatore : and on the return of the army they rej oined

their regiments . T he army was again put in motion on the 2 9th Sep

B o o va n Sh awo o r tember, proceeding towards the y by and

Co o a c h itt o l l u m v p yp , where the troops arri ed a few hours

Ti o i o . after pp Sa b had left it Some elephants, bullocks ,

and camels , loaded with rockets, fell into the hands of the th British . On the 4 of October the army arrived at

E r r o de , the enemy keeping a respectful distance during the 6th march, and on the it was ascertained that he had

D a r r a o r a m s arrived with his entire force at p , again t which 8 he opened his batteries on the th . The fort had no cannon 1 00 mounted, and the garrison , consisting of Europeans

2 00 and Sepoys, capitulated on honourable terms, which

were strictly adhered to . T he British army moved on the th 1 5 October, and on the 5 th encamped in the neighbour

- O f . hood Coimbatore , where Lieut Colonel Stuart joined

P a l h a u tc h er r from g y , after having taken that place, and left h . 2 o t it in a tolerable state of defence On the October, all the heavy baggage having been deposited in the fort of

m E r r o d e Coimbatore , the army arched towards , by Avi

n o c h P er en to r e r 2 n d y and , where it ar ived on the Novem 8 ber . O n the th the army proceeded in the direction of

B o va n c o r e to , and thence a ford about three miles below

E r r o d e Caver th 1 0th , the whole crossing the y on the 9 and ,

’ while Tippo o Saib moved his entire force against a division

— - . o under the orders of Lieut Colonel Maxwell, Seventy f urth

Bh a r a m ah l 1 1 th Regiment, then in the country . On the November the army m oved by S a u ker ryd r o o g on the

Ta o o r 1 pp Pass, and ascended on the 4th , encamping at Ado m a n c ettah in the B h a r a m ah l country : it marched

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 7 91 . 1 P al a m n a ir e encamping on the 9th at , in the Mysore

country, without having seen anything of the enemy . During the time the British army remained at Velh o u t

’ Ti o o i m pp Sa b pushed southward and sum oned Cuddalore , but upon hearing in what direction Earl Cornwallis had

moved the Sultan hastened to the Shangana Pass , where he

O M u l ee arrived too late to ppose the troops at the g Pass . 2 th On the 4 the British marched to Colar, which was

abandoned on their approach , and the army moved on to

O u sc o tta was , which carried by a battalion of sepoys . th T he enemy displayed a part of his force on the 4 March , and on the following day opened a cannonade upon the

a troops moving towards Bangalore, whilst his horse t

tempted to seize the stores and baggag e, but without t success . About sunse !on the s th March the army em

camped within shot of the fort of Bangalore . T he day fo llowing the suburbs of the town were attacked by the

T - - hirty Sixth and Seventy sixth Regiments, with some bat

o t tali ns of sepoys, and carried af er a very resolute resist

s ance on the part of the defender . From this period to the

1 4th March nothing material occurred , but every prepara tion for the approaching siege was carried on with dili

1 ‘ gence and activity . On the 5 th , the batteries being

1 completed , opened ﬁre upon Bangalore, and on the 7 th

the lines were cannonaded by the enemy, while at night

b e the camp was much disturbed by his rockets . Forage

came very scarce, and none could be procured beyond the

s advanced pickets . The iege, however, proceeded , the enemy continuing to harass the besiegers until the 2 1 5 t

March, when the breach being considered practicable, an

s attack was ordered . T he storming party con isted of the

grenadiers of the European regiments, followed by their

n n light companies, and led by Lieutenant James Du ca ,

-ﬁ r st Seventy Highlanders, and Lieutenant J ohn Evans,

- Fifty second Regiment, with a forlorn hope of thirty chosen - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT I NFANTRY . 3 5

1 7 91 . men, the whole supported by the battalion companies of

- - - the Thirty sixth , Seventy second , and Seventy sixth Regi

s ments, with some battalions of Bengal epoys . The attack

- ing force was commanded by Lieut . Colonel Maxwell, Seventy- fourth H ighlanders; the ﬂ a n ke r s by Maj or Kelly ;

- Maj o r General Meadows was present on the occasion . T he

- ﬁ r st grenadier company, Seventy H ighlanders, was com m a n d e d by Captain the Honourable J ohn Lindsay, who, upon entering the breach , directed his men to throw away

Th e their priming and trust entirely to their bayonets . light company was commanded by Captain J ames Robert

so n so n . , of the celebrated histori an With the aid of scaling ladders, and after encou ntering very formidable 6 h O . t bstacles, Bangalore was carried From the March to the capture of Bangalore the Seventy-ﬁ r st had 6 privates

1 2 8 th killed and 4 wounded . On the March , a strong garri so n D eo n h u ll being left in Bangalore, the army moved to y, o th the birthplace of Hyder Ali , where it arrived on the 3 ,

I st Ch in n ab all a o r a m and on the April at p , both of which

Th e places were abandoned by the enemy. army reached

o n n a el l 1 2 o C p y on the th April , and on the f llowing day ff ’ e ected a j unction with the N izam s force, which had been

c o - u sent to operate with the British , and which amo nted to 1 8th A about cavalry . On the pril the army arrived

Ven kata h er r at g y, where a large detachment of Europeans, under Colonel Oldham , joined from the Carnatic, and on

2 2 n d the April it again encamped near Bangalore . During

su this march , the obj ect of which was chieﬂy to secure p ’ plies, the enemy s irregular horse were now and then seen in small detached bodies . O n the 4th May the army marched towards Seringapatam , the capital of Tipp o o ’ S ai b s 1 Ar aker r territory, and on the 3 th reached y, on Ca ver the y , about eight miles below Seringapatam . The enemy could be seen in front, with their right resting on the river, and their left on a high hill named the Carig

C - 2 3 6 I I I STO RI CAL RECO RD O F TH E

Of 1 1 haut . During the night the 4th of May the troops 1 7 9 .

marched with a view to surprising the enemy, but owing

to the badness of the weather and roads, together with the

j aded state of the gun bullocks, little or no progress was

made during the night, but on the following day, after under

going great fatigue , they were brought into action . The i enemy was then soon driven from h s strong position , and

forced across the river to the island upon which the capital ,

Seringapatam , is Situated, where he was protected by his ff batteries . I n this a air four guns and several standards

Th e - ﬁ r st were taken . Seventy lost Lieutenant and Adj u

tant Roderick Mackenzie and 7 rank and ﬁle killed . Ensign

o J hn Stuart and 7 4 rank and ﬁle were wounded . The army

rested upon the ﬁeld of battle, and moving again on the

1 8th Ca n a m b a dd 01 1 C aver arrived at y, the y, upon the

2 h wa s o t . It now ascertained that the season was too far advanced for undertaking immediately the siege of Tipp o o

’ ’ aib s d S capital , and it was etermined accordingly to with

. a m m u n i draw The battering train was destroyed , all the

t ion stores which could not be removed were buried , and 011 the 2 6th May the arm y marched in the direction of

Bangalore . I n the course of this retreat the British were

joined by the Mahratta army, consisting of about

0 . a men , chieﬂy cavalry, and 3 pieces of cannon Of the p proach of this large force the British had been kept in

’ Ti o o s total ignorance by the activity of pp irregular troops . i Captain Little, with two battal ons of Bombay sepoys ,

j oined with the Mahratta army, and supplies were now abundant On the 1 1 th J uly the army arrived at Bangalore with out any attempt on the part of the enemy to interrupt the

’ march . By this time the Nizam s caval r y had become

unﬁt to keep the ﬁeld , and were allowed to return to their

own country . A large detachment of the Mahrattas pro d c eede into the Sera country, the remainder continuing - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 3 7

1 1 7 91 . with the British army . On the 5 th J uly the sick and half of the tumbrils belonging to the ﬁeld pieces were sent into the fort of Bangalore, and the army moved towards

Ou sso o r r 1 1 th , where it ar ived on the of the following

O u sso o r month . T he fort of was abandoned by the enemy after he had blown up the angles .

1 2 Ou sso o r On the th of Aug ust the army moved from , and on the 2 3 r d arrived at B ayeu r . About this period

’ Major Gowdie, of the Honourable East I ndia Company s

fo r Service, was detached with some troops the reduction

N u n d d r o o of the strong hill fort of y g , which it was found r equired regular approaches . The ﬂank companies of the

- - ﬁ r st Thirty sixth and Seventy Regiments , under the com

a mand of Captain Robertson of the latter corps, m rched on the 1 7 th of October to j oin the detachment under

Maj or Gowdie, and , upon their arrival , were immediately placed in the last parallel . On the 1 8th of October General the E arl Cornwallis

N u n d with the whole army, made a movement towards y o droog, and in the evening of that day the tr ops were told o ff for an assault upon the two breaches, which had been

Th e pronounced practicable . attacks commenced at eleven

’ o clock at night, the grenadiers assaulting the right breach Th and the light companies the left . e forlorn hope of the

o f twen t right attack consisted , y grenadiers, volunteers from

- - ﬁ r st n the Thirty sixth and Seventy , led by Lieute ant Hugh

- ﬁ r st Mackenzie of the Seventy , afterwards for a long time paymaster of the regiment . The same number of light infantry, headed by Lieutenant Lewis Moore, of the

- ﬁ r st i Seventy , formed the left attack . The grenad er com pany of the regiment, in support, was commanded by

Lieutenant J ames D uncan , the light company by Lieu tenant Kenneth Mackenzie, the whole under Captain

’

o . R bertson s orders Captain Robert Burne supported ,

- with the Thirty sixth grenadiers, the right attack , and 3 8 HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

C 1 7 91 . aptain William Hartley, with the light company of that

- regiment , the left attack ; Major General Meadows, as

h is usual , animating the whole with presence. Both breaches were carried without much resistance from the

enemy, and the gateway of the inner wall being soon

secured , the fort fel l into the possession of the British .

Many of the enemy were killed , and several , in attempting

to escape, were dashed to pieces over the precipices . I t was an additional source of gratiﬁcation that this important service had been achieved without the loss o f a British

Th e soldier. following general order was issued on this occasion

’ H eaa u a r ter s a m Oc to be 2 th 1 1 C r 0 . Q p, , 7 9 L ord Cornwallis having been witness of the extra

ordinary obstacles, both of nature and art, which were opposed to the detachment of the army that attacked

N u n d dr o o y g , he cannot too highly applaud the ﬁrmness and exertions which were manife sted by all ran ks in car

r in n a y g on the operatio s of the siege, or the v lour and discipline which were displayed by the ﬂank companies

’ of H is M aj esty s Thirty- sixth a n d Seventy-ﬁ r st Regi ments !other regiments of native infantry were here

enumerated) that were employed in the assault last night,

ﬁ r e and which, by overcoming all dif culties, effected the t duction of that important fort, and he par icularly desires that his warmest thanks may be presented to Captain

-ﬁ r st Robertson of the Seventy Regiment, who com ” m a n ded the ﬂank companies that led the assaults .

I n a few days subsequently to the fall of N u n dydr o o g th the army retraced its route to Bangalore . On the 4 of

December the troops were again put in movement, direct

Saven dr o o ing their march towards g , a fortress situated on the side of a mountain surrounded by “ almost inaccessible

rocks . The fort being reconnoitred, a detachment, under - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT INFANTRY . 3 9

- - - 1 7 91 . Lieut . Colonel J ames Stuart of the Seventy second Regi ment, was selected and ordered to reduce the place . On the 1 7 th the British were enabled to O pen upon the fort a battery of six 1 8 - pounders and three 1 2 - pounders with considerable effect . T he flank companies of the Seventy fi r st and Seventy-sixth Regiments joined the detachment -C 2 0th o f under Lieut . olonel Stuart on the December, and on the followi n g day the flank companies of the Fifty

- ﬁ r st - - second , Seventy , Seventy second , and Seventy sixth

S a ven dr o o were selected for the attack upon g , in which a practicable breach had been effected , and formed under

- - Lieut . Colonel Colebrook Nesbitt, of the Fifty second

Regiment . The storming party, commanded by Lieut . f Colonel Nesbitt, was directed to four di ferent attacks

Captain J ames Gage, with the grenadiers of the Fifty secon d and ﬂank companies of the Seventy- Sixth Regi ments, to gain the eastern hill to the left ; Captain the

Hon . J ohn Lindsay and Captain James Robertson, with

-fi r st the flank companies of the Seventy , to separate and attack the works or parties they might discover in the chasm or hollow between the hills ; the Fifty- second and Seventy- second Regiments were to follow the flank com

- panics . Parties were detached under Lieut . Colonel Baird and Maj or Petrie round the mountain to draw the atten

O tion of the enemy from the main bject, and to endeavour

’ to prevent his escape . At eleven o clock in the morning

th e 2 1 5 t of of D ecember, on a signal of two guns being

ﬁred from the batteries, the ﬂank companies, in the order

F ift ~ sec o n d described, followed by the y and Seventy second Regiments , advanced to the assaults , the band of

- the Fifty second playing Britons , strike home, while the grenadiers and light in fantry mounted the breach . Imme diate success followed the attempt, the fort being carried without the loss of a man . The troops were thanked in a general orders for their gall nt conduct, as follows HISTORICAL RECO RD OF THE

“ Lord Cornwallis thinks himself fortunate, almost

beyond example, in havin g acquired by assault a fortress

O f so in estim much strength and reputation , and of such

S a ven dr o o able value to the public interest as g , without

' having to regret th e l o ss of a single soldier .

so Although the resistance was contemptible, he is not the less sensible that the behaviour of the grenadiers

- - ﬁ r st and light infantry of the Fifty second , Seventy ,

-s - Seventy econd , and Seventy sixth Regiments, who led

the assaults, and who must have made the decisive

impression upon the minds of the enemy, reﬂects the most ” distinguished honour upon their discipline and valour .

O u tr ed r o o g , Ram Gurry, and Sheria Gurry shortly

Th e afterwards surrendered to the British Army. force

s O u tr e dr o o sub equently moved towards g , a hill fort about

thirty miles west of Bangalore, where a general hospital

t 1 2 . l s 1 7 92 . was established On the 3 of J anuary, 7 9 , the army,

under General the Earl Cornwallis, was reviewed by the

Poonah and Hyderabad Chiefs, and on the following day

commenced its march towards Seringapatam , passing by

H l e r l l r d Th o o ad o o T a i Ca r c o e . e g , g y, and y troops came

’ Ti o o s r d in sight of pp capital on the 3 of February, and

’ Th e encamped at the French Rocks . enemy s horse th showed itself on the 4 and 5 th , but attempted nothing

hostile . Th e entrenched camp of Tipp o o Sai b was reconnoitred 6 th on the of February, and at dark the army was formed

- in three columns of attack . The right, under Major General

- - Meadows, consisting of the T hirty sixth and Seventy sixth ’ e — i King s Regiments ; the c ntre, under the Commander n o if Chief, General the Earl Cornwallis, c nsisting of the F ty

’ - ﬁ r st - second , Seventy , and Seventy fourth King s Regiments .

- The left, under Lieut . Colonel Maxwell , of the Seventy

- fourth, was composed of the Seventy second Regiment .

n s The native troops were divided amo g the three column .

42 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 7 92 . that battalion was thrown into confusion , falling back upon

- ﬁ r st the Seventy . Maj or Stair Park Dalrymple, wishing

to prevent the sepoys intermingling with his men , ordered

O the regiment to move obliquely to the left, an peration

’ that by chance brought him in contact with the Sultan s

Th e redoubt , which was instantly attacked and carried .

charge of the redoubt was given to Captain H ugh Sibbald ,

- ﬁ r st of the Seventy , with his company, who on the follow

ing morning was killed , nobly defending it against repeated

and desperate attacks from the enemy . H e was replaced

by Major Shelly, under whom the redoubt sustained two

-in - serious assaults . T he Commander Chief, General the

Earl Cornwallis, in compliment to the memory of this ”

. ofﬁcer, had the name of the redoubt changed to Sibbald I n the evening of the 7 th of February of the

’ enemy s horse attacked the British troops on the island , but were repulsed by the Seventy-ﬁ r st Regiment and the

o f First Coast Sepoys . In the course these operations the regiment had Captain Sibbald and Lieutenant Daniel Bayne killed ; Ensign D uncan Mackenzie was wounded ;

about 1 00 rank and ﬁle were killed and wounded .

’ The enemy s loss was very severe, being estimated at ’ t no r s a e c om ba . Eighty pieces of cannon were taken

by the British . The following general order was issued

h t . Feb . 7 “ The conduct and valour o f the ofﬁcers and soldiers Of ’ this army have Often merited Lord Cornwallis s eneo so s th e m iu m , but zeal and gallantry which were success ’ fully displayed last night in the attacks of the enemy s whole army in a position which had cost him so much fﬁ time and labour to fortify, can never be su ciently

praised ; and his satisfaction on an occasion which pro a dva n m ised to be attended with the most substantial th e tag es has been greatly heightened by learning from - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 43

2 commanding ofﬁcers of divisions that this meritorious 1 7 9 .

behaviour was universal through all ranks, to a degree

h a s o that been rarely equalled . Lord C rnwallis there fore requests that the army in general will accept of h is most cordial thanks for the noble and gallant manner in which they have executed the plan of the attack ; it

h is covers them with honour, and will ever command ” warmest sentiments of admiration . On the 9th of February the army took up its ﬁnal

Of 1 position for the Siege Seringapatam , and on the s th Maj o r -General Robert Abercromby j oined with the Bombay

- - ﬁfth force, consisting of the Seventy third, Seventy , and

- Seventy seventh regiments, besides native troops, making a total of about men .

-ﬁ r st The Seventy Highlanders, commanded by Major

th e Ca ver Dalrymple, crossed south branch of the y at nine ’ 1 8th o clock at night on the of February, and two hours

’ later attacked by surprise a camp of the enemy s cavalry, of whom a great part were slain and the remainder dis

e r se d s p in al l direction . This movement was designed to

O cover the peration of opening the trenches, which took place at the same time within 8 00 yards of the fort . Until the 2 4th of February the approaches were carried on with t the greatest activi y, when the general orders announced that the preliminary articles of peace had been Signed , and in consequence all hostile measures immediately ceased .

2 6th Ti o o i On the of February the two sons of pp Sa b,

- el - - ed- Abd Khalik and Musa Deen , the former ten years of a e g and the latter eight, were brought to the British camp as hostages for the due performance of the preliminary article s I n consequence of some Obstacles which had been O pposed by Tippo o to the arrangement of the deﬁnitive treaty, working parties were ordered, and the guns replaced 1 o th in the batteries on the March . This state of suspicion HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 2 1 7 9 . and preparation lasted until the 5 th of March , when it

1 8 was discontinued , and on the th of that month, the

deﬁnitive treaty being duly executed and signed , was delivered by the young Abd - el -Khalik to each Of the con 20th federates . On the the counterpart was sent to

Tipp o o SaI b . T hus terminated a war in which the confederates 0 f 8 wrested from the enemy 7 ortresses, 00 pieces of

cannon, and destroyed or dispersed at least men . By the articles of the treaty Tippo o Saib was bound to pay

- a large sum of money and to cede one half of his dominions . The Governor- General and Commander- in - Chief in I ndia

’ granted from this money a sum equal to six months batta

for all ranks, and the Court of Directors afterwards made

a similar grant . The East I ndia Company also granted

an annuity of 5 0 to Captain P . Melville for his services in

I ndia . 2 6th On the of March, the exchange of the deﬁnitive

treaty being completed , the British commenced moving

towards Bangalore , from whence they proceeded to the

P edn a i d u r u m g g Pass, where the Bengal troops were

ordered to their own Presidency .

Early in May the army descended the Ghauts, arriving

-in - soon after at Vellore, where the Commander Chief arranged the cantonments of the troops and proceeded to

Th - ﬁ r Madras . e Seventy st received orders to march to

the southward, and in the month of J une arrived at

io r e W a r r . , near Trichinopoly, under the command of Lieut

Colonel Baird, who during the campaign had been absent

from the regiment in command of a brigade . Eight com

r io r e panics were stationed at Wa r , and two were detached

with Maj or Dalrympl e to Dindigul . I n this Situation the

regiment continued for the remainder of the year.

1 1 7 93 . I n March , 7 93 , the eight companies under the com

- Wa r r io r e mand of Lieut . Colonel Baird proceeded from to - SEVE NTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIG HT INF ANTRY . 45

e n r l S c u de m a l . 1 7 93 . y, in the neighbourhood of Madura Mean while the events of the French Revolution had involved a Engl nd in another contest, the National Convention of France having declared war against Great Britain and

r 1 Holland in Februa y, 7 93 . The news of this event arrived in I ndia in May following, when the Siege of the

French settlement of Pondicherry, on the Coromandel

- coast, was determined upon . Lieut . Colonel Baird, of the

- ﬁ r st Seventy , was appointed to command a brigade on this service . I n J uly the ﬂank companies of the regiment were ordered to j oin the force about to besiege Pondicherry, and

r marched for that purpose, being followed soon afte wards by the battalion companies . T he place surrendered on the

2 2 n d -ﬁ r st Se c u n d er of August, and the Seventy returned to

an d it mally Dindigul , where continued during the remainder of the year.

An attack upon the Mauritius was in contemplation at 1 7 94.

1 the commencement of the year 7 94, and troops for that

Wal l a h ab a d service were assembled at jo . T he Seventy

ﬁ r st , having received orders to join this force, marched to

Wa l l a o h a b a d j , where the regiment remained only a short time, having been ordered to return to the southward , in consequen ce of the proj ected expedition being r el in

u ish ed q .

The regiment marched accordingly, and arrived at

Tanj ore in J une , where it was stationed for the remainder o f the year, having two companies detached under Maj or

Dalrymple at Vellum .

o f Holland became united to France i n the early part 1 7 95 ,

1 . 7 95 , and was styled the Batavian Republic Upon the

arrival of this information in I ndia, an expedition was

ﬁtted out against the Island of Ceylon , where the Dutch

had several settlements . Maj or Dalrymple, with the ﬂank

s companie , marched to the coast, and embarked at Nega HISTORI CAL RECORD OF THE

O f c o -O 1 7 95 , patam , for the purpose perating with the troops

destined for Ceylon , under the command of Colonel J ames

- Stuart, of the S eventy second , who was promoted to the

- rank of Maj or General at this period . T he ﬂeet arrived on

On I st the coast of Ceylon the of August, and two days afterwards the troops landed four miles north of the fort of

Trincomalee . The siege of the fort was commenced a s soon as the artillery and stores could be landed and f 2 6th removed su ﬁciently near to the place . On the of

August a practicable breach was effected , and the garrison

B tti l o e surrendered . T he fort of a c a surrendered on the

1 8 th of September, and the fort and island of Manaar

h Of capitulated on the 5 t October. After these services

were performed , the ﬂank companies returned to T anj ore

1 1 in the month of October, having lost men in killed and

. G o r r ie wounded Captain William Charles , of the grenadier

company, was desperately wounded in this expedition . The following honourable mention of an O fﬁcer in this regiment is extracted from a letter of Sir Robert Aber

cromby to the Duke of York .

a l c u tta N o vem ber tlt C , 4 . I have the honour to inform you that Maj or D ir o m having resigned his ofﬁce of Deputy Adj utant - General in

India, I have appointed Captain J ames Robertson , of the

- ﬁ r st I st Seventy Regiment, who has acted for him since

’ 1 2 J uly, 7 9 , to succeed until His Majesty s pleasure is

known , as Captain Robertson was included in the brevet

1 of Maj or, made in March , 7 94, though not yet published

in I ndia, and I am sensible any further mark of H is Maj esty’ s favour will be pleasing to the Marquis Corn

b e ~ l eave r ec o m wallis, under whom he served , and I g to

~ - mend h im fo r the rank of Lieut . Colonel .

1 6 Wa ll a o h ab ad I n May, 7 9 , the regiment marched to j ,

where it was stationed during the remainder of the year . - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT I NFANTRY . 47

2 n d 1 On the of January, 7 97 , the regiment was 1 7 97 .

- inspected by Major General Clarke, who issued the follow ing general order Major- General Clarke has experienced inﬁnite satis

’ faction this morning a t the review of His Maj esty s

- ﬁ r st Seventy Regiment . He cannot say that on any occasion O f ﬁeld exercise

he ever was present at a more perfect performance .

so When a corps is striking in appearance, and so

complete in every branch of its discipline, little can occur

- in - to the Commander Chief to particularize. H e cannot

- ﬁ r st but notice , however, that the Seventy Regiment has excited h is admiration for its expertness in those parts of its exercise which are most essential and most difﬁ cult

to execute . H e alludes to its order and regularity when

its moving in line, extreme accuracy in preserving dis

tance, and the neatness and promptitude that are so

evident in all its formations . So much perfection in a corps whose services in I ndia will long be held in remem

- brance, does the greatest honour to Lieut . Colonel Baird

h is fﬁ an d all o cers , to whom and the corps at large the ” - in - Commander Chief desires to offer his best thanks . The regiment remained in the cantonment of W a l l ajo

Of habad until the month October, when orders were issued

for its return to Europe . I t was accordingly drafted , giving ﬁve hundred men to the Seventy- third and Seventy-fourth

Wa l l a o h a b ad Regiments , and then marched from j , under B the command of Colonel aird , to Madras, and immediately

Of embarked on board I ndiamen for Great Britain . The

1 ﬂeet sailed from Madras Roads on the 7 th of October, f and was at sea during the remainder of the year. A e w days previous to its embarkation the following order was published HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

F o r t S t G eo r e . g ,

be I 6 1 Oc to r tk . , 7 97

General Order by Government .

o fli c e rs - f s T he , non commissioned o ficers , drummer , and privates of the Seventy- fi r st Highlanders are under

- six orders for Europe, to embark to morrow morning at . The President in Council h a s much satisfaction in ex pressing the great sense entertained by the Government

“ Of z the active, ealous, and important services of the Seventy-ﬁ r st Highlanders during the eighteen years they

have been stationed in I ndia , by which they have con

so tributed largely to the reputation of the British Army, “ a n d so essentially promoted the interests of the East

I ndia Company . By order of the Right H onourable the President in

Council . WEB B E !Signed) S . , ” e r to t/z o ver n m S ec r ta y e G en t.

This high testimonial of the approbation of the Civil Government was accompanied by the following mark of commendation from the Commander-in - Chief

- General Order by Lieut . General Harris .

Th e Commander- in - Chief cannot think of parting with a corps that has been so eminently distinguished as the Seventy-ﬁ r st H ighlanders in I ndia by a series of

n lo g , arduous, and Spirited services, without requesting

- Of - Lieut . Colonel Baird , the ﬁcers, non commissioned fﬁ n o cers , and every man belongi g to that regiment to accept of his warmest acknowledgments for conduct

a dva n which has been equally honourable to them , and

tag e o u s to their country . T he alacrity with which

- Lieut . Colonel Baird has arranged , at a short warning,

everything relative to the drafting, conﬁrms Lieutenant

so HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

o ﬂi c er s - 1 7 98 , whole of the and non commissioned ofﬁcers, with

fe w - the exception of the Staff, and a at head quarters,

were sent o u t to recruit for the regiment . Ve r y fe w of the men remained who had originally

t Of r formed the regimen ; of the ﬁcers, the following we e still in the regiment

Colonel Baird ,

Dalrymple,

Major Lindsay Robertson ,

- Brevet Major Borthwick, C orrie,

Captain D . Ross,

H ugh Cuthbert,

M c K en z ie Roderick ,

M K z i H ugh c e n e .

1 - During the year 7 99 , the head quarters remained at

u s Stirling, and the recr iting went on but lowly .

1 800 In May, , the strength of the regiment amounted

to 2 00 r o u te about rank and ﬁle, when a I arrived changing

u s the q arters to Paisley, but oon after the march an

order arrived for its proceeding to Ireland . I n J une the

s regiment reached Portpatrick, and cro sed immediately

to Donaghadee , from whence it marched , under the com

mand of Colonel Dalrymple, to Newry, and in a few days

' w a s re m o ve d afterwards to Dundalk . I II J uly the regiment received 600 volunteers from the

Scotch Fencible Corps serving in I reland , and remained

u at D undalk until the close of the year, when a ro te D . l for D ublin was received At this period, Colonel a

r m l e - y p was appointed Brigadier General, and the com

d - man of the regiment devolved on Brevet Lieut . Colonel

John French . On the 6th of December Major Denis Pack was pro moted from the Fourth Royal Irish Dragoon Guards to be - 1 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 5

- - . ﬁ r st 1 800. Lieut Colonel in the Seventy Regiment , in succession

- . r e to Lieut Colonel the Honourable J ohn Lindsay, who tired from the service .

1 80 1 1 801 . The regiment, early in the year , marched from

Dundalk to D ublin , and occupied the barracks in the

2 th - Palatine Square . On the 4 of April , Lieut . Colonel

Pack j oined , and assumed the command of the regiment .

1 8 0 2 I n March , , in which month the Peace of Amiens 1 3 02 , was concluded , the regiment proceeded from Dublin , and wa s quartered in the county of Wicklow. T he corps was

- s so divided , that at Arklow, the head quarter , there were only two companies . I n this situation it continued for the remainder of the year.

1 80 T he regiment proceeded in March , 3 , in three divi 1 803 . sions , to Ballinasloe, where it remained for a few days, and afterwards marched to Loughrea .

- K B . Major General Sir John Francis Cradock, . , was appointed Colonel of the Seventy-ﬁ r st H ighlanders on the

6th 1 80 of August, 3 , in succession to General the Honourable

-ﬁ r st William Gordon, who was removed to the Twenty i Royal North British Fus liers .

The regiment continued at Loughrea, but the light company was detached to Limerick to j oin a light battalion which was being formed at that place . Captain Sinclair f died during this year, and the o ﬁcers of the regiment caused a stone to be erected over his grave bearing the following inscription

To the memory of Captain John Sinclair, this stone was caused to be placed by his brother ofﬁcers of the

- ﬁ r st s Seventy Regiment , as a testimony of the hi g h e teem

O fﬁ o they held him i n as an cer, as well as the sincere l ve

- they bore him as a friend . T wenty six years spent in z ealous and faithful discharge of his duty j ustly entitled

him to the character of the one, and the many estimable qualities of the heart gave him no less claim to the

D 2 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 1 803 . other ; he died at the age of 4 , in the year of our Lord

1 80 3 , resigning only with his breath that commission ” which H is Gracious Maj esty had pleased to bestow . 1 4 80 . I n May the regiment proceeded from Loughrea to the county of Limerick ; the head -quarters being stationed at

Rathkeale, one detachment at Newcastle, another at

T arbert, and a third at Askeaton .

' i 2 n d b at. n While the regiment was stationed I reland, war had

recommenced with France , and Bonaparte having made

preparations for invading Great Britain , additional measures of defence to those of the former year were ad o pted by ” Add o n a l F o r c e A c t the Government ; and under the iti ,

l o th 1 80 passed on the of J uly, 4, a second battalion was

- ﬁ r st added to the Seventy Regiment, which was to consist of men to be raised for limited service in certain counties

of North Britain . T he second battalion was formed at

D umbarton in October, to the command of which Lieut .

Colonel Lord George Beresford was appointed . Its 2 2 2 2 0 establishment was ﬁxed at 3 sergeants, drummers,

s . corporal , privates

1 805 . 1 80 I n March , 5 , the ﬁrst battalion , under the command 1 s b t at. - of Lieut . Colonel Pack, proceeded to Bandon , in the county

o w of C rk , and was stationed at that place until J uly , hen it

marched to Cork, and immediately afterwards to Monks

town , where it embarked in transports , having been selected to form part of a secret expedition under its former

- commander, Maj or General Sir David Baird . I n the beginning of August the embarkation was com

l ete d th o p , and on the 5 of that m nth the ﬂeet sailed , con

vo e d 6 — s y by three 4 gun ships, two frigates and gun brig , under the orders o f Commod o re Sir Home Popham and

2 8 th o s on the of September the ﬂeet , after a very b isterou

passage, arrived at Madeira .

“ r d On the 3 of October the ﬂeet left Madeira, and on

h o f 1 2 t . the November arrived at St Salvador, in the - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 5 3

ff o f 1 05 Brazils, where an opportunity was a orded refreshing 8 . th e men , landing the sick, and procuring some horses for

r the caval y .

sea 2 8th The ﬂeet again put to on the of November, and directed its course towards the Dutch Colony of the

Cape of Good Hope, then in possession of the Batavian

Government, which was united with France in hostility to

Great Britain .

- It arrived at the high table land of the Cape of Good 1 8 06 .

th 1 806 s Hope on the 4 of January, , and shortly afterward came to anchor . The whole of the following day the surf upon the shore of the bay was too violent to admit of a n v

- attempt to land . Brigadier General William Carr, after

wa s wards General Viscount Beresford , detached , with

- such of the cavalry as had horses , and the T hirty eighth

Regiment , to Saldanha Bay . I n the morning of the 6th of January a landing was

f n ; e fected by the H ighland brigade, consisti g of the Seventy

n - - ﬁrst, Seve ty second , and Ninety third H ighlanders, and numbering men , under the command of Brigadier

o f General Ronald Craufurd Ferguson , in the performance

- fﬁ which service Lieut . Colonel Pack, the commanding o cer

-ﬁ r st of the Seventy Regiment, was wounded . T he follow ing day was devoted to landing the supplies and the r e m a in d e r of the army. 8 Early in the morning of the th of J anuary, Major

General Sir David Baird formed his troops in two columns ,

Bl eu b er and moved up to the heights of g , from whence the enemy was seen , drawn up in order of battle, in two lines ,

- with twenty three pieces of cannon , his n umbers being calculated at of which a large proportion was caval ry . Th e British lines were formed with promptitude and

s correctness, and the enemy was attacked with the utmo t

spirit . H e maintained his ground with some ﬁrmness , until HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

h 1 806. a charge of the Hig land brigade dislodged and com

l etel p y routed him , with the loss of three guns and 7 00 men .

f a - ﬁ r st - n In this a f ir the Seventy had Brevet Lieut . Colo el

2 Robert Campbell wounded . 5 men were killed, and sergeants and 64 rank and ﬁle were

The troops halted for the night at the Reit Valley, and on the 9th of January the army moved towards the

Salt River, where it was intended to take up a position

previously to the attack of Cape Town, when a ﬂag of

o truce appeared from the town , which produced some neg

’ c ia tio n s , that terminated in its surrender to His Maj esty s

- arms . Lieut . General J anssens, the Governor of the colony,

Bl en b e r 8 after his defeat of g on the th , had retired towards the interior of the country by the Hottentot Hollan d

1 Kloof, or Pass, from whence, on the 9th of January, he Signed and ratiﬁed the treaty that placed the whole of the Cape of Good Hope and its dependencies in the possession f O . Great Britain , under whose sway it has Since continued st b a - I t. T he following letter from Brigadier General Ferguson

o r - to Maj General Sir David Baird , relative to the regiment

and its commander, is here inserted

a e To wn 1 t/z a n u a r 1 806 C . p , 9 Y y,

B l eu b er 8 As in the affair of g , on the th instant, chance placed two of the enemy’ s guns in possession of

the Highland brigade, I hope you will be pleased to order the al lowance usually granted on such occasions

-ﬁ r st to be issued and shared amongst the Seventy ,

- - Seventy second , and Ninety third Regiments . Although the guns fell into our hands in front of the

- - ﬁ r st . o Seventy Highlanders, Lieut Col nel Pack !desirous

' Th e r o ya l au th o rity was su bsequ ently gr a nted fo r th e S eve nty -ﬁ rst to be ar th e wo rd s C ape o f Go o d H o pe o n th e r egim ental c o l o u r s an d a ppo int ents to o em o r ate its st n u s e a an tr at th e a tu r e o f t at m , c mm di i g i h d g ll y c p h

o n c o l y. - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 5 5

that the three regiments should be considered as one family) has most handsomely withdrawn the prior claim

’ H is Maj esty s Seventy - ﬁ r st H ighlanders might have

made, and to which the situation of the guns, when

taken , would have entitled that most excellent corps .

I have, etc . , U O !Signed) R . C . FERG S N,

B r die G en er l zlga r a .

- M ajo r G en er a l S ir D a vid B a ir d .

T he Seventy- ﬁ r st went into quarters at the cantonment of Wynberg, about seven miles from Cape T own , on the

’ o road to Simon s Bay, where the battali n remained until

1 2 th the of April , when , most unexpectedly, an order arrived for its immediate embarkation on an expedition to the Rio de la Plata, in South America, which had been planned by the British Commanders, naval and military ,

-ﬁ r st wa s at the Cape . The Seventy the only corps of the

o Cape garrison destined for this service, with the additi n of a few dragoons and some artillery . At this period the

800 strength of the battalion amounted to rank and ﬁle, having received some recruits from foreign corps at the

Th e Cape . troops were to be commanded by Brigadier

General William Carr Beresford , afterwards Viscount

Beresford . The battalion was embarked in line -o f-battle ships an d

1 transports , and on the 4th of April the ﬂeet sailed from

its Table Bay, directing course to the westward until the

2 0th , when , in consequence of unfavourable weather, and having parted company with one of the transports in which

- ﬁ r st s were three companies of the Seventy , the signal wa

. h made to rendezvous at St H elena , at which island t e

o th ﬂeet arrived on the 3 of April , with the exception of the missing transport . Here the force under Brigadier General Beresford received an augmentation of 2 00 men 5 6 HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

1 806 . . Of from the St H elena Regiment, making a total N b ﬂ i rank and ﬁle .

z u d f On the of May the ﬂeet sailed rom St . Helena , and

after a tedious voyage arrived at Cape St . Mary at the ’ 8 Of entrance of the Rio de la Plata , on the th J une , where

it met with the missing transport . T he troops that had sailed in the line -o f- battle ships

1 6 to were transferred on the th of J une the transports, 2 th which proceeded up the river, and on the 4 of that

month came to anchor opposite the city of Buenos Ayres . Th e force amounted in all to rank and ﬁle ; the

- ﬁ r st 8 2 th S eventy mustered 7 4 rank and ﬁle . On the 5 ,

n -ﬁ r st at night, the Seve ty , with the other troops, effected a

s Th e i landing without any oppo ition . following morn ng h t ey pushed forward , and met the enemy at the village of

Reduccion , who made a triﬂing stand , and then retired

r towards the city. On this occasion Captain Hen y

-ﬁ r st Le Blanc of the Seventy lost his leg, and a sergeant

and 5 rank and ﬁle were wounded . T he British troops continued to advance in pursuit of

’ 2 th o f u n e the enemy, and on the morning of the 7 J forced

h l o their passage across the Rio C u e . Some skirmishing

followed this movement, but the city of Buenos Ayres n almost immediately surrendered . I n the evening the tow and fort were taken posses sion of by the ﬁrst battalion of

-ﬁ r st r the Seventy and detachments of ma ines and St .

Helena Regiment . Major General Beresford , in his

despatch to Sir David Baird , wrote as follows “ I cannot omit reporting to you that I had the most

’ j ust cause to be satisﬁed with the con duct of every o ﬂI c er

s - and all the troop under my command to Lieut . Colonel

- ﬁ r st Pack, of the Seventy Highlanders, every praise is a ” due , as well as to th t excellent regiment .

Th e - ﬁ r st Seventy occupied barracks in Buenos Ayres ,

and remained undisturbed until the beginning of August,

5 8 HISTO RICAL RECORD OF TH E

1 80 s I st o f 6. Gla gow for Ireland , and arrived at Belfast on the

September.

I st b a t - . About the middle of September the Seventy ﬁ r st were

removed from Buenos Ayres into the interior. Brigadier

- f . General Beresford , with his sta f, and Lieut Colonel Pack ,

r L s we e placed at uxon, from whence they sub equently ff e ected their escape, upon learning that the removal of the

prisoners still further up the country had been ordered .

- 1 8 . 07 . Lieut Colonel Pack was thus enabled to join the troops

1 80 which had landed near Monte Video in J anuary, 7 ,

under the command of B r igadier- General Sir Samuel

’ A u c h m u t - y, who at Lieut . Colonel Pack s request , directed a board of naval and military ofﬁcers to inqu ire into the

sl particulars of his escape, by whom it was unanimou y

approved , and he was declared free to serve . zu d b ar . T he second battalion was removed from I reland to

1 80 Scotland in January, 7 , but returned to I reland in

J une following.

I st b at. 1 80 I n May, 7 , a further removal to the interior of the

Of prisoners took place . T he ﬁcers were collected at a college belonging to the J esuits about forty leagues to the e northward of Cordova, and entirely separat d from their

s men . I n thi Situation they remained until August follow

ing, when , just as they were ordered to prepare for a trans

u fer to a station still more remote, the acco nts of the con

n i n - o Wh itel o c ke ve t o entered into by Lieut . General J hn

were received, by which it was stipulated that the prisoners should be restored to liberty on condition that all the

n ec es British forces should be withdrawn . I t is scarcely sary to remark that the prospect of being restored to liberty and friends was greatly damped by the military events

which produced it, and which completely extinguished the ardent hopes of success that had been entertained from the

arrival of the last British force in South America . In September the whole of the Ofﬁcers and men were - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 5 9

reconducted to Buenos Ayres, from whence they were con 1 807

l st b a t ve e d y in boats to Monte Video, an d there embarked in transports with a view of returning to Europe . It is a circumstance highly creditable to the character

- ﬁ r st so of the s oldiers of the Seventy that, although many powerful all u rements were held out to induce them to

b u t u w remain in South America, few individ als ere found to swerve fro m their duty and allegiance to their King and

O f country . T he Spaniards were very fond the High landers, particularly of those who were Catholics . One of

s the e, named Donald Macdonald , overcome by solicita tions, had almost agreed to remain at Buenos Ayres, but whilst wavering one of h is co mpanions s u ng to him

” Lochaber no more ; the effect was irresi stible ; the

’ s tears started into poor Donald s eye , and wiping them “ ! ’ away, he exclaimed , Na, na I canna stay, I d maybe

” return to Lochaber nae mair .

a fte r a T he ﬂeet sailed immediately, and tedious and

n s rough voyage of three months , the tra sport having the

- ﬁ r st Seventy on board put into Cork Harbour in December, 2 th w and on the 7 of that month the whole ere landed ,

s without uniform , clothing, arm , or accoutrements, and marched to Middleton under the command of Major Henry

- Tolley, Lieut . Colonel Pack having previously returned to

England from South America .

1 808 1 808 I n March , , the regiment proceeded from Middle ton to Cork, where its equipment in every respect was completed . T he second battalion embarked at Londonderry for 2 n d b at

th 1 808 Scotland on the 9 of April , , after transferring 2 00 men to the ﬁrst battalion , which raised the strengt h of the r 00 latter to nea ly 9 rank and ﬁle . 2 6th I st b a t. O n the of April , whilst in garrison at Cork, new

colours, to replace those left i n South America , were pre

S eve n tv - ﬁ r st - . sented to the by Lieut General John Floyd , 6O HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

1 808 . who had commanded the cavalry and advance in the cam

p a ig n of 1 7 90 in the East I ndies . Th e following animating and soldier -like address was made by the gallant General on the occasion

Seventy- ﬁ r st I am directed to perform the honourable duty of pre

senting your colours .

t -ﬁr st Brave Seven y , the world is well acquainted with your gallant conduct at the capture of Buenos Ayres in

’ South America, under one of H is Majesty s braves t

Generals . I t is well known that you defended your conquest

with the utmost courage, good conduct , and discipline, to

the last extremity. When diminished to a handful , hope

less of succour, and destitute of provisions, you were

overwhelmed by multitudes, and reduced by the fortune of war to lose your liberty and your well-defended

- ﬁ r s . t colours, but not your honour Your honour, Seventy

Regiment, remains unsullied .

a Your l st act in the ﬁeld covered you with glory . ff Your generous despair, calling upon your General to su er

you to die with arms i n your hands, proceeded from the

genuine spirit of British soldiers . Your behaviour in

prosperity — your sufferings in captivity— and your faith t ful discharge of your duty to your King and coun ry,

are appreciated by all .

You who now stand on this parade, i n deﬁance of the

allurements held out to base desertion , are endeared to

the army and to the country, and your conduct will ensure you the esteem of all true soldiers— o f all worthy men

and ﬁll every one of you with honest martial pride .

“ I t has been my good fortune to have witnessed, in a

th e remote part of the world , early glories and gallant cond uct of the Seventy - ﬁ r st Regiment in the ﬁeld and - N OI SEVENTY F IRST HIG HLAN D LIGHT I FANTRY .

r e it is with great satisfaction I meet you again with 1 808 .

plenished ranks, with good arms in your hands, and with

stout hearts in your bosoms .

' OﬂI c e r s Look forward , and soldiers, to the achieve ment of new honours and the acquirement of fresh fame I! f Oﬂi c e r s be the friends and guardians of these brave fellows committed to your charge

Soldiers ! give your conﬁdence to your ofﬁ cers . They have shared with you the chances of war they have

— bravely bled along with you , they will always do honour

’ to themselves and you . Preserve your regiment s reputa

tion for valour in the ﬁeld and regularity in quarters . I have now the honour to present the

Royal Colour. This is the King’ s colour ! I have now the honour to present your regimental

colour .

-ﬁ r st This is the colour of the Seventy Regiment . May victory for ever crown these colours

The Peninsula was at this period the centre of p o l itiCa l i nterest . Portugal , deserted by her government, and Spain betrayed , the people of each rose in arms to recover the national independence . Dissensions had arisen in the

Royal family of Spain , occasioned by the sway of Emanuel

” Godoy, who bore the title of the Prince of Peace . T his

Minister was dismissed , but the Court was unable to restore tranquillity . I n this emergency the French Emperor was solicited to be umpire, and Napoleon ultimately placed the

o o s wh o cr wn of Spain on his brother J eph , was transferred

o o f N a l e fro m the thr ne p s . T he Spaniards ﬂew to arms in consequence . T he British Government resolved to aid the

s wa s Spanish and Portugue e patriots, and a British army

o o ordered t pr ceed to the Peninsula, under the command

- of Lieut . General Sir Arthur Wellesley . T he ﬁrst batta HISTORI CAL RECORD OF THE

0 - ﬁ r 1 8 8 . lion of the Seventy st H ighlanders formed part of the

force selected on this occasion .

1 I t embarked at the Cove of Cork on the 7 th of J une ,

1 808 2 s 2 2 s , its strength consisting of 5 sergeant , drummer , 8 ‘ and 7 4 rank and ﬁle .

1 808 o wa s I n J une, , His Majesty King Ge rge I I I pleased to approve of the Seventy - ﬁ r st bearing the title o f G l asg o w in addition to the appellation of H zg/c/a n d regi ment!“

- ﬁ r st I n the ﬁrst instance, the Seventy were brigaded

t t - wi h the Fif h, T hirty eighth , and ﬁfth battalion of the

- Sixtieth Regiment, under Brigadier General Henry Fane,

fo r u and sailed Port gal , in conj unction with the forces

1 2 th destined to aid the Spaniards and Portuguese , on the

s of J uly . After a favourable pa sage, the troops anchored

in Mondego Bay in the beginning of August , and a landing

was effected in the vicinity of the village of Frejus . Early in the morn ing of the 4th O f August a small picket O f the enemy stationed in the neighbourhood fell

back, and the operation of disembarking the troops was

carried into effect without opposition . T he army then

to moved on a position across a deep sandy country, where

fo r it halted and encamped the night . At this period a change took place in the arrangement

o - ﬁ r st of the brigades, and the ﬁrst battali n of the Seventy

- s was placed , with the Thirty sixth and Fortieth Regiment ,

M - in that. commanded by aj or General Ronald Craufurd

Ferguson .

— T he division under Major General Sir Brent Spencer, B K . . , from Cadiz, consisting of about men , joined

8 u s o on the th of Aug st ; and, after a h rt halt, the army was again put in motion to occupy a more forward

1 position , where it remained for some days . On the 7 th

Th e absu rdly co ntr adicto r y n a me o f Gla sgo w H ighla nd Light Infa ntr y rs h as n o t b ee n in u se fo r ma ny yea . - 6 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 3

A s 1 808 . ugu t the enemy, commanded by General Laborde, was

R o l ei s encountered near a . T he po ition was attacked and carried with great loss to the French, who retreated to

s T orre Vedras . T he light company of the Seventy- ﬁ r st was the only part of the regiment engaged , the remainder being employed in manoeuvring on the right ﬂank of the French . I t suffered a

n 1 2 . triﬂi g loss, having but man killed and wounded The Seventy- ﬁ r st subsequently received the Royal a u th o r ity to bear the word Ro l e ia on the regimental colours and appointments, in commemoration of this victory .

- Lieut . General Sir Arthur Wellesley, after the battle of

Ro l eia , did not pursue the enemy by the high roads, but,

sea Vim ier a keeping to the right near the , marched to to cover the landing of a brigade commanded by Major 2 0th General Anstruther, which was effected on the of

August . T he morning of the ﬁ st of August wa s given up to the troops, in order to prepare and repose themselves . T he men were engaged in washing and cleaning their equip ments, when the approach of the enemy, moving to the f ’ l e t, was discovered at eight o clock in the morning, and

o - the brigades commanded by Maj r General Ferguson ,

- s N i h tin a ll Brigadier General g g , Acland , and Bowes, were consequently moved across a valley from the heights on

Vim ier a the west to those on the east of .

s Mar hal J unot , Duke of Abrantes , moved on his army to the attack of the position , directing it on the British

iftieth centre, where the F Regiment was posted , and moving along the front gradually to the left until the whole line became engaged .

A short time previously to this, the soldiers of the

sit brigade were ordered to down , with their arms in their hands , keeping their formation . The enemy in the mean time cannonaded the whole line , and pushed on his sharp 64 HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

O . shooters and infantry . To ppose the former, Maj or General Fergu son ordered the left sections of the companies

to move forward and Skirmish . Upon the retreat of the

’ enemy s sharpshooters, the action became general along a the front of this brig de, and the whole moved forward to

the attack . Nothing could surpass the steadiness of the

troops on this occasion , and the general and commanding

ofﬁcers set a noble example, which was followed by all . The grenadier company of the Seventy- ﬁ r st greatly

' distin u ish ed itse l f o o f g , in conj unction with a subdivisi n

- the light company of the T hirty sixth Regiment . Captain

Alexander Forbes, who commanded the grenadier com

pany, was ordered to the support of some British artillery,

O and seizing a favourable pportunity, made a dash at a

’ battery of the enemy s artillery immediately in his front .

H e succeeded i n capturing ﬁve guns and a howitzer, with

horses, caissons, and equipment complete . In this affair alone the grenadier company had Lieutenants J ohn Pratt

1 and Ralph D udgeon and 3 rank and ﬁle wounded ,

together with 2 men killed . T he French made a daring effort to retake their artillery both with caval r y and infantry but the gallant conduct o f

— the grenadier company, and the advance of Maj or General

’ o Ferguson s brigade, ﬁnally left the guns in the possessi n

o of those who had s gallantly captured them . C George lark, one of the pipers of the regiment, and

afterwards piper to the H ighland Society of London , was

severely wounded in this action , and being unable to

accompany his corps in the advance against the enemy, he

h is deliberately sat down , and unstrapping pipes, called

’ ’ o u t wi , Well my bra lads, I can no farther ye a ﬁghting ,

’ ” sa l but diel ha my soul if ye want music, and immediately began playing Up ' and war them a ’ Willie ” He was afterwards presented with a hand some stand of pipes by

the Highland Society . T his is the second instance in

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 808 . T agus . T he French Army having by this convention

s fallen back on Lisbon , the Briti h proceeded to the vicinity

f . O . Fort St J ulien , and encamped there All the O bjects of the expedition being carried into ff e ect, and the French troops embarked for France, the Briti sh Army remained for some time at Lisbon and its

- vicinity . At this period !September) Lieut . General Sir

J ohn Moore, having assumed the command; made disposi

tions for entering Spain . The ﬁrst battalion of the Seventy- ﬁ r st was now brigaded

- - d with the T hirty sixth and Ninety eighth Regiments, un er

- C Brigadier General Catlin raufurd , and placed in the divi

f - sion under the command o Lieut . General the Honourable

Of ’ J ohn Hope, afterwards the Earl Hopetoun . On the

2 th Of s 7 October the divi ion was put in motion , and after a

a t short stay Badajoz , resumed the march , proceeding by

o - — M er ivette M erida, T ruxillo, J araicej , Puerto de , and cross

ing the Tagus at the bridge of Almaraz , directed its route

- - - o upon T alavera de la Reyna . From this t wn the column

- proceeded to the Escurial , seven leagues to the north west

of Madrid . I ntelligence was here received of the enemy’ s approach

-ﬁ r st towards Madrid , and two companies of the Seventy ,

under Major Archibald Campbell, were pushed forward to

occu py the imp o rtant pass in the G u a da r a m a M ountains, t which separate Old from New Castile . After a hal of a f w e days, the division was put in motion over the Guada

w - rama Pass to Villa Castin , at hich place Lieut . General

in tel l i the Honourable John Hope, in consequence of the

’ gence which he received of the enemy s movements, made

P en er a n da a night march to the left, by Avila and , and

- - ﬁnally proceeded to Alba de Tormes . At the latter place a j unction was formed ' with a detachment from the army

- under Lieut . General Sir John Moore, then at Salamanca . T he army under Sir John Moore was shortly afterwards - 6 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 7

1 808 put in motion towards Valladolid , and subsequently to the .

- u t . l eft, to form a j nction wi h Lieut General Sir David

’

w . Baird s division, hich had landed at Corunna

n s Previously to this period , the Spa i h Armies under

General Blake, near Bilboa on the left, General Castanos

in the centre, and General Palafox lower down the Ebro on

- the right, had been completely defeated . Lieut . General Sir J ohn Moore consequently made arrangement s for a retreat on Portugal by Ciudad Ro drigo ; b u t it having been represented to him that Madrid held out against the

h e u . French , was induced to effect a j nction with Lieut

G B s eneral Sir David aird , i n order to make a diver ion in

s favour of Madrid, by attacking Mar hal Soult on the River

Carion .

- T he British force, twenty nine thousand strong , joined

2 1 5 1: 2 r d o f , that at Toro on the of December and on the 3 ,

month Sir John Moore advanced with the whole army .

O f T he cavalry had already met with that the enemy, and

’ r the infant y was within two hours march of him , when an intercepted letter informed the British Commander that th Napoleon , who had entered Madrid on the 4 of Decem

ber, was then in full march for Salamanca and Benevente .

G a ll ic ia A retreat on Corunna, through , was immediately de

cided on , that through Portugal being then impracticable . Accordingly the several divisions marched towards the

th e Esla , greater part crossing by the bridge of Benevente .

’ 2 6th Of O n the December, after a day s halt, the caval ry

- - under Lieut . General Lord Paget and Brigadier Gene r al the Honourable Charles Stewart had an engagement with some of the Imperial Guards that had forded the River e Esla under General Le F vre, who was made prisoner,

with several of his men .

At this period the situation of the British Army wa s

. o f dispiriting in the extreme I n the midst , winter, in a

dreary and desolate country, the soldiers chilled and E 2 HI STORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 808 . - drenched with the heavy rains, and wearied by long and

rapid marches, were almost destitute of fuel to cook their

diﬂi c u l t victuals, and it was with extreme y that they could

procure shelter . Provisions were scarce, irregularly issued , ‘ diﬂic u l t and of attainment . T he waggons, in which were

their magazines, baggage and stores , were often deserted in

the night by the Spanish drivers , who were terriﬁed by the e approach of the French . T hus baggag , ammunition ,

stores, and even money were destroyed to prevent them

falling into the hands of the enemy ; and the weak, the

sick, and the wounded were necessarily left behind . The

-ﬁ r st ff Seventy su ered in proportion with the rest, and by

weakness, sickness, and fatigue lost about 9 3 men .

h Of 1 1 809 . t 80 On the 5 January, 9 , a position was taken up l st b a t . at Lugo , where some skirmishing occurred , in which three

-ﬁ r st companies of the Seventy were engaged , and repulsed

the enemy .

- Lieut . General Francis D undas was appointed from the Ninety -fourth Regiment to be Colonel of the Seventy- ﬁ r st

- th 1 80 . on the 7 of January, 9 , in succession to Lieut General K B . C . Sir J ohn Francis radock , , removed to the Forty

third Regiment . T he retreat was again commenced on the 9th of

1 1 th J anuary, and on the the army, still nearly ﬁfteen

Th e s thousand strong, reached Corunna . Briti h Army, having accompli shed one of the most celebrated retreats

recorded in modern history, repulsing the pursuing enemy n in all his attacks, and having traversed two hu dred and

ﬁfty miles of mountainous country, accompanied by severe

privation , was not destined to embark for England without

a battle .

s o c c u The transports not having arrived , a po ition was

pied in advance of Corunna, and some sharp skirmishing

- ﬁ r st ensued , in which four companies of the Seventy were

a nd warmly engaged , and lost several men in killed - 6 SEVENTY FIR ST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 9

L 1 809 wounded . ieutenant William Lockwood was severely . wounded . On this ground the battle of Corunna was fought on the 1 6th of J anuary but the Seventy - ﬁ r st being placed on the extreme left of the British line, had little

Th e part in it . result of the action was glorious to the

British Army, but was darkened by the loss of Lieut .

General Sir John Moore , who received a severe wound

’ O during the battle, and died at ten clock on the same night . His remains were wrapped in a military cloak, and interred in the Citadel of Corunna , over which Marshal Soult, with the true feeling of a soldier, erected a monument . .

- s Lieut . General Sir David Baird , who ucceeded to the o command up n Sir J ohn Moore being wounded, was also

u - wo nded, and the command devolved upon Lieut . General the Honourable John Hope .

’ At eight o clock on the night of the 1 6th of J anuary the troops quitted their position , leaving the pickets posted

u . th e e and a few men to keep p ﬁres , and then march d into

Corunna, where they embarked for England on the follow ing day .

I n commemoration of this battle, and of the conduct of

- ﬁr st the battalion during the expedition , the Seventy , in

- common with the army employed under Lieut . General

Sir J ohn Moore, received the royal authority to bear the

“ ” the word Corunna on the regimental colour and a p

o in tm en ts p . The thanks Of both Houses of Parliament were con ferred on the troops , and were communicated to L ieut .

- Colonel Pack by Lieut . General Sir David Baird in the following letter

P o r tsm ou tn t/c 0 a m /m 1 . , 3 y y , 809

I have great pleasure in transmitting to you Copies of letters from the Lord Chancellor and the C Speaker of the House of ommons, enclosing the resolu HISTORI CAL RECORD OF THE

O f d 2 th tions both Houses of Parliament, ated 5 of Janu ’ 1 80 ary, 9 , which contain the thanks of those Houses to

th e e army lately engaged befor Corunna . mo I n communicating to you , Sir, this st signal mark

. of the approbation of the Parliament Of th e United ’ " ’ G Br ita in a n d I r el a n d l lO Kingdom of reat , a w me to

' add my warmest congratulati o ns upon a diStirfCtio n

, ' ' o u u o On which y , and the corps nder your m o c mand ’ O i i fo r ae that day, had a share in bta n ng His M jsty s

service .

I have, etc . ,

“ !Signed) DAVID BAIRD,

L ieut ; G n er . e a l .

Ofi c er c o m ma n ding fi r st ba tta l io n ” S even t - r st H z /zl a n der s y fi g .

After the battalion had landed at Ramsgate it was marched to Ashford , in Kent, where it continued for some o e time collecting the men , who, from c ntrary winds, w re driven into different ports . While at Ashford the battalion was brigaded with the

“ e - ﬁ r st n u Warwick M ilitia and the Nin ty Regime t, nder '

' - Brigadier General the Baron de Rottenburg. Great sick

' s a mes E va n s ness prevailed at this tation , and Surgeon J and several of the soldiers d ied of typhus fever . 2 0th 1 80 au On the of March , 9, the Royal thority was granted for the Seventy- ﬁ r st to be formed into a light infantry regiment , since which time it has been distin

h ed g u is as the H ighland Light I nfantry.

Th e 2 th 1 80 ﬁrst battalion marched on the 7 of April, 9 , for Brabourne Lees Barracks, and was brigaded with the

- - m Sixty eighth and Eighty ﬁfth Light I nfantry Regi ents . Every exertion was here made to increase the strength u th e and improve the discipline of the corps . I n J ne ﬁrst

em s battalion Was increased by a large reinforc ent, consi t - 1 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGH T INFANTRY . 7

Of 1 1 - fﬁ ing of several ﬁcers and 3 non commissioned o cers 1 809.

' and privates from the second battalion, which continued to

' B be stationed in North ritain . Several volunteers from the militia were also received at this period .

- I mmense preparations had been made by the British Government to ﬁt out the most formidable armament that had for a long time proceeded from England . T he troops ,

a . mounting to men , were commanded by Lieut

General the Earl of Chatham . T he naval portion consisted

o u n of 3 9 ships of the line, 3 5 frigates, and numer us g

o boats, bomb vessels , and ther small craft, under Admiral

. t Sir Richard Strachan . T he obj ect of the expedi ion was to O btain possession of the islands at the mouth of the

s Scheldt and to destroy the French hips in that river, with the docks and arsenals at Antwerp . T he ﬁrst bat

-ﬁ r st r e talion of the Seventy , towards the en d of J une, c eiv ed o orders to prepare for the ab ve service, and marched on the 2 8th and 2 9th of that , month in two divisions, encamping near Gosport .

1 6 b On the th of J uly the attalion , consisting of 3 ﬁeld

Oﬂi c er s 6 2 ff 8 , captains, 7 subalterns , 5 sta , 4 sergeants, and

97 4 drummers and rank and ﬁle, embarked at Portsmouth

’ ’ h B el l eisl e a n d l m er ieu se on board His Maj esty s s ips p , and towards the end of the month sailed for the Downs .

t - The ba talion was brigaded , under Brigadier General

- the Baron de Rottenburg, with the Sixty eighth and

— ﬁfth Eighty Light I nfantry, in the division commanded by

- M Lieut . General Alexander ackenzie Fraser, and in the

- K B . corps of Lieut . General Sir Eyre Coote , Th e expedition sailed from the Downs on the 2 8th of

O ff Ro o m et J uly, and having arrived the p Channel , pre p a r atio n s were made for landing ; small craft to cover the landing were also sent in shore , and the light brigade ,

- - fi r st composed of the Sixty eighth , Seventy , and Eighty f h fi t . Light I nfantry, were landed under their fire I n an HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

’ 1 809 . instant they were in contact with the enemy s sharp

shooters, who fell back, skirmishing . Being pushed hard ,

four guns, with their equipment and several prisoners, were

O f - ﬁ r st taken by two companies the Seventy , under Cap a tains George Sutherl nd and Henry Hall, and one company

- ﬁ fth of the Eighty .

A battery and ﬂag - staff on the coast were taken pos

- ﬁ r st session of by the tenth company of the Seventy , and

’ Of in lieu a ﬂag a soldier s red j acket was hoisted on it .

T his advance having succeeded at all points, and the

enemy having fallen back on Flushing and M iddleburg, the

army was disembarked . The advance then dividing , pro

’ c ee d ed diﬂ er en t -ﬁ r st by routes . T he Seventy moved by

the sea dyke on a fort called Ter Veer, the situation an d

’ su ﬂi c ien tl strength of which was not y known , an enemy s

deserter having given but imperfect intelligence respecting it . After nightfall the column continued to advance in

perfect silence, with orders to attack the post with the

- bayonet, when, on a sudden the advance guard fell in with

’ an enemy s party, who came out for the purpose of ﬁring

some houses which overlooked the works . T he column

following the advance - guard had entered an avenue or road

leading to the fort, when the advance commenced the

action with the enemy, who, retiring within the place, opened a tremendous ﬁre from his works with artillery and

mu sketry . Some guns pointing down the road by which

the battalion advanced did great execution, and the

- ﬁ r st Seventy had Surgeon Charles H enry Quin killed , and

1 8 . about men killed and wounded The column , after

some ﬁring retired , and the place was the next day regu

sea r e l a r l y invested by and land . It took three days to

Of duce , when it capitulated, with its stores and a garrison

800 men .

Flushing having been invested on the I st of August,

-ﬁr st e the Seventy , after the surrender of Ter Veer, wer

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

er ea nts ru er s S g , D mm ,

O ﬁ er s an d ank a n d e . f c . R F il Died on service 5 7 Killed 1 9 Died after return home 9

5 8 5

' C O a ﬁ r e I n passing adsand , that fort pened on the trans _

o f - ﬁ r st ports, one which , having part of the Seventy on

Off board, was struck by a round shot which carried Ser ’ * g eant Steel s legs above the knees . On the 2 5 th of December the ﬁrst battalion of the

- ﬁ r st Seventy disembarked at Deal , and marched to Bra

- bourne Lees barracks, in Kent, where it was again brigaded

i - - ﬁfth w th the Sixty eighth and Eighty Light I nfantry, and was occupied in keeping itself in an efﬁ cient state for active service .

-ﬁ r st a e Upon the Seventy being m d light infantry, they were permitted to retain such parts of the national dress as might not be inconsistent with their duties as a light

' corps . A correspondence on the subject took place as

‘ follows between L ieu téCo l o n el Pack and the Adj utant

' in 1 8 1 0 General April ,

I beg leave to state that until I read the Adj u ta n t

’ C General s letter of the 3 I st J anuary last, a opy of which

I have the honour herewith to enclose, I did not think it possible any misconception could exist as to the Seventy

ﬁrst being no longer considered a Highland Regiment, having m yself clearly und erstood from H is Royal High ness the Duke of York and the present Commander -in Chief that in becom ing light infantry the corps was to be

’ put , as to Colonel s al lowances, clothing, and appoint

ments, exactly on the . same establishment as English

i i Th e co rr ect nu mber o f rank an d ﬁl e wo u nded s n o t g ven . - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 7 5

' '

1 81 0. regiments of the line, being only allowed to retain our name and such characteristics of the old corps as were in

Of no way found objectionable, and out which in point of “ ‘ esprit de corps ’ much good and no possible harm u co ld arise, and it was under this impression that the bonnet cocked as a regimental cap was submitted to the

Horse Guards for approval , and was sealed by the

- s Adj utant General for our u e . With this security I

should now rest satisﬁed , but on a point affecting the

honour of the regiment, I cannot allow a shadow of

' doubt to rest . I have, therefore, to entreat the Com

“ ‘ mander- in - Chief that unquestionable authority may be

given for our wearing the bonnet so cocked , for retaining

our pipes , and still dressing our pipers in the Highland t garb . It cannot be forgotten how hose pipes were Ob

ta in ed n , and how co stantly the regiment has upheld its

th e ' h o n o u r a b l title to them . These are e characteristics

alluded to, which must preserve to future times the pre

c io u S ‘ r em a in s of the old corps, and of which I feel con ﬁd en t H is Maj esty never will have reason to deprive the

- ﬁ r st S eventy Regiment .

“ I have the honour to be,

“ Sir,

Your most obedient servant, “ K !Signed) D . PAC ,

L ieu t - Co l o n el / . S even tyﬁ r st ” R e m g i en t.

Tb c Aa u ta n t G en er a l o tb e F o r c es j f , ” H o r se G u a r ds L o n do n .

H o r se G u a r ds ,

l z wA r il 1 8 1 p , 0.

Having submitted to the Commander- in - Chief th your letter of the 4 instant, I am directed to state that HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 81 0 there is no obj ection to the Seventy - ﬁ r st being denominated

H ighland Light Infantry Regiment, or to their retaining

their pipes, and the H ighland garb for the pipers, and

that they will, of course, be permitted to wear caps according to the pattern which was lately approved and

sealed by authority.

&c . I have, , “ M W Y N WARD !Signed) WILLIA ,

D e u t Ad u ta n G en er a l p y i t .

L ieu t Co l on el P a c k S evezzt f r s t , j f

R e e g im n t.

8 1 8 1 On the th of May, 0, the ﬁrst battalion marched

to Deal Barracks, where every exertion was continued to

render it ﬁt for active service . H ere the battalion was

- deprived of the services of Lieut . Colonel Pack , who was appointed a brigadier in the Portuguese army under w Marshal William Carr Beresford , after ards General the

Viscount Beresford . Nothing O f moment occurred until the early part of

September, when the battalion received orders to hold six

companies in readiness for foreign service . They were

prepared accordingly by drafting into them , from the com

a n ies p which were to remain at home, the most effective

O ﬂi c er s and men , several not having recovered from the

Walcheren fever. Th e following were the companies Selected and com

l eted p for foreign service, namely

’ ’ C M r th . I n t e s . . I st or Capt . y 4 or Capt Walker s ’ ’

n 6th S o ttiswo o d e s . 2 d Hall s . p ’ h ’ 3 r d Adamson s l o t Lewis Grant s .

T 2 Ofﬁ 6 1 hey consisted of ﬁeld cers, captains , 5 lieutenants, 8 1 2 60 7 ensigns , 4 staff, 3 sergeants, drummers, and 3 rank

and ﬁle. On the 1 4th of September the above companies em - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND L IGHT I N FANTRY . 7 7

1 81 0. barked in the Downs on board the Melpomene and St .

io r en z o F frigates, three companies with the staff, and

- Brevet Lieut . Colonel Nathaniel Levett Peacocke, on board the former ; the remaining three companies , under Brevet

- l . R e el Lieut Colonel T homas yn , afterwards colonel of the regiment , on board the latter . T hey sailed on the follow

fo r T 2 th ing day Lisbo n , and entered the agus on the 5 of

September, after a short and pleasant passage . The com

a n ies o p were disembarked on the f llowing day, and quartered in the San Benito and Espirito Santo convents . T he greatest exertions were made to complete the

b at- & c n companies in ﬁeld equipment, mules, . , which bei g

ff 2 n d e ected , the detachment marched from Lisbon on the of October to Mafra , where it was shortly afterwards

- j oined by Lieut . Colonel the Honourable Hen ry Cadogan ,

- who assumed the command , and Lieut . Colonel Peacocke returned to the second battalion in North Britain . The detachment being ordered to join the army under Lieut .

General Viscount Wellington , then retreating before

Of Marshal Massena, Prince Essling , marched from Mafra

8 l o th on the th of October, and on the of that month ff e ected the j unction at S obral , where it was brigaded with the Fiftieth and Ninety- second Regiments under Maj or

General Sir William Erskine , in the ﬁrst divisio n under

- i S r KB . Lieut . General Brent Spencer, Th e army having retired into a position in the rear of

- ﬁ r st Sobral , that place was occupied by the Seventy , having for its support the Fiftieth and Ninety- second Regiments ’ - 1 2 and Major General Alan Cameron s brigade . On the th of October the pickets were violently attacked by the

’ enemy s advance , and retired skirmishing . I n the mean time the place was ordered to be evacuated , and the pickets

- ﬁ r st having j oined , the Seventy took up a position on the

-s f s O . ff th e outside , within musket hot the town I n thi a air detachment had 8 men killed and 3 4 wounded . HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 1 -ﬁ r st d 8 0. In this position the Seventy continue , when on the 1 4th of October they were again attacked with the

greatest impetuosity, and charged with the bayonet . T he

enemy was , completely repulsed , with very considerable o‘ loss in killed and w unded , being chased to the spot from

which he made the attack . Both parties resumed their

original position . ’ f I n Viscount Wellington s despatch reporting this af air ,

- the names of Lieut . Colonel the Honourable Henry

- ﬁ r st Cadogan , commanding the Seventy , and that of Brevet

- o l . R e n ell . C . Lieut T homas y , were particularly mentioned

i a o h n R ea A soldier of the S xth comp ny, named J

behaved on this occasion in the most gallant manner, and

. a particularly distinguished himself, for which he received

“ Silver medal with the following in scription ‘ To John

Rea, for his exemplary courage and good conduct as a

1 1 8 1 0 . soldier at Sobral , 4th October, O n the 1 5 th of October the Seventy- ﬁ r st was ordered

. Z ib r ier a to withdraw into the position at , which was i n C T ontinuation of the lines of orres Vedras . I n this cele

b r ated position , which bid deﬁance to the French army,

the troops were constantly on the alert, occupied in render

ing it as strong as circumstances would . admit, and in

s observing the motion of the enemy. Marshal Massena did not think proper to attack the

British army in this stronghold , and occupied his time in

s reconnais ances and demonstrations, until compelled , through want of provisions and consequent sickness of h is

troops, to abandon his designs, and retire to a position in

his rear . T his object he ﬁnally effected in a masterly

1 1 manner, in the night, between the 4th and s th of Novem f ber, followed by the allied orces . Both armies thus evacuated positions on which the attention o f Europe had [

been ﬁxed , and which they had occupied for a month in

presence of each other. — SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT I NFANTRY . 7 9

six 1 1 0 T he division in which the companies of the 8 . Seventy -ﬁ r st were placed advanced by the route Of Alem

Ca r ta o Atata a quer, j , y , and Almoster, and halted in and about the latter place from the 2 0th to the 2 6th of Novem

. Th e ber, inclusive enemy, in the mean time, retired to an extremely strong position at and in the vicinity of San

r ta em , where Marshal Massena halted, although threatened by Viscount Wellington , who, after some manoeuvring,

’ took up a position immediately in the enemy s front,

- . C a r ta o ff having his head quarters at j , and the di erent corps of the army in the villages . T he brigade to which

- l in in the Seventy ﬁ r st belonged occupied A qu tr h a .

‘ - 1 1 At th is place the Seventy ﬁ r st remained in quarters 1 8 .

” t h at“ 1 8 1 1 t h e until March , , at which period army, having been

O reinforced , was about to resume the ffensive, when the th enemy retired during the night of the 5 of March , taking the same road, through Estremadura , by which he entered

Portugal . T he British army accordingly marched in pursuit of

Marshal Massena, and the brigade in which was the

- ﬁ r st Seventy accompanied it, moving by Redinha , Miranda

Sa r edes de Corvo , and y , passing the Coa, a little above th Sabugal , upon the s th of April, and on the 9 arrived at

Albergaria, a small town on the frontiers of Spain . T he

- ﬁ r st 2 n d Seventy remained in Albergaria until the of May, when the enemy, having been strongly reinforced , moved o ff from Salamanca, and on that day crossed the frontier A with a large convoy of provisions for lmeida , then closely invested by the Portuguese forces under Brigadier-General

Pack . I n consequence of this movement the allied army broke

A z a va up its cantonments on the , and formed in order of

s battle upon the high ground behind the Duas Ca as, the left extending to the high road to Almeida , which crossed the river by a ford near Fort Concepcion , and the right HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

1 81 1 . keeping up a communication with the bridge at Sabugal

’ opposite the centre the village of Fuentes d On o r was

strongly occupied by light infantry. Upon the 3 r d of May the French took post on the

O pposite side of the valley of the D uas Casas, their left

’ d On o r fronting Fuentes , and their right extending about

two to miles and a half Almeida . I n the afternoon of the

’ 3 r d of May they attacked Fuentes d On o r with much

wa s vigour . T hat post defended with the greatest bravery,

until the light companies, being worn out and harassed by

repeated attacks, were obliged to retire, and the enemy

possessed himself of the lower part of the village.

- ﬁ r st T he Seventy was now ordered up in support, and ,

- commanded by Lieut . Colonel the Honourable H enry

Cadogan , charged the enemy through the village and across C f the Duas asas, taking ten o ﬁcers and about a hundred

s men pri oners . The corps retained its conquest that night th and the whole of the next day, but upon Sunday, the 5

of May, the French having succeeded in turning some

troops to the immediate right, was obliged to give way ; but having been promptly supported by the Seventy - fourth

- and Eighty eighth Regi ments, it again advanced , took possession of and retained the village until the conclusion

of the action . A struggle of such durati o n could not be carried on

-ﬁ r st without great loss, and the Seventy suffered severely. 2 0 It went into action about 3 strong, and lost nearly one

half of its number in killed and wounded .

h -ﬁ r st T e Seventy had Lieutenants John Consell , Wil

liam Houston , and J ohn Graham , and Ensign Donald 2 2 J ohn Kearns, together with 4 sergeants and rank and

M c I n t r e ﬁle killed . Captains Peter Adamson and James y ,

M c Cr aw Lieutenants William , H umphrey Fox, and Robert

Law !Adj utant) , Ensigns Charles Cox, John Vandeleur , 6 1 00 and Carique Lewin , sergeants , 3 buglers, and rank

HISTORI CAL RECORD OF THE

1 1 1 8 . embarked at Leith for South Britain , arrived at Ramsgate

2 r d on the 3 of that month , and remained stationed in

England for nearly two years .

I st b a t. Th e ﬁrst battalion , upon its route southward , crossed ' ‘ l a u s Al the g on the 3 I st of May, and arrived near b u h er a 1 on the 4th J une, having passed through Portalegre, Aron

ches, Campo Mayor, and T alavera Real .

Alb u h e r a u T he sanguinary battle of , fo ght on the 1 6th

o f May, had obliged Marshal Soult to retire previously to

the arrival of the reinforcements, which being considered

no longer necessary, the battalion retired to Elvas, where

it remained two days, moving to Toro de Moro on the l gth

of J une , where it remained for a month . At this encamp 0 f ment a detachment of 3 5 men, with a proportion of o ﬁcers,

o j ined from the second battalion then stationed at Deal . About this period the ﬁrst battalion became a part of

- the army, under Lieut . General Rowland !after wards

Th e Viscount) H ill . j unction of the armies of Marshals Marmont and Soult having obliged Viscount Wellington

to raise the siege of Badaj oz , which had been resumed after

Alb u h er a c o - the battle of , the battalion , in operation with

’ his Lordship s retrograde movement, retired to Borba on

2 0th . 1 st of J uly Here it remained until the of September,

when it moved to Portalegre, and thence marched to th Castello de Vido, on the 4 of October .

’ S o u l t s A detachment from Marshal army, under General

Girard , having been levying contributions in Spanish Estre

- madura, Lieut . General Rowland Hill , with a view of

putting a stop to his movements, broke up his cantonment

2 2 n d at Portalegre, upon the of October, proceeding by

. On 2 th Albuquerque and Malpartida the 7 , when , within a

- - moderate march of the enemy at Arroyo dos Molinos, he

, , , halted his troops and at night breaking up his bivouac, made a ﬂank movement close to the road by which the d r French inten ed to ma ch on the following morning . In - 8 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 3

1 81 1 that position he awaited the approach of day, when on the . 2 8 th of October , the British marched directly on the rear of the town with such celerity that the cavalry pickets were attacked before they had time to mount .

The French main body, though in the act of ﬁling out , f had so little intimation of danger, that the o ﬁcers and men d were surrounde before their formation was effected , and to seek safety they individually dispersed . Many of them were killed , and about were taken prisoners . All the

’ enemy s artillery and baggage were captured . General Brun , and Colonel the Prince of Aremberg, together with several

fﬁ . other o cers, were among the prisoners In this brilliant affair the Seventy- ﬁ r st was one of the

o three corps that advanced through the centre of the t wn ,

and were, therefore, principally engaged ; but the enemy, from his complete surprise, being unable to make a com

s d . b in ed re istance, the British sustaine but a triﬂing loss t T he bat alion subsequently returned to Portalegre, T where it arrived early in November . Although the hirty

“ fourth Regiment was allowed to inscribe the words, Arroyo ” l dos Molinos on its co ours , still , for some inexplicable

r h a s reason , the same p ivilege always been refused to the other regiments that were present at that action .

- th L ieut . General H ill , on the 7 of November, issued the following General Order ‘

h N ber 1 1 1 P o r ta l e r e t o vem 8 . g , 7 ,

- c o n r a L ieut . General H ill has great satisfaction in g

h s tu l a tin g the troops o n the succe ss which a attended

their recent operations in Estremadura, and in so doing

’ he c annot but endeavour to do j ustice to the merits of

those through whose exertions it has been obtained . A

patient , willing endurance of forced and night marches,

during the worst of weather, and over bad roads, of

o bivouacs in wet weather, oftentimes with ut cover and F 2 HI STO RICAL RECO RD OF THE

O without ﬁre , and a strict bservance of discipline, are

s qualities , however , common in British soldier , which the

- n Lieut . General cannot pass unnoticed . H avi g on this occasion witnessed t h e exertion of them in no ordinary

o degree , he feels that nothing but the most zeal us atten

o ﬂﬁc er s tion of commanding , the goodwill and zealous

n o n - Ofﬁ spirit of the commissioned cers and soldiers , could

produce such an effect , and he requests they will , generally

and individually, accept his warmest thanks, particularly those corps which were engaged in the action of Arroyo

dos Molinos, whose silent attention to orders , when pre

o paring to attack, and when man euvring before the

v enemy, could not but excite his notice, and gi e them an ” additional claim on him .

2 n d Letters from the Secretary of State, dated the , and from H is Royal Highness the Duke of York, Commander in - th e 6th Chief, dated December, were promulgated , expressive of H is Royal H ighness the Prince Regent ’ s

- approbation and thanks to Lieut . General H ill , and the

e troops under his command , for th ir brilliant operations on the recent expedition in Spanish Estremadura, in having totally surprised and defeated the enemy, under General

Girard .

Viscount Wellington , having made preparations for the recapture of Ciudad Rodrigo, concentrated the main body

of the army in that neighbourhood , and the troops , under

- u . Lie t General Hill , were therefore ordered to divert the

’ enemy s attention in the south .

T he ﬁrst battalion Of the Seventy- ﬁ r st remained at 2 th Portalegre, until the 5 of December, when the brigade

u u o s moved into Estremad ra , for the p rp e of expelling the

French , who were ravaging the country . After the per

m a n c e fo r of this duty, the battalion returned to its former

1 8 1 2 quarters at Portalegre, in February, . - T 8 SEVENTY FIRS HIGHL AND LIGHT INFANTRY . 5

l th 1 8 1 2 1 1 2 Upon the g of March , , the battalion moved 8 .

1 “ b a t northward to Castello Branco , where it remained for about a week , and afterwards returned for the last time to Por ta l e r e g . T he Earl of Wellington having made arrange

s - ments for the third iege of Badajoz , Lieut . General Sir

’ Rowland H ill s corps was destined to cover his movements, and with that view proceeded on the 2 1 st of March toward s

Merida , and afterwards to Don Ben ito, where the troop s remained for a few days but upon the approach of Marshal

Soult with a large army, with the intention of raising the

- Al b u h er a siege, Lieutenant General H ill retired upon , through Arroyo de San Servan and T alavera Real .

Badaj oz having been assaulted and carried by the troops,

O I I th e 6th under the Earl of Wellington , night of the of l April , after a sanguinary conﬂict, the movement of Marsha

Soult was rendered nugatory, and the troops under his orders retired into Andalusia .

Of Marshal Marmont, having, during the progress the

Siege , penetrated into the province of Beira, and threatened

Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, the Earl of Wellington ,

s after the fal l of Badaj oz , cro sed the T agus , leaving Sir

’ Rowland H ill s force to watch Marshal Soult, which took

l m n r l s post at A e d a ejo for that purpose . 1 th The battalion was stationed at this town , from the 3 of April until the 1 1 th of May . I t having then become expedient to render the communications between the French armies on the north and south of the T agus as precarious as possibl e, by the destruction of the bridge of

- boats at Almaraz , the corps under Lieut . General Sir Row

o n land H ill , being the most disposable and c nve ient force, wa s accordingly ordered o n this important service .

o o f T he French , feeling the imp rtance this bridge to

o n their mutual strength and security, had surrounded it

o s O f s s b th side the river with formidable enclo ed work , having in the interior of them ca semated and l o op - h o led HI STORICAL RECO RD OF THE

Th e 1 81 2 . towers . troops appointed for these strong works, con

s a equently, anticip ted an arduous struggle . Upon the 1 2 th of May the corps broke up from Almen

d r a l e o s T r u sc ill o j , and marching by and J araicej o, reached 1 8th on the of that month the Sierra, 5 miles from Alma

M ir a b ete raz, on which stands the Castle of . T his post was so s trongly fortiﬁed that it blocked up the only road

to Almaraz for the passage of artillery, which was con side r ed by the enemy abso lutely necessary for the d e str u c

tion of the works . Sir Rowland H ill thought otherwise, and ascertaining that infantry could cross the Sierra by a

track through Roman Gordo, he left his artillery, and

descended at night with a column of men . T he lead

o ing c mpany arrived at dawn of day, close to the principal

fort, built on a height a few hundred yards in front of the

‘ tete de o n t p , but such were the difﬁculties of the road , that a

considerable time elapsed before the rear closed, during

which the troops were fortunately sheltered by a ravine,

unseen by the enemy .

l th On the g May the Fiftieth Regiment, and the left

- ﬁ r st wing of the Seventy , having been provided with

s ladder , were appointed to escalade the works of Fort

- ﬁ r st Napoleon , supported by the right wing of the Seventy

- and the Ninety second Regiment .

o M ir ab ete From a feint made up n , the French were

aware that an enemy was in the neighbourhood . T he

O garrison on the alert immediately pened a heavy ﬁre, and vigorously resisted the efforts made to push up the escarp b u t the moment the ﬁrst men gained a fo o tin g on the para

o f pet, the enemy took to ﬂight . T he whole this brilliant

1 affair was completed in the short space of 5 minutes, and

- ﬁ r st with little loss . T he Seventy had Captain Lewis

1 Grant, with sergeant and 7 rank and ﬁle killed Lieu

s tenants William Lockwood and Donald Ross, 3 sergeant , 2 and 9 rank and ﬁle were wounded . - N 8 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLA D LIGHT I NFANTRY . 7

6 - m o ﬂi c er s T he names of 3 non com issioned and soldiers 1 81 2 . of the Seventy-ﬁr st were inserted in regimental orders for conspicuous bravery upon this occasion , and the Royal

“ ” authority was subsequently granted for the word Almaraz ,

to be borne on the regimental colour and appointments . The following orders were issued upon this occasion

B ivou ac n ea r F o r t N a o l eo n , p ,

1 k M a 1 1 2 t 8 . 9 y ,

BRIGADE O RDER . Maj or- General Howard cannot delay expres sing his

- warmest acknowledgments to Lieut . Colonel Stewart and

r iftie th n Maj o Harrison , of the F Regime t, and Maj or

-ﬁ r st Cother, of the Seventy Regiment , who commanded the three columns of attack this morning on Fort Napo

leon , and the works on the Tagus , for the gallant and dis tin g u ish ed manner in which they led the columns intrusted

O - to them , as well as to all the other fﬁcers, non commis

sio n e d ofﬁcers, and privates, for their bravery and good

conduct, which produced the brilliant result of the cap

ture of the works i n question .

Tr u a'il l o M a 2 2 n d 1 8 1 2 , y , .

GENERAL O RDER .

- Lieut . General Sir Rowland H ill congratulates the troops on the succe ss which has attended their exertions

wa s in th e present expedition . Every object for which it

undertaken has been attained , and in the manner most

desirable and effectual . I t is highly gratifying to the

- h is Lieut . General to report on this occasion admiration of the discipline and the valour of the troops under his

iftie th command . T he chance of war gave to the F and Seventy-ﬁ r st Regiments the most conspicuous share in

fi these events , who nobly pro ted by the opportunity ;

- but the Lieut . General is satisﬁed that the same zeal and HISTO RICAL RECO RD O F THE

the Same spirit would have been found in every corps i f

there had been occasion for bringing them into play.

“ Th e - Lieu t . General has not failed to report to his Excellency th e Co m mander of the Forces the particulars

of this brilliant service, an d the good conduct of all those

concerned in it . H e will , therefore, not say more at present than to express his warmest thanks for the assistance which he has received from all ranks ; and he

is conﬁdent, when it shall again be his good fortune to

lead them against the enemy, he shall have to report conduct equally honourable to them and equally a dva n

” ta e u s g o to their country .

- ir The following is an extract from Lieut . General S Rowland H ill ’ s despatch to Lord Wellington I cannot sufﬁ ciently praise the conduct of the Fiftieth

- ﬁr st and Seventy Regiments to whom the assaults fell , the constant steady manner in which they formed and advanced and carried the place was worthy of those f distinguished corps and the o ﬁcers who led them . The bridge and works in the neighbourhood of Almaraz

- ﬁ r st r e having been completely destroyed , the Seventy T turned to ruxillo, where they remained a few days , then

Al m en dr a l e o s. moved to M erida , and afterwards to j Lieut . General Sir Rowland Hill ’ s force having received orders to make a diversion in the south , while the main army was moving northward on Salamanca, the battalion again

Al m en dr a l e o s A moved from j to the borders of ndalusia,

h . t rough Llerena On this march , the advanced parties of cavalry were constantly skirmishing with the enemy, but

- the Seventy ﬁ r st was n o t engaged . Z From Llerena the battalion returned to afra , whenc e,

s n after a hort halt , it proceeded to Villa Franca, and ﬁ ally

s to Don Benito . In the e marches through Estremadura ,

wa s the weather oppressively hot, and , joined to the clouds

go HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

- 1 81 3 . ﬁ r st occupied by the Fiftieth regiment . The Seventy were

w b u t ordered for ard to support, previously to their arrival that brave regiment had driven back the enemy and com

l e te l f p y foiled his e forts .

2 n a d b t. 1 8th 1 8 1 On the of March, 3 the second battalion of the

-ﬁ r st Seventy embarked at Gravesend for North Britain ,

2 r d and arrived at Leith on the 3 of that month . xst a ; b t. th S even t ﬁ r st Upon the 5 of April , the y changed

quarters with the Fiftieth regiment, and continued to

2 occupy Bej ar until the I st of M ay, at which period the

o army br ke up from its winter quarters for active Operations . T he battalion on its advance moved by Salamanca and

u 2 0th T oro, and encamped at La P ebla on the of J une,

O f the evening before the memorable battle Vittoria .

2 1 5 t Upon the morning of the of J une, the two armies

- ﬁ r st e being in position , the Seventy was order d to ascend

the heights of La Puebla, to support the Spanish forces

under General Morillo . T hey a ccordingly advanced in

open column , and having formed line, were immediately

hotly engaged with the enemy, and upon this occasion suffered an irreparable loss in the fall of their Commanding

f H n e O ﬁcer the o ourable Colonel H enry Cadogan , who f ll

mortally wounded while leading his men to the charge ,

s and being unable to accompany the battalion , reque ted

to be carried to a neighbouring eminence , from which he

might take a last farewell of them and the ﬁeld . In his

dying moments, he earnestly inquired if the French were

o n th e beaten , and being told by an ofﬁcer of regiment

wh o stood by supporting him , that they had given way at

”

all points, he ej aculated , God bless my brave countrymen ,

and immediately expired .

While recording the , deep sense of sorrow which the

Seventy - ﬁr st experienced in the loss of a commanding

O o s O fﬁcer who had so ften fought at their head , and wh e devoted gallantry had so frequently called forth their - T N 1 SEVENTY FIRS HIG HLAND LIGHT INFA TRY . 9

1 admiration , it is but a meet tribute to the memory of that 81 3 , brave ofﬁ cer to extract from the despatch of the Marquis of Wellington the following expressions of his Lordship ’ s regret at his loss And I am concerned to report that the Honourable

u - Lie t . Colonel Cadogan has died of a wound which he

received . I n him H is Maj esty has lost an offi cer of great

zeal and tried gallantry, who had already acquired the

s respect and regard of the whole profes ion , and of whom it might be expected that if he had lived he would have

rendered the most important services to his country .

- - ﬁ r st After the fall of the Lieut . Colonel , the Seventy continued advancing, and driving the enemy from the heights , until the force which was opposed to them became so so unequal , and the loss of the battalion severe, that it was obliged to retire upon the remainder of the brigade .

I n the performance of this arduous duty, the battalion s I f 1 uffered very severely, having had ﬁeld o ﬁcer, cap

2 6 1 8 tain , lieutenants, sergeants, bugler, and 7 rank

1 s and file killed ; field officer, 3 captain , 7 lieutenants,

1 2 2 3 sergeants , buglers, and 5 5 rank and ﬁle were wounded . T he Oﬂi c er s killed were Colonel the H onou r able H enry

' Cadogan , Captain H enry Hall, Lieutenants H umphrey

Fox and Colin M ackenzie . T hose wounded were Brevet

- C Lieut . olonel Charles Cother, Captains Samuel Reed ,

Joseph T homas Pidgeon , William Alexander Grant, Lieu

t M c I n t r e tenants Alexander D uff, Lof us Richards, John y ,

To r r ia n o Charles Cox , William , Norman Campbell , and

T m el in homas Co m e .

- t. Lieu General Sir William Stuart, on subsequently receiving the thanks of the Hou se of Commons for his gallantry at Vittoria, thus recorded the bravery of this regiment on that day, in the course of his answer to the Speaker HI STORICAL REC O RD OF TH E

I cannot advert to that battle and not submit to the

u se memory, and , if I may the term , to the affection of thi s H o use the name of one gallant ofﬁ cer upon whom

— I the brunt of this contest particularly fell mean , Sir, the late Colonel Cadogan ; the fall of that ofﬁcer was

glorious, as his last moments were marked by the success “ of a favourite regiment upon the magnanimity of whose

’ “ conduct he kept his eyes ﬁxed during the expiring hour

” - ﬁ n ish ed of a well life . O n this occasion the French suffered a great loss of men , together with all their artillery, baggage, and stores .

King Joseph , whose carriage and court equipage were seized , had barely time to escape on horseback . T he defeat was . the most complete that the French had sustained in the a Peninsula . I t was this victory which gained a b ton for the Marquis of Wellington , who was appointed a Field

M arshal . I n a most ﬂattering letter, the Prince Regent, in the name and behalf of H is Maj esty, thus conferred the honour

“ You have sent me amon g the trophies of your n u

rivalled fame the staff of a French Marshal , and I send

” s you in return that of England . T his wa in allusion to

a o u r do n the b ton of Marshal J , which was taken by the

- Eighty seventh Regiment at Vittoria . T he Seventy- ﬁ r st subsequently received the Royal authority to bear the word “ Vittoria ” on the regimental colou r and appointments , in commemoration of this signal victory . When the Seventy-ﬁ r st paraded on the morning of the

2 2 n d of J une, the dreadful havoc made by the action of the preceding day became painfully manifest, and an universal

o o o s o gl m was thrown ver all, at mi sing fr m their ranks nearly 400 brave comrades wh o had been either killed or

s o f wounded on the height La Puebla . Th e enemy having been completely beaten at all points - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 93

was forced to retreat in confusion on Pampeluna , and the 1 81 3 .

British army immediately followed in purs uit . The batta lion in this advance arrived at Pampeluna on the 2 9th of

a s J une , and shortly afterwards followed , part of Sir Row

’ land H ill s army, a large force of the enemy, who were retreating into France by the valley of Bastan . During this forward movement the Seventy- ﬁr st had some skir

o mishing in the valley of Elizondo, but without l ss . Upon the 8 th of J uly the Seventy- ﬁ r st arrived at the heights of

Maya , from whence , for the ﬁrst time , they had the cheer ing prospect of beholding the empire of France extended f under them in all its fertile beauty . Joy was dif used through every heart every trial and danger was for

s gotten while viewing thi splendid and gratifying sight . Upon these heights the battalion was encamped until the

2 s th of J uly. Marshal Soult having been selected by Napoleon for th e r command of the French army in Spain , with the ank ” O ﬂi e r of Lieutenant of the Emperor, that c used the most

its r e- active exertions for organization , and made imme diate arrangements fo r fo rci n g the British position in the

Pyrenees . With this view he advanced i n person with a

large force against the right , stationed at Roncesvalles , and

’ detached Count D E r l o n with about men to attack the position of Maya .

’ D E r l o n 2 th T he Count , upon the 5 of J uly, advanced against the right of the Maya heights , where the ridges of

O ff h is the mountains branched towards camp . T he force at this point was not sufﬁcient to resist su c h formidable numbers , and the reserve being posted at some distance to

s watch pa ses of importance , which could not be left wh o lly

s a s unguarded , was brought up by battalion the pressure increased .

T he intrepidity with which these attacks were met, and the obstinate bravery with which every inch of ground was 94 HISTORICAL RECOR D OF THE

1 8 1 3 . s di puted , were obliged at last to yield to overwhelming numbers ; but although the troops were forced to retro

grade , yet in their retreat they took advantage O f eve r y

s ri ing ground , and disputed it with the utmost tenacity . At the commencement of thi s attack a part of the ﬁrst battalion of the Seventy -ﬁr st Regiment was detached to a

neighbouring high peak , under the command of Major

- R William Fitzgerald of the Eighty second egiment, and t was strengthened by a company of that corps . Lieu .

General the Honourable Sir William Stewart , in his report

- to Lieut . General Sir Rowland H ill, thus expressed himself

“ respecting these men - I cannot too warmly praise the

“ conduct O f that ﬁeld o ﬂi c e r !Maj or Fitzgerald) and that

of his brave detachment . T hey maintained the position

u to the last, and were compelled , from the want of amm

’ n itio n , to impede the enemy s occupation of the rock by ” hurling stones at them .

I n another part of this communication , the Lieut . General thus alluded to the Eighty- second Regiment and

to the ﬁrst brigade, which was composed of the Fiftieth,

- ﬁ r st - Seventy , and Ninety second Regiments

I feel it my duty to recommend to your attention , and

“ favourable report to the Commander of the Forces, the

“ conduct and spirit of Colonel Grant, and of his brave

“ corps, the Eighty second Regiment ; also the whole of

’

the ﬁrst brigade, than which His Maj esty s army possesses

“ not men of more proved discipline and courage . The " f wounds of him , and every commanding o ﬁcer in that

brigade, were attended with circumstances of peculiar

honour to each of them , and to those under their

” orders .

The following is a list of the killed and wounded in the h a sc er action of the 2 5 t of J uly, as nearly as could be

tain ed - SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 9 5

6 1 1 3 3 sergeants and 5 4 rank and ﬁle killed ; sergeants, 8 . I 6 bugler, and 7 rank and ﬁle wounded .

- ﬁ r st o th The Seventy continued retiring u ntil the 3 ,

- r when Lieu t . Gene al Sir Rowland H ill took up a strong

L iz a sso position beyond . I n this post he was attacked

m with much spirit by the enemy , who at the same ti e , by

o man euvring on the left ﬂank, rendered necessary a change

E u a r o s of position to a range of heights near g , which all the efforts of the French failed to carry . Upon this occa

- ﬁ r st was s I sion the Seventy seriou ly engaged , and had

2 2 1 sergeant and 3 rank and ﬁle killed ; sergeants, bugler, and 3 3 rank and ﬁle were wounded . T he enemy having been foiled in all the O bjects of his attack found it necessary, in his turn , to retreat , moving on

I st D o fi a the 3 of J uly by the pass of M aria, where he left

was a strong corps in an excellent position . This force

- immediately attacked by the columns of Lieut . Generals

d is Sir Rowland H ill and the Earl of D alhousie, and lodged after a gallant resistance . I n the action of this day

- ﬁ r st the ﬁrst brigade , consisting of the Fiftieth , Seventy ,

- and Ninety second Regiments, had the honour of bearing

- fi its Share and of distinguishing i tself. The Seventy r st had 1 sergeant and 2 9 rank and file killed ; 2 sergeants and 45 rank and file were wounded .

The battalion now returned to the heights of Maya,

O f from whence, after a halt a few days, it moved to Ron

l l s c esva e .

Previously to this change of quarters , an order was

- o issued by Lieut . General Sir R wland H ill , relative to the

o f conduct of the troops in the actions the Pyrenees , of which the following is a copy

A r r ie i A u u st r d 1 8 1 , g 3 , 3 .

GENERAL ORDER .

“ - n ir Lieut . Ge eral S Rowland H ill requests that the

“ o ﬂi c er s - fﬁ Of , non commissioned o cers, and privates the HI STO RICAL RECORD OF THE

“ corps o f the army under his command will accept his best thanks for the gallant conduct they have displayed

s during the late active and interesting operation . T he chance of service h as placed the troops under his command in situations where they were exposed to an i immense super ority of forces, a circumstance unavoidable in O perati o ns so extensive as those in which this army has been engaged and it has at all times been necessary

T e - h . to cede ground to the enemy . Lieut General , how

ever, has the satisfaction of knowing that the troops have on every occasion maintained their high character ; that they have only withdrawn from their pos itions by superior

orders, and then it has been invariably attended with

circumstances highly creditable to them . The Lieut . General has not failed to report to the Commander of the Forces the details of the several affairs in which the corps

have been engaged , and he knows that their services are ” duly appreciated by his Excellency . T he Royal authority was subsequently granted to the

Seventy- ﬁ r st to bear the word Pyrenees o n the regi mental colour and appointments, in commemoration of the 2 th services of the ﬁrst battalion in the actions of the 5 ,

th I st 3 o , and 3 of J uly, which have been d esignated the

” n e s B a ttl es of t/ze Py r e e . I n these actions the Sev enty-ﬁ r st had Lieutenant

Alexander Duff killed, Maj or Maxwell Mackenzie, Captains

Leslie Walker and Alexander Grant, Lieutenants Thomas

Wo o l c o m b e Park , J ohn Roberts, William , William Pea cocke, and Anthony Pack, wounded .

“ The fo llowing Morning Reports of the 1 4th of J une h and 7 t of August, the former being prior to the battle of

Vittoria, and the latter a few days subsequent to the actions in the Pyrenees, will show how the ranks of the Seventy

ﬁ r st were thinned within a period of less than two months 1

98 HISTORICAL RECORD OF T H E

1 81 3 . light as possible . T he heights were passed that night by moonlight for the purpose of joining the grand army ; but the march over bad roads was so fatiguing that when the brigade arrived in position on the Nivelle it was not called upon to take an active part in the glorious proceedings of l o th the rest of the army on the of November, in forcing

the French from their fortiﬁed position on that river . a After the battle of the Nivelle, the b ttalion marched N in the direction of Cambo , on the ive , where some smart 2 skirmishing occurred, in which men were killed , and 4

1 1 sergeants, bugler, and 4 rank and ﬁle wounded . When

- ﬁr st the French crossed to the right bank, the Seventy

o f occupied part the town of Cambo .

in ' Ca m b o The battalion remained for nearly a month , and was here j oined by a detachment of 4 sergeants and 8 2 rank and ﬁle, under the command of Lieut . Charles l H enderson , from the second batta ion , at this period

stationed at Glasgow . On the 9th of December the ﬁrst battalion was engaged

in the passage of the Nive . T he left wing of the Seventy

ﬁ r st entered the river, supported by the ﬁre of the right , and reached the opposite bank without experiencing any

loss .

s T he enemy now retired within Bayonne, and the corp

u - of Lie t . General Sir Rowland Hill was established wi th

th e its right on the Adour, the left above Nive, and the

centre at St . Pierre, across the high road to St . J ean Pied

- de Port . i I n this disposition the second division , of wh ch the

- ﬁ r st wa s Seventy formed part, placed at St . Pierre . Mar

shal Soult , having completely failed in an attempt whi c h

o h is he made against the left of the army, m ved with ’ ’ whole force against Sir Rowland Hill s corps, with the expectation of overwh elming him befo re he co u l d be su p

ported . - SEVENTY FIRST H IGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 99

1 T he enemy came on with great boldness upon the 3 th 1 81 3 .

o of December, and made vigor us efforts against the centre ,

h is o which he repeatedly attacked but at last, ﬁnding m st

o ff earnest endeavours fruitless , he drew . I n the action of this day the loss of the ﬁrst battalion of the Seventy-ﬁ r st was very severe, having been placed close to the main road , against which the French made such formidable and repeated attacks .

- Brevet Lieut . Colonel Maxwell Mackenzie and Lieu

n tena ts William Campbell and Charles Henderson , together

2 1 2 . with sergeants, bugler, and 3 rank and ﬁle, were killed

Captains Robert Barclay and William Alexander Grant,

M c I n t r e To r r ia n o and Lieutenants John y and William , with

3 7 rank and ﬁle, were wounded .

The following short, but highly expressive D ivision

- Order was issued by Lieut . General the Honourable Sir K B William Stewart, . .

H ead - u a r ter s n ea r P etite M o u er r e q , g ,

D em er 1 tk 1 1 ec b 8 . 4 , 3

The second division has greatly distinguished itself,

’ and its gallantry in yesterday s action is avowed by th e

Commander of the Forces and the Allied Army .

- ﬁr st I n commemoration of these services, the Seventy subsequently received the royal authority to bear the word

Nive on the regimental colour and appointments . The battalion marched on the 1 9th Of December to

2 8th h . Urcuit, and to Urt upon the of t at month A small

- ﬁ r st Of picket of the Seventy , under the command Corporal

D o h e r t s n g y, here di tinguished itself by beati g off an

’ enemy s party of nearly treble its strength .

While stationed in this quarter, the companies were frequently engaged in skirmishes with the enemy, par

l l ette ti u l a r l . H e . c y at St , heights of Garris, and St Palais,

o f a n u a r 1 8 1 . in the month J y , 4 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 8 1 4 Of m a r c lied . I n the beginning February the battalion

from Urt, and during its advance had frequent skirmishes

’ with the enemy s rear guard . On the 2 6 th of February the battalion was in action at 2 th Sauveterre, and upon the 7 had the honour of partici

pating in the battle of Orthes .

-ﬁ r st I n commemoration of this victory, the Seventy afterwards received the royal authority to bear the word

Orthes on the regimental colour and appointments . Two divisions of the French army having retired to

O f 2 th Aire after the action the 7 of February, Lieut . General Sir Rowland H ill moved upon that town to

2 n d dislodge them . Upon the of March the French were

Of found strongly posted upon a ridge hills , extending

in across the great road front of the town , having their A right on the dour . T he second division attacked them

along the road , seconded by a Portuguese brigade , and

drove them from their position . Lieut . James Anderson

1 and 7 rank and ﬁle were killed ; Lieut . Henry Frederick

1 1 Lockyer, sergeant, an d 9 rank and ﬁle were wounded .

A detachment from the second battalion , consisting of

1 1 captain , 4 subalterns, and 3 4 rank and ﬁle, under the

comman d of Major Arthur Jones, j oined at Aire . 2 th On the 5 of March , part of the battalion was f engaged in an a fair at T arbes, i n which Lieutenant

1 0th Of Robert Law was wounded , and upon the April

was in position at Toulouse, where some of the compa

s s nie were employed skirmishing, and sustained a lo s of 1 sergeant and 3 rank and ﬁle killed ; 6 rank and ﬁle

were wounded .

1 1 th Of During the night of the April , the French troops

evacuated Toulouse , and a white ﬂag was hoisted . On w the follo ing day, the Marquis of Wellington entered the

city, amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants . In the

Of 1 course of the afternoon the 3 th of April , intelligence

HISTO RICAL RECO RD OF THE

“ 1 81 4 the Commander of the Forces , and he trusts that the

troops will continue the same good conduct to the last . “ T he Commander of the Forces once more requests

the army to accept his thanks . “ Although circumstances may alter the relations in which he has stood towards them fo r some years so much

to his satisfaction, he assures them he will never cease to

feel the warmest interest in their welfare and honour, and that he will be at all times happy to be of any

service to those to whose conduct, discipline , and gal ” lantry their country is so much indebted . I n addition to the other distinctions acquired d uring

the war in Spain , Portugal , and the South of France , the

Seventy- ﬁ r st subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “ Peninsula ” on the regimental colours

and appointments . 2 8th T he ﬁrst battalion arrived at Cork on the of J uly,

and marched to Mallow, where it remained for a few days . th O n the 4 of August, the battalion marched to Limerick , where Col onel R eyn e ll assumed command of it in Decem

ber, and in which city it continued to be quartered during

m the re ainder of the year . z u d b at . The second battalion remained stationed in North

Britain .

1 81 5 1 8 1 Of -ﬁ r st . I n January, 5 , the ﬁrst battalion the Seventy I s b t a t. regiment marched from Limerick to Cork , and embarked

a s s part of an expedition under order for North America .

Peace having been concluded with the United States, and

s s contrary wind having prevented the sailing of the vessel ,

su b se the destination of the battalion was changed , and quent events occasioned its being employed against its

former opponents . T he tranquillity which Europe a p p e a r e d to have gained by the splendid successes over

the French in the Peninsula was again to be disturbed .

h ad Napoleon , who been accustomed to imperial sway, - N 1 0 SEVENTY FIR ST HIGHLA D LI G HT I NFANTRY . 3

o f was naturally discontented with his small sovereignty 1 81 5 .

s Elba . Besides , the corre pondence kept up by him with

s his adherent in France , gave him hopes of regaining his

' s former power, which were , for a short time, fully reali ed .

I st H e landed at Cannes in Provence, on the of March ,

1 8 1 2 0th 5 , with a small body of men , and on the of that month entered Paris at the head of an army which had

joined him on the road . This could not be wondered at , for the ofﬁcers and soldiers had won their fame under his command , and gladly welcomed their former leader, under whom they probably expected to acquire fresh honours, which m ight erase the memory of the defeats sustained in the Peninsula . X Louis VI I I , unable to stem the torren t, withdrew

to from Paris Ghent, and Napoleon resumed his former

f ss dignity of Emperor O the French . T his a umption the

Allied Powers determined not to acknowledge, but resolved

Of to deprive him his sovereignty, and again restore the ancient dynasty .

- ﬁ r st T he ﬁrst battalion of the Seventy , in consequence of these occurrences , proceeded to the Downs, and was there embarked on board small vessels, which conveyed it

2 2 n d . to Ostend , where it disembarked on the of April

r e Th e battalion next proceeded to Ghent, and , after maining there a week, marched to Leuze , between Ath

F u r n a and o y, and was subsequently placed in the light

O f - brigade with the ﬁrst battalion the Fifty second , six companies of the second , and two companies of the third

-ﬁfth battalion of the Ninety Regiment !Riﬂes) , u nder the

- command of Maj or General Frederick Adam , in the division

- C . of Lieut . General Sir H enry linton Th e s trength of the brigade wa s as follows HI STORICAL RECO RD OF THE

1 st bat . do

2 n d bat . Riﬂes rd 3 do . do .

T otal

R e n el l - Brevet Colonel y , afterwards Lieut . General Sir

R e n ell T homas y , commanded the battalion at this period . Napoleon resolved on attacking the Allies before their

- forces had been fully collected , and by well marked and admirably combined movements , a portion of his army

1 Of was concentrated , on the 4th J une, between the Sambre and the Meuse .

1 6 O n the morning of the th of J une , as the battalion was proceeding to the usual exercising- ground of the brigade at Leuze , it received orders for an i mmediate advance upon Nivelles, where it arrived late that night .

B liic h e r On the same day, Prince had been attacked at

L . igny, and was forced to retreat to H avre The Duke of Wellington and a portion of his army had been also attacked at Quatre Bras by Marshal Ney, who, however, made no impression upon the British position .

1 I n the course of the morn ing of the 7 th of J une, the Duke of Wellington made a retrograde movement upon

Waterloo, in order to keep up his communication with

- the Prussians . At day break on the same morning, the

- ﬁ r st o ﬁrst battalion of the Seventy retired , and t ok up its positi o n , With the rest of the allied army, on the plains in

o f the neighbourhood Waterloo, being situated to the left and rear o f H o u g o m o n t.

- ﬁ r st The Seventy , with the rest of the army, bivouacked

o f 1 i n position during the night the 7 th of J une, drenched by the rain , which fell heavily. Upon the morning of the

1 8th Of memorable June, the battalion stood in open

I O6 HISTORICAL RECORD O F TH E

a 1 81 5 . kept in reserve during the day . I t was allowed to p

proach close without molestation , when the regiments ,

- throwing in a close and well directed ﬁre, prevented its

m . deploy ent , and it retired in confusion t T he enemy having now exhaus ed all its efforts, the

- ﬁ r st British , in their turn , advanced . T he Seventy , in the

u ﬁrst instance , suffered much from the ﬁre of some g ns

e n ﬁl a d ed that its front ; these were soon silenced , and the

battalion was afterwards left unmolested . I n this advance

the light brigade captured several guns . Night closed in

sa n fast, and the corps rested after this lengthened an d

u in a r disc o m ﬁted g y encounter, the pursuit of the enemy

being commited to the Prussians, under Marshal Blucher, who had arrived on the ﬁeld of battle in time to decide the

defeat of the French . ’ T he Seventy -ﬁ r st had Brevet Maj or Edmund L E str a n g e

- - - Sir !Aide de Camp to Maj or General Denis Pack ,

o f and Ensign J hn T odd , killed . T he following o ﬁcers were

- : . wounded the Lieut Colonel commanding the battalion ,

R e n l l - C o lonel T homas y e Brevet Lieut . Colonel Arthur

“ m J ones ; Captains Samuel Reed , Donald Campbell , Willia

Alexander Grant, J ames H enderson , and Brevet Maj or

r Charles Johnstone ; Lieutenants Joseph Barrallier, Robe t

Lind , John Roberts , J ames Coates , Robert Law, Carique

Lewin , and Lieutenant and Adjutant William Anderson .

a n d T he number of serj eants, buglers, rank and ﬁle

2 1 66 Of 6 killed amounted to 9 ; were wounded, whom 3

died of their wounds . T he following were present with the regiment at this battle :

- R e n l l Co l o n el . . e . , Lieut Colonel J y

- M L ieu t Co l o n el . . . , ajor A Jones

W r t a o . r . j , L Walke - 1 0 SEVENTY FIR ST HIGHLAND LI G HT IN FANTRY . 7

5 . Reed . J . Henderson . T I n t r e M . . . c J . Pidgeon . A . T . M y o A . Armstrong . C . J hnstone .

D . Campbell . Alex . Grant .

William A . Grant .

L ie uten a n ts .

J . Barrallier . William Long .

L . Richards . Robert Law .

R . o x . J . . Elwes C . J . C

. C C . Stewart arique Lewin . l . W o o c o m b R . Baldwin William e .

. T o r . . r ia n o W C . H anson William

Robert Lind . G . W . Horton .

J . Roberts . J . Coote .

J ames Coates . C . Moorhead .

James Fraser . D . Soutar.

ilb o r n e . . . E . G N Campbell

J . Whitney .

E n si n s g .

ﬂ . . o a tt. A . M A M H enderson .

W . P . Smith . J . Spalding . I m it Th o m o r s. . t. H . W. p J p ’ L E str a n . e . J . Barnett . R g

P a m a ster M e n z ie c K . y , H .

Ad u ta n t . j , William Anderson

S u r eo n g , A . Stewart .

A ssista n t S u r eo n s g .

Win t r s l e . e c a . J S amuel Hill .

Both Houses of Parliament , with the greatest e n th u siasm “ , voted their thanks to the army for its distinguished ” valour at Waterloo . HISTO RICAL RECORD OF THE

For the share which the battalion had in this glorious

- ﬁ r st victory, the Seventy were permitted to bear, in com mon with the rest of the army engaged upon the 1 8th of

“ ” J une, the word Waterloo on the regimental colour and

m o . appoint ents . Colonel T h mas R eyn ell and Major L

Walker were appointed Companions of the Bath . The ofﬁ cers and men engaged were presented with Silver n medals by H is Royal H ighness the Pri ce Regent , and were allowed to reckon two years additional service .

T he battalion , with the rest of the army, afterwards th marched towards Paris , and entered that city on the 7 of

o n J uly . T he brigade encamped that day the Champs e Elys es, near the Place Louis Quinze, being the only

British troops quartered within the barriers , and con tinned there until the beginning of November, when it proceeded to Versailles, and to Viarmes in December . M eanwhile Louis X VI I I had entered Paris and was again reinstated on the throne of his ancestors . Napoleon

Bonaparte had surrendered to Captain Maitland , com

“ ” manding the Bellerophon , British ship of war, and the

-n island of St . H elena havi g been ﬁxed for his residence, he was conveyed thither with a few of h is devoted fol lowers . 2 6th I n Edinburgh , on the of J uly, at the annual com petition for prizes given by the H ighland Society of Lon don , Sir John Sinclair, President of the J udges, in the course of his address referred to several instances Where the sound of the bagpipes had been productive o f the most

u th e decisive res lts, and stated that it had been used with

o same effect in the late gl rious conﬂicts, as appeared by

o o letters fr m the army . H e said that before he beyed the directi o ns of th e Com m ittee in delivering the prizes it was

ss r - nece a y to state that George Clark, piper major to the

- ﬁ r st Seventy Regiment, having formerly received a pipe from the Highland S o ciety o f Sc o tl and for h is gallant con

HI STORICAL RECORD OF THE

“ w 1 81 6 the age , ere not only paralyzed at the moment, but

blasted beyond the power of even a second str u ggle . T o have participated in a contest crowned with victory

so decisive, and productive of consequences that have dif

s o fu ed peace , security, and happiness throug hout Eur pe , m a y be to each of you a source of honourable pride, as well as of gratitude to the O mni potent Arbiter of all

‘ s in su c h human contest , who preserved you peril , and without whose protecting hand the battle belongs not

to the strong, nor the race to the swift .

“ a n I acknowledge to feel an honest and , I trust,

h a d excusable, exultation , in having the honour to com

s s mand you on that day, and in di pensing these medal destined to record in your families the share you had in

the ever memorable battle of Waterloo , it is a peculiar satisfaction to me that I can present them to th o se by

whom they have been fairly and honourably earned , and that I can here solemnly declare that in the course of that eventful day I did not Ob serve a soldier of this good regiment wh o se c o nduct w a s not only creditable to the

English nation , but such as his dearest friends could

desire .

“ Under such agreeable reﬂections, I request you to

“ accept these medals , and to wear them with becoming

s u pride, as they are incontestable proof of a faithf l dis

f d u charge O your uty to your King and your co ntry. I trust that they will act as powerful talismans to keep you b in your future lives in the paths of honour, so riety, and

” virtue . At the conclu sion of the ab o ve address the arms were

”

presented , God save the King was played , and the bat

e . K talion , by signal , gave three ch ers Colonel eynell then ,

from the lists of companies in succession , called over the

s name of those entitled to receive a medal , and with his

own hand placed it in that of the soldier. - 1 1 1 SEVENTY FIRST HI G HLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY .

th New colours were presented to the regiment on the 1 8 1 8 1 7 .

1 8 1 - of J anuary, 7 , by Major General Sir Denis Pack, who made the following address on the occasion Seventy-ﬁ r st Regiment !

f - O fﬁ O ﬁcers, non commissioned cers , and soldiers, it

affords me the greatest satisfaction , at the request of

Of R e n el l your commanding ﬁcer, Colonel y , to have the

honour of presenting these colours to you . There are many who could perform the office with a

is better grace, but there no one, believe me, who is more

n wh o se sible of the meri t of the corps , or is more anxious

for its honour and welfare . I might j ustly pay to the valour and good conduct of

those present the compliments usual on such occasions , but I had rather offer the expression of my regard and admiration of that excellent espr it de c o rps and real worth which a ten years ’ intimate kn owledge of the regiment

h as taught me so highly to appreciate . I Shall always look back with pleasure to that long period in wh ic h I

ffi afn d had the good fortune to be your commanding o cer, during which time I received from the officers the most cordial a nd zealous assistance in support of discipline from the non - commissioned Officers proofs of the most disinterested regard for H is Maj esty’ s service and the

welfare of their regiment, and I witnessed on the part of the privates and the corps at large a ﬁdelity to their

as u colours in South America, remarkable nder such t rying circumstances as their valour has at all times been

conspicuous in the ﬁeld . I am most happy to think that there is no drawback to the pleasure all should feel on

s this occasion . Your former colours were mi laid after a fete given in London to celebrate the D uke O f Welling

’ ton s return after his glori o us termination of the Peninsula

h a s war, and your colonel , General Francis Dundas ,

s sent you three very handsome one to replace them . HI STORICAL RECORD OF THE

On them are emblazoned some of His Grace’ s vic

n - ﬁr st tories, in which the Seve ty bore a most distinguished

part, an d more might be enumerated which the corps may

well be proud of. T here are still in you r ranks valuable Ofﬁcers who have witnessed the early glories of the regi

s ment in the East , and its splendid career since is fre h in

the memory of all . Never, indeed , did the character of the corps stand higher ; never was the fame of the British arms or the glory of the British empire more prominent

s than at thi moment, an enthusiastic recollection of which w the sight of these colours must al ays inspire .

“ While you have your pre sent commanding O fﬁcer to

lead you , it is unnecessary for me to add anything to

d o so I excite such a spirit ; but was I called upon to , should ha ve only to hold up the example o f those who

have fallen in your ranks, and , above all , point to the memory of that hero who so gloriously fell at your ” head . The following appears from the Regimental Reco rds to be a correct list of the nationalities of the recruits raised

1 80 1 8 1 — for the regiment between 4 and 5 Scotchmen ,

s 2 8 o 2 0 Irishmen , Engli hmen , 4 ; f reigners, o su s t tal , T he following is the list of casualties

1 1 ta in e d by the regiment between 808 and 1 8 5 .

is T his list is very inaccurate , as no notice taken in the Records of the number o f men that were killed in skir

m ish es o . , which pr bably was very considerable At Corunna

is s o it tated that several men were killed and w unded , but the actual number is not given . The number of wounded at Walche r en is n o t given

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 “ o 1 8 8 . The regiment formed part of the army of occupati n

1 8 1 8 in France until towards the end of October, , when it

embarked at Calais for England , and arrived at Dover on 2 th the 9 of that month .

’ After landing the regiment proceeded immediately to

Chelmsford , where it remained for a short time . During its stay at this place the establishment was reduced from 8 1 0 6 0 to 5 rank and ﬁle . On the 2 5 th of November th e regiment marched to

- Weedon , Derby, and Nottingham , having its head quarters f at the ormer place .

I st 1 81 9. T he regiment was inspected at Weedon on the of

1 8 1 - May, 9, by Maj or General Sir J ohn Byng, who reported most favourably to His Royal H ighness the Commander

in - o u Chief upon its appearance and discipline . I n c se qu e n c e of this report H is Royal Highness was pleased to dispense with any further inspection of the regiment d uring

the year .

R e n el l Whilst stationed at Weedon , Colonel y presented

Sergeant Angus Mackay, Pipe Maj or , with a highland purse

o - s t of white g at kin handsomely mounted wi h silver, with the following inscription richly engraved on a shield

R e n e l l to - From Col . y Acting Sergeant Angus Mackay ,

Piper in the Seventy- ﬁ r st in testimony of appro

” b a tio n of his uniform go od conduct .

l t 1 8 1 to On the of J une, 9, the regiment marched

d s Chester, having etachment at Liverpool and the Isle of

. u 1 2 th R e n e ll Man O n A gust , Colonel T homas y was

- appointed Maj or General by brevet .

‘ 1 82 0. 1 8 2 0 In J une, , the regiment marched to Rochdale,

o Blackburn , and Burnley . In J uly f llowing it proceeded

s to Hertford, Ware , Hodde don , and Hatﬁeld ; and on the

2 o th u of November it was removed to Canterb ry . Previously to the depar ture of the regiment from Hert

- ford, it was inspected by the Adj utant General to the - 1 1 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAN D LIGHT I NFANTRY . 5

- Forces, Maj or General Sir H enry T orrens, who 1 82 0.

to communicated Colonel Sir T homas Arbuthnot,

- ﬁ r st s commanding the Seventy , the expression of the sati faction experienced by His Royal H ighness the Com mander- in - Chief in perusing the report made on that occa sion .

1 8 2 1 ' 1 2 I n J une, , the regiment marched to Chatham , 8 1 .

u having detachments at Sheerness, T ilb ry Fort, and

w t 2 Har ich . Here a further reduc ion took place of com

a n ie s s 6 p , making the e tablishment to consist of 5 7 rank and ﬁle .

n From Chatham the regiment marched to Londo , and 1 82 2 , proceeded by the canal to Liverpool, there to embark for

r d 1 8 2 2 Dublin , where it arrived on the 3 of May, . T he regiment remained in that city until the beginning of

o October, when it marched to the s uth of Ireland . T he

- e r m o head quarters were stationed at F y, and detachments proceeded to the villages of Ballyhooly, Castletown Roche,

’ W attsto wn Kilworth , Kildorrery, , Glanworth , and Mitchels

' town . A subaltern s party was also encamped at Glenna

n Of sheen , in the cou ty of Limerick, the disturbed state that

s part of Ireland requiring detachments in the above post , and the utmost exertions of every individ ual for their pro

tec tio n .

- Lieut . General Sir Gordon Drummond, was 1 82 4. removed from the col o nelcy of the Eighty - eighth to that of

- ﬁ r st 1 6 1 8 2 the Seventy Regiment, on the th of J anuary, 4 ,

s in succession to General Franci Dundas, deceased .

two s T he regiment remained here for winter , and in the

1 8 2 to beginning of May, 4, orders were received to march the Cove of Cork, to embark for foreign service . Before the Seventy-ﬁ r st marched to the coast for

s to embarkation , very gratifying addresses were pre ented o t Colonel Sir T homas Arbuthn t, commanding the regimen , from the magistrates and inhabitants of the d istrict round H 2 HISTORICAL RECORD o F TH E

1 8 2 4. Fermoy , conveying their approbation of the conduct of the

corps, which had won the esteem of all classes . A very gratifying order was also issued by Maj or-General

th e - Sir John Lambert , commanding south western

e . district of I reland , r lative to the conduct of the regiment 1 The regiment embarked for North America on the 4th ,

1 6 1 1 8th 1 8 2 th , 7 th , and of May, 4, on board the I ndian

“ ” ” trader Prince of Orange, Cato and Fanny trans

2 r d 2 th 2 th ports , and anchored at Quebec, on the 3 , 4 , and 5

o f u n e J . 1 8 2 1 82 5 . I n the year 5 , the establishment of the regiment was 8 1 0 augmented from to companies , and formed into

6 ser vi c e de bt 2 and 4 p companies, consisting of 4 sergeants, 1 0 4 buglers, and 7 4 rank and ﬁle .

O I n consequence of this arrangement , the fﬁcers and non - commissioned o ﬂi c e r s of 2 companies were sent to

d e Ot England , to j oin the p companies at Chichester.

1 82 6 . T he detachments stationed during the summer months

O f at the posts Sorel and T hree Rivers, rejoined the head

1 quarters of the regiment at Quebec, on the 5 th of Octo

ber . On the 2 s th of October and the 4th of November the

- service companies were inspected by Lieut . General the

Earl of Dalhousie, the Commander of the Forces in British

North America, who expressed his fullest approbation of

their discipline and interior economy, as well as of their

conduct and appearance . The head - quarter division of the Seventy-ﬁ r st embarked

1 1 8 2 at Q uebec for M ontreal , on the 7 th of May, 7 , after

having been stationed in that garrison nearly three years .

o Preparat ry to this change of quarters , the service com

a n i s u - p e were again inspected by Lie t . General the Earl of

- Dalhousie, who, in orders, assured Lieut . Colonel J ones that

he had never seen any regiment in more perfect order. Th e service companies arrived at Montreal on the 1 9th

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

8 3 1 - s to 1 . T he head quarters were ubsequently moved

Hamilton , and small parties were detached to the Signal

st s po s at Gibb Hill and Mount Lan gton .

1 83 3 . u 8 2 1 8 D ring the years 1 3 and 3 3 , the service companies

d e Ot continued at Bermuda , and the p remained in North

th 1 - n . o 8 . Britain On the 3 of August, 3 3 , Lieut Colo el the Honourable Charles Grey exchanged fro m the half-pay to

-ﬁ r st s -C the Seventy Highlander with Lieut . olonel Joseph

T homas Pidgeon .

1 8 3 4. l 1 th 1 8 m n On the of September, 3 4, the service co pa ies

fo r embarked at Bermuda Great Britain , and arrived at

1 o f Leith on the 9th October following . T he regiment

was afterwards stationed at Edinburgh , where it remained

1 8 . during the year 3 5 It embarked at Glasgow, on the

1 83 6- 1 1 th o f 1 8 6 fo r May, 3 , I reland , and was stationed at

Dubli n during the remainder of the year . New colours

were presented to the regiment while at this station , by

- the colonel of the regiment, Lieut . General Sir Colin

H alkett, assisted by the Honourable th M r s . e Grey, wife of the colonel commanding regi

ment . 1 8 I n J une, 3 7 , the regiment proceeded from Dublin to

Kilkenny. 1 8 3 8 -G M ajor eneral Sir Samuel Ford Whittingham ,

- ﬁ r st o n was appointed Colonel of the Seventy Highlanders,

2 8th 1 8 8 - the of M arch , 3 , in succession to Lieut . General

o - ﬁ Sir C lin Halkett, appointed to the T hirty r st

Regiment . M eanwhile orders had been received for the regiment to

2 0th 1 8 8 proceed on foreign service , and on the of Apri l , 3 ,

6 s the _ ervice companies embarked at Cork, for Canada.

d e t T he 4 pO companies remained in Ireland .

1 83 9 2 m d o f u n e 1 8 d e Ot On the J , 3 9 , the p companies embarked

at Cork , for North Britain , and were afterwards stationed

at Stirling. - F [ 1 SEVENTY IRST HIGHLAND LI G HT I NFANTRY . 9

1 3 The establishment of the regiment was augmented on 8 9.

1 2 th 1 8 o 0 t 800 . the of August, 3 9 , from 7 4 rank and ﬁle 40 During the year 1 840 the service companies were sta 1 8

’ tio n ed . o at St J ohn s, Lower Canada . T he dep t companies proceeded from Stirling to Dundee , in April .

- l l s 1 841 . . Re n e t wa Lieut General Sir Thomas y , Bar , removed from the colonelcy of the Eighty- seventh Royal

- ﬁ r st 1 Irish Fusiliers to that of the Seventy , on the s th of

- l 1 8 1 to u . March , 4 , in succession Lie t Genera Sir Samuel

K B a n C . . d . Ford Whittingham , . deceased

1 8 1 d e Ot I n May, 4 , the p companies proceeded from

D undee to Aberdeen .

- Co l o h el Lieut . the Honourable Charles Grey exchanged

- - th . 8 to half pay with Lieut Colonel James England , on the

1 8 2 of April , 4 .

’

The service companies proceeded from St . John s to 1 842 . 2 th 2 8th Montreal in two divisions, on the 7 and of April ,

2 1 84 . I n consequence of the augmentation which took place

-ﬁ r s in the army at this period , the Seventy t Highland Light Infant r y was ordered to be divided into two batta

s lions , the six ervice companies being termed the ﬁ rst

d e Ot battalion , and the p , augmented by two new companies , d being styled the reserve battalion . T he epOt was accord in l g y moved from Stirling to Chichester, and after receiving

0 wa s about 3 5 volunteers from other corps , there organised

vo l n into a battalion for foreign service . Nearly all these u teers were English and I rish , who were allowed to j oin the regiment notwithstanding the protestations of the com ‘ o ﬂic er manding , who requested that none but Scotchmen should be allowed to volunteer . T he nationality of the regi m ent was thereby unnecessarily destroyed for many years . -ﬁr st The reserve battalion of the Seventy , under the

- n command of L ieut . Colonel James E gland , embarked at HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

’ “ 1 842 . Portsmouth i n Her Maj esty s troop ship Resistance ,

n 1 Of 1 8 2 which sailed for Ca ada on the 3 th August , 4 , and the battali o n landed at Montreal on the 2 3 r d Of Septem

ber, where the ﬁrst b attalion was likewise stationed , under

the command of Major William Denny, who, upon the

- arrival of Lieut . Colonel England , took charge of the

reserve battalion .

1 843 . T he reserve battalion marched from Montreal to C th 1 8 hambly on the 5 of May, 43 , and arrived there on

the same day. T h e o f L . ﬁrst battalion , under the command ieut

Colonel England , embarked at Quebec for the West . “ ” th e ava 2 0th I ndies in J transport, on the of October,

Th - 1 843 . e head quarters disembarked at Grenada on the

1 5 th of December following . It is a circumstance worthy of record that all the men of the ﬁrst battalion who were married without leave were b replaced by volunteers from the reserve battalion , there y preventing the separation and consequent misery of those

families, and that all permanent volunteers for Canada , and old soldiers who were permitted from general good t character to remain in the colony af er discharge, or who

s C were found unﬁt for ervice in a tropical limate, were

replaced by volunteers from the reserve battalion .

- 1 844. T he head quarters of the ﬁrst battalion embarked on 2 th 1 8 . the 5 of December, 44, at Grenada, for Antigua u Lie t . Francis P . Stewart Mackenzie died of yellow fever

2 1 5 t at Grenada, on the of December, much regretted by fﬁ his brother o cers .

1 4 1 8 - 8 5 . During the year 45 the head quarters of the ﬁrst

battalion continued at Antigua . The head - quarters and three companies of the reserve 1 1 th battalion marched from Chambly on the of May , 1 8 1 45 , and arrived at Kingston , in Canada , on the 4th of

that month .

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 1 8 8 - 848 . During the year 4 , the head quarters of the reserve

’ battalion remained at St . John s, in Canada East .

4 - 1 8 9 . K B . . C . Lieut General Sir J ames Macdonell, . and was appointed from the Seventy- ninth to be

- ﬁ r st 8 1 8 Colonel of the Seventy on the th of February, 49,

u - pon the decease of Lieut . General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot ,

K . B C . . I n compliance with instructions received upon the

’ s occasion of Her Maj esty s vi it to Dublin , the head

quarters of the ﬁrst battalion , with the effectives of three

companies, proceeded from Naas to that garrison on the 2 8th of J uly, and were encamped in the Phoenix Park . T he three detached companies also j oined at the encamp

1 ment on the same day . On the 3 th of August the head

quarters and three companies returned to Naas .

The head - quarters and two companies of the reserve

- battalion , under the command of Lieut . Colonel Sir Hew t ’ Dalrymple, Bar , proceeded from St . John s to Montreal , f 2 h O 8t 1 8 . in aid the civil power, on the of April , 49 T he

- an d head quarters and three companies quitted Montreal ,

’ o th encamped on the island of St . H elen s on the 3 of

’

1 6 . J une, but returned to St . John s on the th of July On

1 u 1 8 - the 7 th of Aug st, 49 , the head quarters and two com

’ p a n ie s proceeded from S t John s to Montreal in aid O f the ’ 6th civil power, and returned to St . J ohn s on the of Sep

tember.

- I n 1 8 0 , 5 , 1 3 5 0, April the ﬁrst battalion proceeded from Naas

to Dublin .

T he head - quarters and two companies of the reserve ’ o n 2 1 5 t battali o n quitted St . John s and Chambly the of

1 8 0 d 2 r d May, 5 , and arrive at T oronto on the 3 of that

month , where the battalion was j oined by the other com

a n ie s p , and it continued there during the remainder of the

year.

1 8 5 1 . 1 8 1 I n April , 5 , the ﬁrst battalion proceeded from Dublin - 1 2 SEVENTY FIRST HI G HLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 3

o 1 85 1 . t M ullingar, and in J uly following was removed to Newry,

- under the command of Lieut . Colonel William Denny .

1 8 1 During the year 5 , the reserve battalion continued T to be stationed at oronto .

1 8 2 1 85 2 . I n May, 5 , the reserve battalion proceeded from 8 T oronto to Kingston . On the th of June following,

- l t Lieut . Co onel Sir H ew Dalrymple, Bar , retired from the service by the sale of his commission , and was suc

- eded . c e by Lieut . Colonel Nathaniel Massey Stack

I n August the ﬁrst battalion moved to Kilkenny, send

o ing detachments to New Ross and Wexf rd . On the I st of November orders were received from the Horse Guards by the ﬁrst battalion to hold itself in r ea di

n ness for embarkation for the Mediterranea .

r d 1 85 3 . O n the 3 of January it received new colours, shortly after which it moved to Cork . Soon after the arrival of

Ol d the ﬁrst battalion at Cork , the colours were placed over a tablet erected at Kin sale to the memory of the late

- u Lieut . General Sir T homas Arb thnot, a native of that

l fo r . p ace, who commanded the regiment many years During the months of February and March the ﬁrst battalion embarked in three freight Ships for Corfu . By a

fﬁ 2 0th 1 8 War O ce Letter of February, 5 4, the ﬁrst batta lion was augmented from the I st April by 1 pipe maj o r

1 8 and 5 pipers . I n May, 5 3 , the reserve battalion proceeded t to Quebec,and was quartered in the Citadel . Af er the

d e e mbarkation of the ﬁrst battalion , the t proceeded to

Chatham . T he rese r ve battali o n embarked at Quebec on the

2 0th 1 September, landed in England on the 3 th of

wa s October, and proceeded to Canterbury, where it

s Ot shortly afterward j oined by the d e p from Chatham . 1 00 On its departure from Canada , men volunteered to

I st the Sixteenth and Canadian Riﬂes . On the of J anuary of this year the following was the composition of HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

. d e Ot in 1 85 4. the ﬁrst and reserve battalion The p is not cluded

To tal

O f The English an d Irish were all , with the exception

vo l u n boys from the M ilitary Colleges, the remains of the

1 2 teers who joined the reserve battalion in 84 . On the

2 th O f 4 November, all the effectives of the reserve batta

Of 1 6 1 lion , consisting major, 3 captains, subalterns,

2 0 6 1 assistant surgeon , sergeants, buglers, and 3 9 rank

-Of and ﬁle, embarked at Portsmouth on board the line

“ ” battle ship Royal Albert, for the Crimea, and landed

2 0th at Balaclava on the of December, where it was

n kept, sendi g frequent working parties to the front . The

’ reserve battalion thus had six weeks home service after

being twelve years abroad . Th e ﬁrst battalion embarked at Corfu for the Crimea

“ ” 2 6th r on board the transport Medway on the Janua y,

1 8 th 5 5 , and landed at Balaclava on the 7 of February . On the 1 3 th the ﬁrst and reserve battalions were amalga o mated into one battalion of eight companies, ab ut 900

. ks a ll r a n . strong, of It remained at Balaclava till the

“ ” r 3 d of May, when it embarked on board the Furious

“ ”

and Gladiator steam frigates, forming part of the ﬁrst.

expedition to Kertch , which , however, was recalled with

out accomplishing its Obj ect . The regiment wa s dise m 8 barked o n the th of May, and marched to the front, join

in g the third brigade of the fourth division, and serving in

HISTORICAL RECORD OF TH E

o f 1 3 5 5 , which , Presbyterians Church of England 7 7 ,

1 1 6 Church of Rome .

- six o T he head quarters and companies, under C lonel

two Ready, remained in Yenikale, having companies on M t o th detachment, under ajor Campbell , at Kertch , ill the 3

- u of May, when the head q arters moved into Kertch , which wa s handed over to the Russian authorities on the 2 2 n d of

- s J une. O n the same day the head quarter and six com

“ ” a n ies s i p embarked on board the team ship Pac ﬁc, and t “ two under Maj or Campbell, in the s eam Ship Edina,

and disembarked at Malta on the 2 9th of J une . The Highland brigade having been kept in reserve t during the war, had few casualties in propor ion to other

- ﬁ 2 6 . r s regiments T he Seventy t had only men killed ,

1 o . u . wounded , and taken pris ner . Maj or K H unter, Lie t

o r - G il b o r n e 1 00 N they, Assistant Surgeon , and about non

commissioned Ofﬁcers and men died of sickness . T he

th e regiment whilst stationed at Malta occupied Floriana ,

Ver d a la Ricasoli , and Barracks .

1 85 7 . I st 1 8 o w On the of J anuary, 5 7 , the f llo ing was the strength and composition of the regiment

a t o a t r s o ta . N i n li y . I i h . T l

s 6 o f of which , Pre byterians , 7 Church England , and

1 1 6 o f o Church R me . ‘ 2 6 th v t 2 o ﬂic er s 1 On the of No ember, a draf of and 4

- d e Ot men j oined the head quarters from the p .

2 n d 1 8 8 On the evening of the of J anuary, 5 , the regi ment received orders by telegram to proceed overland to

- I ndia . T he head quarters and six companies , under Lieut . - 1 2 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 7

— O f- 1 8 Colonel Campbell , embarked on board the line battle 8 5 .

S th 6 hip Princess Royal , on the 4 , 3 hours later, and dis

t 1 a 8 . embarked Alexandria on the th Two companies , . ’ under Major Hope, which proceeded in Her Maj esty s ship

” u V lture , disembarked there a few days previously . T he regiment then proceeded in two divisions, by railway, to a

o place half way between Cair and Suez , where they were

o n s mounted donkey , and proceeded to Suez , a distance of

2 2 t about 0 or 5 miles . Owing o the smallness of the don

s keys , and the ize of many of the men , most of them pre

- ferred marching to riding . T he head quarters and right

f - u o . wing, nder command Lieut Colonel Campbell , arrived 6th at Bombay on the of February , and proceeded to

o Mh w by bullock train in several detachments , the last of

o n 1 which arrived the 7 th of March . The whole marched o th from Mhow on the 3 of March , to j oin the Central I ndia

- K . . B C . Field Force, under Major General Sir H ugh Rose ,

r d T hey j oined the second brigade at Moti on the 3 of May,

K o o n c h o n th Of were .present at the action of the 7 May, the actions at M u ttra and D ea p o o r a on the 1 6th and 1 7 th

O f G o l o wl ee 2 2 n d o May, action at on the of May, occupati n

2 o f Ca l p ee on the 3 r d of May . This wing was also present at

o 1 6 the action of M rar on the th of J une, on which occasion

N 1 1 2 Lieut . Wyndham eave , sergeant, corporal , and pri vates were killed and 8 privates wounded . Private George Rodgers was granted the Victoria Cross for distinguished

- conduct and courage on this occasion . Lieut . Colonel

Campbell , M ajor Rich , and Lieut . Scott were especially

mentioned . 1 2 0th O n the 9th and the whole force , in conj unction

’ ri with B gadier Smith s column , took possession of Gwalior.

' Great su ﬂ e r in g s from the excessive heat were undergone

by the Central I ndia Force , all the actions having taken

two place in the hottest months of an I ndian summer . To

avoid the excessive power of the sun , the marches were HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE

1 8 5 8 . always , when practicable , conducted at night , but owing to

the heat and the plague of ﬂies , but little rest could be got

“

in the daytime, the thermometer in the tents generally standing at About 5 0 men of the regiment died of r sunstroke on the ma ch , and many died soon after arrival

at Morar from utter exhaustion and weakness . After the capture of Gwalior the regiment returned to

1 2 th o f Morar, where it was stationed till the August, when

it returned to Gwalior, and was stationed at the Lashkar

1 8 5 9 Ph ao l 6th and Bagh , and returned again to Morar on the

1 8 . On 1 1 of June, 5 9 the th of November a small ﬁeld

- -ﬁ r st force, under Lieut . Colonel Rich , Seventy , including a

- ﬁ r st detachmen t of the Seventy , went out into the j ungle

‘ R a n Ode to look for the rebel forces , and defeated them at

N a in wa ss and at , on which last occasion 3 privates were t 2 h killed . This detachmen returned to Gwalior on the 7 t

1 8 . of May, 5 9

Th e 8 left wing , which had arrived at Bombay on the th

1 1 fo r of February, started on the th of March Mhow, and 1 th arrived there on the 7 th of April . On the 9 of June a

m 2 n d co pany was sent to Indore . On the of September the whole of the detachment in Mhow marched with a

o - G B ﬁ eld f rce under command of Major General Michel , ,

s in pur uit of the rebels , under their celebrated leader i h Ta n t a . R a u r T opee I t was present at the actions at jg ,

1 M o n r o wl ee th 5 th of September, g , 9 of October !on which

1 Sin dwah o 1 occasion private was killed) , , 9th of October,

Ko o r a i 2 th and , 5 of October, and afterwards marched to

1 1 8 Goonah , where it arrived on the 7 th January, 5 9 . On the

2 th Of 0 5 November a party of 5 men, mounted on camels ,

left Mhow with a small column , under command of Maj or

- s Sutherland , Ninety second Highlander , and was engaged

s o n 2 th with the rebel at Raj pore the 5 November, when the

latter were defeated , after which they returned to Mhow .

I st 1 8 . On the of January, 5 9 , the company which had

HI STORICAL RECORDS OF THE

The three companies on detachment at Goonah rej oined

- l th head quarters on the g of December, and the regiment , after being broken up into detachments for two years , was brought together again .

I n the month of December Colonel R . D . Campbell

in died London , and the command of the regiment de

W. B . volved on Colonel Hope, C.

2 2 n d o u t O n the of J uly cholera broke in the regiment , and in spite of every sanitary measure being taken , did not

1 6 finally disappear till the th of September, during which I 2 66 time it carried off colour sergeant , sergeants, rank I I 1 and file, women , and 1 children . It is worthy of remark that during this time only I officer was slightly attacked .

2 0th On the of December, the regiment having been

- E n n iskeill en s relieved by the Twenty seventh , marched to

a lko te h e Se . , in th e Punj ab T state of discipline of the regiment whilst at Gwalior can be gathered from the following ofﬁcial reports Extract from a Report from the Politic al Agent at

’

Gwalior to the Government of India, dated 1 5 th J une , 1 8 5 9

When it was detetm m ed in J une last to post a British

force at the Laskar, the people expected with dread and

deprecation a violent and dangerous, at the least a rude

’

and overbearing, soldiery ; but H er Majesty s Seventy

ﬁrst H ighlanders soon falsiﬁed their expectations, and

ih created new feelings . H is Highness and the best formed men o f the Durbar have assured me that those

Ph o o lb a h soldiers, who passed ten months in the g ,

s have by their manners, habit , dealings, and whole

demeanour so conciliated the respect and regard of all ,

that nothing could be more acceptable than the do m esti '

cation of such a force in the capital . T he Durbar SEVE N TY o F I RST 1 ! HIGHLAND LIGHT I NFANTRY . 3

c t o further onsiders tha it w uld bring to Gwalior incal 1 8 60.

c u l a b l e industrial advantages , through affording a con stant supply of superintendents of public works and r skilled labou . I venture to express the hope that H is Excellency may consider the Durbar’ s view of the con ’ -ﬁ r st duct of Her Maj esty s Seventy Highlanders, com

m a n ded by Colonel Campbell , a very high and

o f true compliment, as worthy express recognition as

good conduct in the ﬁeld . It is, in my humble j udg

ment , a most fully deserved compliment .

. P O !Signed) A . A C HARTERS MAC HERS N , ” P l t c l e o i i a Ag n t.

Ca m A r a p, g ,

/l N e e 2 l o v m b r 1 8 . 9 , 5 9 O MY L RD ,

As your Lordship is going to Gwalior, I trust you will not think that I exceed my ofﬁ ce if I venture to w send you an extract from a report of J une last, in hich I attract the attention of Government to the admirable

“ ’ - ﬁr st conduct of Her Maj esty s Seventy H ighlanders , and to its appreciation by Maharaj ah Sc in dia and his

Th e people . importance of such conduct on the part “ of the ﬁrst British troops stationed at the capital of

- Gwalior might scarcely be over stated . H aving lived

with the Seventy- ﬁ r st at the Ph o o l b agh for about twelve

months, my pride in them as soldiers and countrymen must be my excuse to your L ordship for venturing

upon the irregular communications of my impressions .

’ General Napier s views will , I trust , conﬁrm them . “ C P O !Signed) A . A . HARTERS MAC HERS N , " l A en t P o l itic a g .

Extract from remarks by His Roya l H ighness the 1 3 2 HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE

- in - Re 1 0. 86 General Commanding Chief, on the Conﬁdential ports for the year 1 8 5 9

H o r se u G a r ds,

I o tlz N o vem ber 1 , 860.

“ ’ Brigadier - General Sir Robert Napier s Report upon the Seventy-ﬁ r st Regiment is as satisfactory to H is

Royal H ighness and as creditable to . the corps as it

e is excellent in its lf. O !Signed) H . D . T RRENS ,

Assista fzt Ad a ta n t G en er a l j ,

“ ’ H er M a est s F o r c es j y .

S im l a ,

M a r e/z 1 6 1 1 st 8 . ,

S e a lko te 1 1 861 . T he regiment marched into on the 7 th of

February. T he following was the strength and com position o f the regiment at this time

at o a t . s o t N i n li y Engli h . Sc ch .

0 6 of which 7 9 were Presbyterians, 7 Church of England ,

1 and 1 2 8 Roman Catholics . A draft of 3 0 men on its

' Th e way to India is not included . proportion of English an d Irish in the regiment at this time was less than in any

other H ighland regiment .

Th e S ea l ko te 1 862 . regiment remained stationed at till the

o 1 86 2 I st of N vember, , when , having been relieved by the

- Ninety third H ighlanders, it marched to Nowshera, where

z l st . it arrived on the of November, detaching one com

pany to Attock . til 1 863 . T he regiment remained a t N owshera l the 1 4th o f

HISTO RICAL RECORD S O F THE

1 86 m s 3 . ﬁrst , were specially entioned for their gallantry on thi

s 1 8 o occa ion . On the th the whole force changed p sition a to higher ground , and was immediately att cked by the

wa s enemy, who not repulsed before night . On this occa

sion Captain C . T . Smith , Lieut . Gore Jones , of the

- s Seventy ninth H ighlander , doing duty with the Seventy

- ﬁ r st . 1 . , and 4 privates , were killed , sergeant and 4

. o privates were wounded . Major Parker was specially

fo r 1 mentioned his services . On the 9th Captain Aldridge

and 1 private were killed ; I private was wounded . O n

2 o th the , the enemy, having succeeded in driving out

' “ ” 1 0 1 5 t the Fusiliers from the Crag Picket, by a sudden

e - ﬁ r st and unexpect d attack , the Seventy were ordered

“ at up to retake it . T he Crag Picket was situated

the top of a very rocky hill , which rendered the operation

ffi B o . wh C . . doubly di cult Led by Colonel W . H ope , ,

was severely wounded , and supported by two native corps ,

- ﬁ r st the Seventy , in spite of the natural obstacles and the

“ determined resistance of the enemy, retook the Crag

s Picket at the point of the bayonet . T he loss on thi

1 2 s occasion was 7 privates killed , ﬁeld ofﬁcer, sergeant ,

2 th I s 1 . 3 corporal , and 9 privates wounded O n the 7 , 1 th private was killed . On the 5 of December Maj or

a r vo c h General G , commanding the Peshawur division , had

succeeded Sir N . Chamberlain in the command of the

o n 2 0th whole force , when the latter was wounded the of

November . H aving received strong reinforcements, he

attacked and defeated the enemy on all points. The regi

ment , being on picket duty, was not engaged on this occa

s B o n e r s o ion . Shortly after the y asked for and btained

r N o n sh e r o n terms of peace . T he regiment eturned to a

the 3 o th December . T he following wa s the loss sustained by the regiment

h fﬁ s in the U m b eyl a Pass . 5 o cers !including Lieutenant

- 1 Dougal and J ones of the Seventy ninth attached) , ser — 1 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LI G HT INFANTRY . 3 5

1 1 fﬁ 2 1 8 64 g eant, and 7 privates killed o cer, 4 sergeants , and 4 . privates wounded . On the 4th of Janua r y the regiment marched fo r 2 t th . 1 5 Peshawur, where it arrived on the 5 On the of January it was inspected by H is Excellency Sir H ugh

m Rose, who expressed himself in the most co pli mentary m anner with r eference to the conduct of the regi

’ Th e s ment i n the late campaign . three men whose name had appeared in General Orders , Privates William Mal

Cl a e r to n colm , William pp , and George Stewart, were called to the front , and were addressed by H is Excellency in t erms of approval of their gallant conduct in the presence o f 2 r d th e t the enemy . On the 3 of October regimen commenced its march for Calcutta pri o r to embarkation

Pin d e e l for England . At Rawal it was ca led upon to give volunteers fo r the other regiments in the Bengal Presi d en c 2 00 y . men voluntee red , and were transferred accord in l b l . U m a a 1 g y At , on the 4th of December, at a general parade of the garrison , medals for gallant conduct in the ﬁeld were presented by Major- General Lord George

Paget , commanding the Sirhind division , to Sergeant

Major J ohn Blackwood , Privates William Malcolm , William

l a to n C er . Macdonald , William pp , and George Stewart

- Sergeant Major J . Blackwood , who had been dangerously 1 wounded , was also granted an annuity of £ 5 a year, and was shortly afterwards invalided on account o f his wound . He has since been appointed one of Her Maj esty ’ s Yeomen of the Guard and Sergeant - Maj or of the Second Royal

Lanark Militia .

- 1 O n the 4th of Februa r y the head quarters and right 865 . B C . . wing under Colonel H ope , , embarked at Calcutta ; the left wing, under Maj or Gore , embarked on the 1 4th of

February .

2 th The right wing arrived at Plymouth on the 9 of May, a n d shortly afterwards proceeded to Edinburgh Castle , r 3 6 HISTORICAL RECORDS OF TH E

w 1 8 65 . here it was joined by the left wing, which disembarked at

1 o f u n Gravesend on the 9th J e . Th e following divisional and general orders were pub lish e d before the regiment left I ndia : Extract of divisional order b y Maj or- General Sir Joh n

Garvock , Commanding Peshawur Division .

Ka w u l P in dee ,

N e e 1 6 1 st o v m b r 8 . , 4 T he Seventy - ﬁ r st H ighland Light I nfantry being about to leave the Peshawur D ivision en r o u te fo r

- England , the Major General desires to offer them his best

wishes on the occasion . H e has known the regiment fo r

a nu mber of years . H e was very intimately associated

with it in the Mediterranean , an d his interest in it is now materially increased i n no small degree by its having

a nd served under him in the ﬁeld , done its part , and done

i n s H e r it well , obtaining for him those honour which

- Maj esty has been pleased to confer. T he Maj or General had not assumed command of the Yusufzai Field Force

’ - ﬁ r st when the Seventy recaptured the Crag Picket ,

but he well knows it was a most gallant exploit . Sir

n C B J oh Garvock , begs Colonel Hope , , and the

- o fﬁ ofﬁcers , non commissi ned o cers , and soldiers of the

Seventy- ﬁ r st Light I nfantry to believe that although

o they will be so n no longer under his command , he will

continue to take the l iveliest interest in their career, and

u he now wishes them a speedy and prospero s voyage .

“ L eu t - o l o n el i . . C !Signed) J WRI G HT, , Assis ta n t Ad u ta n t G en er a j l .

General order by H is Excellency the Commander- in ~

Chief. H ea d - u a r ter s Ca l c u tta q , ,

“ 2 t/i a n u a 6 1 8 . 7 y ry, 5 T he services of the Seventy-ﬁ r st Highland Light

HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE

- 1 865 . I n October occurred the death of Brevet Lieut . Colonel 2 Parker, of typhoid fever, after a service of 3 years in the re gnn en t

1 866. I n February, authority was received from the Com

mander- in Ch ief for th e ofﬁ cers of the regiment to wear a sword with a cross hilt instead of a b asket hilt on all

& c . occasions except at levees ,

I n the same month the regiment embarked at Granton ,

Al d er sh o tt l th for , where it arrived on the g , and remained ‘

stationed there till December, when it proceeded to Ports

’ est s mouth , and embarked on board H er Maj y ship

” “ 1 Tamar for Ireland , where it arrived on the 4th . The

- r head qua ters and ﬁve companies proceeded to Fermoy,

detaching three companies to Cork and two to Ballincollig .

o During the whole of this year, when a Fenian utbreak

was anticipated , the regiment was much broken up into f detachments, having at di ferent times sent detachments to

— the following places Cork , Ballincollig, Mallow, Mill

street, D ungarvan , M itchelstown , Tralee, Limerick , Kil 2 th larney, and Rathkeale . On the 7 of November Colonel

B - C . . 2 W . Hope, , retired on half pay, after a service of 3

years in the regiment, and after having commanded it for

eight years , much and deservedly respected and regretted

by all ranks . The command now devolved on Maj or J . J . ﬂ hda c d o n e .

1 868 . T he regiment proceeded to Dublin on the 3 oth April ,

1 868 800 , at which time its establishment was increased to

2 2 n d nt ; privates . O n the of J uly the regime proceeded to

i 1 the Curragh Camp, and remained there t ll the 7 th of

’

October, when it embarked on board H er Maj esty s ship

” t th e 2 2 n d Simoom for Gibral ar, where it arrived on of

the same month .

I st l s i i t 1 869. O n the of Apri the e tabl shment of the reg men

was reduced by 1 00 privates .

1 87 0. On the 3 I st of March the regiment sustained the loss - 1 SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY . 3 9

- by death of Lieut . General the H onourable C . Grey, the 1 87 0.

Colonel of the regiment . General Grey had previously

1 8 1 8 2 commanded the regiment from 3 3 to 4 , and had always taken the greatest interest in its welfare . He was

- H K . . succeeded by Lieut . General R . Law, , who in the earlier part of his military career had served in the Seventy

ﬁ r st during the whole of the war in Spain , having been present with the regiment at all the actions in which it was engaged , and having been wounded several times . He was also severely wounded by a cannon ball at the battle of

Waterloo, whilst performing the duties of adjutant . O n the I st of April the establishment of the regiment was

1 2 1 0 reduced from to companies . According to a return furnished to the Horse Guards in

1 8 2 - ﬁr st 7 , the Seventy proved to be the most national one 1 0 among the H ighlan d corps, the numbers being 7 Scotch ,

2 1 8 . 5 English , and Irish 1 1 8 By general order dated 7 th March , 7 3 , the regi 1 3 7 3 , ment was associated with the Seventy - eighth H ighlanders

- -ﬁfth !Ross shire Bu ffs) , and formed into the Fifty Brigade,

& c . together with the Ross , Caithness , , and I nverness , 6 Nairn , and Elgin militia regiments , with its dep t esta b l ish ed permanently at Fort George . 2 th On the 4 of April the service companies embarked 1 87 4.

’ “ on board Her Maj esty s ship Tamar, for passage to o th Malta , where they disembarked on the 3 of the same month .

- O n the l o th of May the death of Lieut . General Law took place . H e was succeeded in the comman d of the

- regiment by Lieut . General the Honourable G . Cadogan , l o 6th who was transferred from the at his own request .

- o General Cadogan is nephew O f Lieut . C lonel the Honour

able H . Cadogan , who commanded the regimen t throughout

the whole of the Peninsular war, and was ﬁnally killed at the battle of Vittoria H O O S IST RICAL REC RD , ETC .

1 . 8 7 6. The regiment still remains quartered at M alta The composition and nationality of the regiment a t t h e present date is as follows

M e o f st e t. t o d Enli m n Sc o ch .

E nlisted fo r S eventy-ﬁr st

T r a n sfer s fro m o ther r egi ments

F r o m scho o ls

Fifty -ﬁfth B ri ga de

I t will be seen by the above how little the Seventy

ﬁ r st has proﬁted by the Dep6t Brigade system .

M ART I IN L ABU H SO AN D S S D Y T O H E R M S Y , S . S ARRI N ON , P RINTERS I N OR INAR AJ E T T

U N I V E R S IT Y O F C A L I F O R N I A AT L O S A N G E L ES T H E U N IV E R S ITY L I B R A R Y Thi s b o o k is D UB o n th e l a st d ate stam p ed b e l ow

JUL 2 6 m

M AY 2 8 195 3 !

Jill. 1 2 1963

F o r m L - 9

M m