The Scottish Highlands, Highland Clans and Highland Regiments, Volume 2 (of 2)

Chapter LIII: Introduction: Military character of the Highlands (20)

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On the 6th of November Brigadier-General J. C. Heath, inspected the headquarters at Poonah, and expressed his satisfaction at the steady and soldier-like manner in which it moved upon parade, commending the good behaviour of the men, and the “particularly advanced system of interior economy existing in the regiment.”

The detachments from Sattarah and Asseergurh, having joined headquarters, the regiment left Poonah, under command of Major Hunter (Major Crombie being at Bombay on duty, and the other field-officers on leave), and proceeded by rail to Bombay, embarking on the 16th on board the freight ship, the “Tweed.”

On afternoon of the 18th of November, the “Tweed” weighed anchor, and on the evening of February 10, having passed the Needles, she reached Spithead, and there, at her anchorage, rode through a terrible hurricane which lasted twenty-four hours, during which many vessels near her were lost, dismasted, or wrecked. Proceeding to Gravesend, the regiment disembarked there on February 15th, and proceeded by rail to Edinburgh Castle on the 21st, and released the 71st Highland Light Infantry. The strength of the regiment on arriving in Great Britain, including the depot companies at Stirling, was:--

Field Officers, 3
Captains, 12
Lieutenants, 14
Ensigns, 10
Staff, 5
Total Officers, -- 44

Sergeants, 42
Drummers and Pipers, 21
Corporals, 36
Privates, 578
Total Non-Commissioned Officers
and Privates, --- 677
---
Grand Total, 721

The depot, under command of Captain Beresford, joined the headquarters shortly after their arrival at Edinburgh.

During the stay of the 72nd in Edinburgh no event of importance occurred, and the conduct of the men was highly satisfactory. At the various half-yearly inspections, Major-General F. W. Hamilton, commanding in North Britain, expressed himself as thoroughly satisfied with the discipline and appearance of the regiment, as well as with its interior economy, which, as will have been noticed, also elicited the commendation of the officers who inspected the regiment in India.

On May 9th, the regiment embarked on board H.M.S. “Tamar” at Granton, and landing on the 13th went by rail to Aldershott, where it was placed in camp under canvas.

On October 7th, Major-General Renny, commanding the 1st Brigade of Infantry at Aldershott, inspected the regiment under Major Cecil Rice, and subsequently thus expressed himself to the latter officer:--“I could see at a glance the regiment was beautifully turned out, and, indeed, everything is as good as it is possible to be. Such a regiment is seldom seen, and I will send the most favourable report I am able to make to the Horse Guards.”

Of the 72nd, as of other regiments during time of peace, and especially when stationed at home, there is but little that is eventful to record. The regiment was kept moving at intervals from one place to another, and wherever it was stationed, and whatever duties it was called upon to perform, it invariably received the commendation of the military officials who were appointed to inspect it, as well as the hearty good-will of the citizens among whom it was stationed. We shall conclude our account of the brave 72nd, which, as will have been seen, has all along done much to ward off the blows of Britain’s enemies, and enable her to maintain her high position among the nations of the world, by noticing briefly its movements up to the present time.

On October 24th, the regiment, now commanded by Major Hunter, left Aldershott by rail for Manchester, taking with it every one belonging to the regiment on its effective strength. The regiment remained at Manchester till February 1st, 1868, when it proceeded, under the command of Major Cecil Rice, to Ireland, arriving at Kingston on the 5th, and marching to Richmond barracks, Dublin.

A detachment under command of Captain F. G. Sherlock, consisting of 1 captain, 2 subalterns, and 2 companies, proceeded on the 25th by rail to Sligo, in aid of the civil power, returning to Dublin on March 6th. Major C. Rice commended the good behaviour of the detachment while on duty at Sligo. “It is by such conduct,” he said, “that the credit and good name of a regiment are upheld.”

Colonel W. Payn, C.B., rejoined from leave of absence on the 12th of March, and resumed command of the regiment.

In April, their Royal Highnesses the Prince and the Princess of Wales visited Dublin; and on the 18th, the installation of His Royal Highness as a Knight of the Order of St Patrick took place at a special chapter of the order, held in St Patrick’s Cathedral, His Excellency the Duke of Abercorn, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, presiding as Grand-Master. The regiment, under Colonel Payn, C.B., was on that day on duty in York Street.

On the 20th of April the whole of the troops in Dublin were paraded in the Phœnix Park, in review order, in presence of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, Field-Marshal, commanding-in-chief.

On September 16th the 72nd was ordered to Limerick, where it remained till the end of October 1869. On the 21st the headquarters and three companies, under the command of Major Beresford, proceeded by rail to Buttevant in county Cork. On the 22nd, five companies proceeded by rail to the Cove of Cork, viz., three companies under command of Captain Sherlock to Cambden Fort, and two companies under the command of Captain Tanner to Carlisle Fort. On the 25th, “F” (Captain Guinness’s) company proceeded from Clare Castle to Tipperary to join “A” (Captain Fordyce’s) company at the latter place.

On June 27th, 1870, orders were received for the embarkation of the regiment for India on or about February 19th, 1871. In the months of June and July 276 volunteers were received from various corps on the home establishment, and 191 recruits joined in June, July, and August. On October 4th, orders were received for the regiment to proceed to Cork.

On the transfer of General Sir John Aitchison, G.C.B., to the Colonelcy of the Scots Fusilier Guards, General Charles G. J. Arbuthnot, from the 91st Foot, was appointed colonel of the regiment, under date August 27, 1870. On the decease of General C. G. J. Arbuthnot in 1870, Lieutenant-General Charles Gascoyne was appointed colonel of the regiment, under date October 22, 1870.

On January 16th, 1871, the depot of the regiment was formed at Cork, and on the 21st the headquarters and the various companies, with the whole of the women, and children, and heavy baggage of the regiment, under the command of Captain Payn, sailed from Queenstown on board H.M. troop-ship “Crocodile” for India, where the 72nd had so recently won high and well-deserved honours. The regiment arrived at Alexandria on March 7th, and proceeded overland, to Suez, from which, on the 9th, it sailed in the “Jumna” for Bombay. The regiment arrived at Bombay on March 24th, embarked next morning, and proceeded in three divisions by rail to Deoleca, where it remained till the 28th. On that and the two following days the regiment proceeded in detachments to Umballah, where it was to be stationed, and where it arrived in the beginning of April.

On May 3rd the regiment paraded for inspection by H.E. the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Napier of Magdala, but owing to the lamentable death of Lieutenant and Adjutant James Thomson--who, it will be remembered, was promoted from the rank of sergeant-major in 1858, for distinguished service in India--who was killed by a fall from his horse on parade, the regiment was dismissed to its quarters. On the evening of that date the remains of the late Lieutenant Thomson were interred in the cemetery, his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief and staff-officers of the garrison, and all the officers and men of the regiment off duty, attending the funeral.

The following regimental mourning order was published by Colonel Payn, C.B., on the occasion of this melancholy occurrence:--“A good and gallant soldier has passed from amongst us, and Colonel Payn is assured that there is no officer, non-commissioned officer, or soldier in the 72nd Highlanders, but feels that in the death of Lieutenant and Adjutant Thomson the regiment has suffered an irretrievable loss. He was endeared to every one from the highest to the lowest for his many estimable qualities, and nobody appreciated his worth and value more than Colonel Payn himself. He had served thirty years as soldier and officer in the 72nd, and was the oldest soldier in it; and the welfare of the regiment was invariably his first thought, his chief desire. He was just and impartial in carrying out every duty connected with the regiment. His zeal and abilities as an officer were unequalled, and he was killed in the actual performance of his duties on parade, in front of the regiment that he dearly loved, and it will be long before he is forgotten by those whose interests were his chief study.”

On December 20th and 21st, the regiment proceeded to the camp of exercise, Delhi, under command of Major Beresford. It was attached to the 1st Brigade 3rd Division, which was commanded by Colonel Payn, the division being under the orders of Major-General Sir Henry Tombs, K.C.B., V.C.

On January 17th, 1872, the regiment was suddenly recalled to Umballah, owing to an outbreak among the Kukah Sikhs. The regiment was highly complimented by the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Napier of Magdála, and Major-General Sir Henry Tombs, for the discipline and efficiency it displayed whilst serving at the camp. On February 9th, the regiment was inspected by Major-General Fraser-Tytler, C.B., at Umballah, when he expressed himself highly pleased with the general efficiency of the regiment.

Having received orders to move to Peshawur, the 72nd left Umballah on the 27th of October 1873, and marched the whole way, a distance of 476 miles, or 46 marches, although there is rail as far as Lahore.

We have much pleasure in being able to present our readers with authentic steel portraits of three of the gallant colonels of this famous regiment:--That of its first Colonel-Commandant, Kenneth, Earl of Seaforth, from a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds; that of Sir George Murray, G.C.B. and G.C.H., who was for some time also Colonel of the 42nd Royal Highlanders, which is given on the plate of colonels of that regiment; and that of Sir Neil Douglas, K.C.B. and K.C.H., appointed from the 81st Regiment on the 12th of July 1847. This portrait is from a painting by Sir John Watson Gordon, late president of the Royal Scottish Academy.

SUCCESSION LISTS OF COLONELS, FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS, &c., OF THE 72ND HIGHLANDERS.

COLONELS.

FOOTNOTES:

[422] From the Dutch Service.

[423] From the Austrian service.

[424] “Journal of Lieutenant Ronald Campbell, of the Grenadier Company, 72nd Regiment,” 2 vols. folio, MS.

[425] Lieutenant Campbell’s Journal.

[426] On the 12th of August, as the grenadiers and Captain Gordon’s company of the 72nd were on duty in the trenches, exposed to a burning sun, and a severe cannonade from the fortress, Colonel Campbell, field officer of the trenches, sent his orderly to Lieutenant Campbell of the grenadiers requesting that the piper of the grenadiers might be directed to play some _pibrachs_. This was considered a strange request to be made at so unsuitable a time; it was, however, immediately complied with; “but we were a good deal surprised to perceive that the moment the piper began, the fire from the enemy slackened, and soon after almost entirely ceased. The French all got upon the works, and seemed more astonished at hearing the bagpipe, than we with Colonel Campbell’s request.”--_Lieutenant Campbell’s Journal._

[427] Stewart’s _Sketches_, ii. pp. 137-8.

[428] An account of the part taken by the Highland brigade in further operations at the Cape will be found under the 93rd regiment.

[429] “The soldiers suffered excessively from the heat of the sun, which was as intense as I ever felt it in India; though our fatigue was extreme, yet, for the momentary halt we made, the grenadier company (72nd) requested the pipers might play them their regimental quick step, CABAR FEIDH, to which they danced a Highland reel, to the utter astonishment of the 59th regiment, which was close in our rear.”--_Journal of Captain Campbell, Grenadier Company, 72nd regiment._

Properly speaking, _Cabar Feidh_ is not the regimental quickstep, but the warning for the regiment to get ready for parade. In “marching past” in quick time, the tune played by the band is “_Highland Laddie_;” and in double time the pipers play _Cabar Feidh_.

[430] Captain Campbell’s Journal.

[431] _Assegai_, a dart or javelin used by the Kaffirs.

[432] TRAKTIR, a frequent name of villages and towns in the Crimea, simply means _village_. KUTOR is a _farm_.

[433] These old colours were sent to Keith Stewart Mackenzie, Esq., of Brahan Castle, near Dingwall, Ross-shire.

[434] Forty-one “coss” are equal to a degree, or 69 English miles. One coss (or kos) is thus nearly equal to one mile and seven-tenths. It varies, however, in different parts of the country.

ABERDEENSHIRE HIGHLAND REGIMENT,

OLD EIGHTY-FIRST.

1777-1783.

This regiment was raised by the Honourable Colonel William Gordon, brother of the Earl of Aberdeen, to whom letters of service were granted for that purpose in December 1777. Of 980 men composing the regiment, 650 were from the Highlands of Aberdeenshire. The clan Ross mustered strongly under Major Ross; when embodied it was found that there were nine men of the name of John Ross in the regiment.

The corps was marched to Stirling, whence it was removed to Ireland, where the regiment continued three years. In the end of 1782 it was removed to England, and in March of the following year embarked at Portsmouth for the East Indies immediately after the preliminaries of peace were signed, notwithstanding the terms of agreement, which were the same as those made with the Athole Highlanders. The men, however, seemed satisfied with their destination, and it was not until they became acquainted with the conduct of the Athole men, that they refused to proceed. Government yielded to their demand to be discharged, and they were accordingly marched to Scotland, and disbanded at Edinburgh in April 1783. Their conduct during their existence was as exemplary as that of the other Highland regiments.

ROYAL HIGHLAND EMIGRANT REGIMENT,

OLD EIGHTY-FOURTH.

1775-1883.

Two Battalions--First Battalion--Quebec--Second Battalion--Settle
in Canada and Nova Scotia.

This battalion was to be raised from the Highland emigrants in Canada, and the discharged men of the 42nd, of Fraser’s and Montgomery’s Highlanders, who had settled in North America after the peace of 1763. Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Maclean (son of Torloish), of the late 104th Highland Regiment, was appointed lieutenant-colonel commandant of the first battalion. Captain John Small, formerly of the 42nd, and then of the 21st Regiment, was appointed major-commandant of the second battalion, which was to be raised from emigrants and discharged Highland soldiers who had settled in Nova Scotia. Each battalion was to consist of 750 men, with officers in proportion. The commissions were dated the 14th of June 1775.

Great difficulty was experienced in conveying the recruits who had been raised in the back settlements to their respective destinations. A detachment from Carolina was obliged to relinquish an attempt to cross a bridge defended by cannon, in which Captain Macleod, its commander, and a number of the men were killed. Those who escaped reached their destination by different routes.

When assembled, the first battalion, consisting of 350 men, was detached up the River St Lawrence, but hearing that the American General Arnold intended to enter Canada with 3000 men, Colonel Maclean returned with his battalion by forced marches, and entered Quebec on the 13th of November 1776. The garrison of Quebec, previous to the arrival of Colonel Maclean, consisted of only 50 men of the Fusiliers and 700 militia and seamen. General Arnold, who had previously crossed the river, made a spirited attempt on the night of the 14th to get possession of the outworks of the city, but was repulsed with loss, and forced to retire to Point au Tremble.

Having obtained a reinforcement of troops under General Montgomery, Arnold resolved upon an assault. Accordingly, on the 31st of December he advanced towards the city, and attacked it in two places, but was completely repulsed at both points. In this affair General Montgomery, who led one of the points of attack, was killed, and Arnold wounded.

Foiled in this attempt, General Arnold took up a position on the heights of Abraham, and by intercepting all supplies, reduced the garrison to great straits. He next turned the blockade into a siege, and having erected batteries, made several attempts to get possession of the lower town; but Colonel Maclean, to whom the defence of the place had been entrusted by General Guy Carlton, the commander-in-chief, defeated him at every point.[435] After these failures General Arnold raised the siege and evacuated Canada.

The battalion after this service was employed in various small enterprises during the war, in which they were generally successful. They remained so faithful to their trust, that notwithstanding that every inducement was held out to them to join the revolutionary standard, not one native Highlander deserted. Only one man was brought to the halberts during the time the regiment was embodied.

Major Small, being extremely popular with the Highlanders, was very successful in Nova Scotia, and his corps contained a greater proportion of them than the first battalion. Of ten companies which composed the second battalion, five remained in Nova Scotia and the neighbouring settlements during the war, and the other five, including the flank companies, joined the armies of General Clinton and Lord Cornwallis. The grenadier company was in the battalion, which at Eataw Springs “drove all before them,” as stated in his despatches by Colonel Alexander Stuart of the 3d Regiment.

In the year 1778 the regiment, which had hitherto been known only as the Royal Highland Emigrants, was numbered the 84th, and orders were issued to augment the battalions to 1000 men each. Sir Henry Clinton was appointed colonel in-chief. The uniform was the full Highland garb, with purse of racoon’s skin. The officers wore the broad sword and dirk, and the men a half-basket sword. At the peace the officers and men received grants of land, in the proportion of 5000 acres to a field officer, 3000 to a captain, 500 to a subaltern, 200 to a sergeant, and 100 to a private soldier. The men of the first battalion settled in Canada, and those of the second in Nova Scotia, forming a settlement which they named Douglas. Many of the officers, however, returned home.

FOOTNOTE:

[435] Colonel Maclean, when a subaltern in the Scotch brigade in Holland, was particularly noticed by Count Lowendahl, for his bravery at Bergen-op-Zoom in 1774. See the notice of Loudon’s Highlanders.

FORTY-SECOND OR ROYAL HIGHLAND REGIMENT.

SECOND BATTALION.

NOW THE SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

1780-1809.

Raising of the Regiment--First list of Officers--St Iago--India
--Ponanee--Bednoor--Anantapoor--Mangalore--Tillycherry--Bombay
--Dinapore--Cawnpore--Fort-William--Seringapatam--Pondicherry
--Ceylon--Madras--Mysore--Home--Ceases to be a Highland Regiment.

About 1780 the situation of Great Britain was extremely critical, as she had not only to sustain a war in Europe, but also to defend her vast possessions in North America and the East Indies. In this emergency Government looked towards the north for aid, and although nearly 13,000 warriors had been drawn from the country north of the Tay, within the previous eighteen months, it determined again to draw upon the Highland population, by adding a second battalion to the 42nd regiment.

The following officers were appointed to the battalion:--

_Colonel_--Lord John Murray, died in 1787, the oldest General
in the army.
_Lieutenant-Colonel_--Norman Macleod of Macleod, died in 1801,
a Lieutenant-General.
_Major_--Patrick Græme, son of Inchbraco, died in 1781.

_Captains._

Hay Macdowall, son of Garthland, a lieut.-gen., who was lost on his
passage from India in 1809.
James Murray, died in 1781.
John Gregor.
James Drummond, afterwards Lord Perth, died in 1800.
John Macgregor.
Colin Campbell, son of Glenure.
Thomas Dalyell, killed at Mangalore in 1783.
David Lindsay.
John Grant, son of Glenormiston, died in 1801.

_Lieutenants._

John Grant.
Alexander Macgregor of Balhaldy, died Major of the 65th regiment
in 1795.
Dugald Campbell, retired in 1787.
James Spens, retired Lieutenant-Colonel of the 72d regiment in 1798.
John Wemyss, died in 1781.
Alexander Dunbar, died in 1783.
John Oswald.[436]
Æneas Fraser, died captain, 1784.
Alexander Maitland.
Alexander Ross, retired in 1784.

_Ensigns._

Charles Sutherland.
John Murray Robertson.
Alexander Macdonald.
Robert Robertson.
John Macdonald.
William White.
Charles Maclean.
John Macpherson, killed at Mangalore.

_Chaplain._--John Stewart, died in 1781.
_Surgeon._--Thomas Farquharson.
_Adjutant._--Robert Leslie.
_Mate._--Duncan Campbell.
_Quarter-master._--Kenneth Mackenzie, killed at
Mangalore.

The name of the 42nd Regiment was a sufficient inducement to the Highlanders to enter the service, and on the 21st of March 1780, only about three months after the appointment of the officers, the battalion was raised, and soon afterwards embodied at Perth.

In December the regiment embarked at Queensferry, to join an expedition then fitting out at Portsmouth, against the Cape of Good Hope, under the command of Major-General William Meadows and Commodore Johnstone. The expedition sailed on the 12th of March 1781, and falling in with the French squadron under Admiral Suffrein at St Iago, was there attacked by the enemy, who were repulsed. Suffrein, however, got the start of the expedition, and the commander, finding that he had reached the Cape before them, proceeded to India, having previously captured a valuable convoy of Dutch East Indiamen, which had taken shelter in Saldanha Bay. As the troops had not landed, their right to a share of the prize-money was disputed by the commodore, but after a lapse of many years the objection was overruled.

The expedition, with the exception of the “Myrtle” transport, which separated from the fleet in a gale of wind off the Cape, arrived at Bombay on the 5th of March 1782, after a twelve months’ voyage, and on the 13th of April sailed for Madras. The regiment suffered considerably on the passage from the scurvy, and from a fever caught in the island of Joanna; and on reaching Calcutta, 5 officers, including Major Patrick Græme, and 116 non-commissioned officers and privates had died.

Some time after the arrival of the expedition, a part of the troops, with some native corps, were detached against Palghatcheri, under Lieutenant-Colonel Mackenzie Humberston of the 100th Regiment, in absence of Lieutenant-Colonel Macleod, who, being on board the Myrtle, had not yet arrived. The troops in this expedition, of which seven companies of the Highlanders formed a part, took the field on the 2nd of September 1782, and after taking several small forts on their march, arrived before Palaghatcheri on the 19th of October. Finding the place much stronger than he expected, and ascertaining that Tippoo Sahib was advancing with a large force to its relief, Colonel Humberston retired towards Ponanee, closely pursued by the enemy, and blew up the forts of Mangaracotah and Ramgurh in the retreat.

At Ponanee the command was assumed by Lieutenant-Colonel Macleod. The effective force was reduced by sickness to 380 Europeans, and 2200 English and Travancore sepoys, and in this situation the British commander found himself surrounded by 10,000 cavalry and 14,000 infantry, including two corps of Europeans, under the French General Lally. Colonel Macleod attempted to improve by art the defences of a position strong by nature, but before his works were completed, General Lally made a spirited attack on the post on the morning of the 29th of November, at the head of the European troops: after a warm contest he was repulsed.

The conduct of the Highlanders, against whom Lally directed his chief attack, is thus noticed in the general orders issued on the occasion:--“The intrepidity with which Major Campbell and the Highlanders repeatedly charged the enemy, was most honourable to their character.” In this affair the 42nd had 3 sergeants and 19 rank and file killed, and Major John Campbell, Captains Colin Campbell and Thomas Dalyell, Lieutenant Charles Sutherland, 2 sergeants, and 31 rank and file wounded.

After this service, Colonel Macleod with his battalion embarked for Bombay, and joined the army under Brigadier-General Matthews at Cundapoor, on the 9th of January 1793. On the 23rd General Matthews moved forward to attack Bednoor, from which the Sultan drew most of his supplies for his army. General Matthews was greatly harassed on his march by flying parties of the enemy, and in crossing the mountains was much impeded by the nature of the country, and by a succession of field-works erected on the face of these mountains. On the 26th of February, the 42nd, led by Colonel Macleod, and followed by a corps of sepoys, attacked these positions with the bayonet, and were in the breastwork before the enemy were aware of it. Four hundred of the enemy were bayonetted, and the rest were pursued to the walls of the fort. Seven forts were attacked and taken in this manner in succession. The principal redoubt, distinguished by the appellation of Hyder Gurh, situated on the summit of the highest ghaut or precipice, presented a more formidable appearance. It had a dry ditch in front, mounted with twenty pieces of cannon, and might have offered considerable resistance to the advance of the army, if well defended; but the loss of their seven batteries had so terrified the enemy, that they abandoned their last and strongest position in the course of the night, leaving behind them eight thousand stand of new arms, and a considerable quantity of powder, shot, and military stores. The army took possession of Bednoor the following day, but this triumph was of short duration, as the enemy soon recaptured the place, and took General Matthews and the greater part of his army prisoners.

Meanwhile the other companies were employed with a detachment under Major Campbell, in an enterprise against the fort of Anantapoor, which was attacked and carried on the 15th of February with little loss. Major Campbell returned his thanks to the troops for their spirited behaviour on this occasion, “and his particular acknowledgments to Captain Dalyell, and the officers and men of the flank companies of the 42nd regiment, who headed the storm.” As the Highlanders on this occasion had trusted more to their fire than to the bayonet, the major strongly recommended to them in future never to fire a shot when the bayonet could be used.

The Highlanders remained at Anantapoor till the end of February, when they were sent under Major Campbell to occupy Carrical and Morebedery. They remained in these two small forts till the 12th of April, when they were marched first to Goorspoor and thence to Mangalore. Here the command of the troops, in consequence of the absence of Lieutenant-Colonels Macleod and Humberston devolved upon Major Campbell, now promoted to the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel. General Matthews having been suspended, Colonel Macleod, now promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, was appointed to succeed him.

Encouraged by the recapture of Bednoor, Tippoo detached a considerable force towards Mangalore, but it was attacked and defeated by Colonel Campbell, on the 6th of May. Little loss was sustained on either side, but the enemy left all their guns. The Highlanders had 7 privates killed, and Captain William Stewart and 16 rank and file wounded.

Tippoo, having now no force in the field to oppose him, advanced upon Mangalore with his whole army, consisting of 90,000 men, besides a corps of European infantry from the Isle of France, a troop of dismounted French cavalry from the Mauritius, and Lally’s corps of Europeans and natives. This immense force was supported by eighty pieces of cannon. The garrison of Mangalore was in a very sickly state, there being only 21 sergeants, 12 drummers, and 210 rank and file of king’s troops, and 1500 natives fit for duty.

With the exception of a strong outpost about a mile from Mangalore, the place was completely invested by the Sultan’s army about the middle of May. The defence of the outpost was intrusted to some sepoys, but they were obliged to abandon it on the 23rd. The siege was now prosecuted with vigour, and many attacks were made, but the garrison, though suffering the severest privations, repulsed every attempt. Having succeeded at length in making large breaches in the walls, and reducing some parts of them to a mass of ruins, the enemy repeatedly attempted to enter the breaches and storm the place; but they were uniformly forced to retire, sustaining a greater loss by every successive attack. On the 20th of July a cessation of hostilities was agreed to, but on the 23rd the enemy violated the truce by springing a mine. Hostilities were then resumed, and continued till the 29th, when a regular armistice was entered into. Brigadier-General Macleod anchored in the bay on the 17th of August, with a small convoy of provisions and a reinforcement of troops; but on learning the terms of the armistice, the general, from a feeling of honour, ordered the ships back to Tellicherry, to the great disappointment of the half-famished garrison. Two reinforcements which arrived off the coast successively on the 22nd of November, and the last day of December, also returned to the places whence they had come.

About this time, in consequence of the peace with France, Colonel Cossigny, the French commander, withdrew his troops, to the great displeasure of the Sultan, who encouraged the French soldiers to desert and join his standard. Some of them accordingly deserted, but Colonel Cossigny having recovered part of them, indicated his dissatisfaction with Tippoo’s conduct, by ordering them to be shot in presence of two persons sent by the Sultan to intercede for their lives.

The misery of the garrison was now extreme. Nearly one-half of the troops had been carried off, and one-half of the survivors were in the hospital. The sepoys in particular were so exhausted that many of them dropped down in the act of shouldering their firelocks, whilst others became totally blind. Despairing of aid, and obliged to eat horses, frogs, dogs, crows, cat-fish, black grain, &c., the officers resolved, in a council of war, to surrender the place. The terms, which were highly honourable to the garrison, were acceded to by the Sultan, and the capitulation was signed on the 30th of January 1784, after a siege of nearly nine months. In the defence of Mangalore, the Highlanders had Captain Dalyell, Lieutenants Macpherson, Mackenzie, and Mackintyre, 1 piper and 18 soldiers killed; and Captains William Stewart, Robert John Napier, and Lieutenants Murray, Robertson, and Welsh, 3 sergeants, 1 piper, and 47 rank and file wounded. The corps also lost Mr Dennis the acting chaplain, who was shot in the forehead by a matchlock ball whilst standing behind a breastwork of sand-bags, and looking at the enemy through a small aperture.

Alluding to the siege of Mangalore, Colonel Fullarton says that the garrison, under its estimable commander, Colonel Campbell, “made a defence that has seldom been equalled, and never surpassed;” and Colonel Lindsay observes, in his Military Miscellany, that “the defence of Colberg in Pomerania, by Major Heiden and his small garrison, and that of Mangalore in the East Indies, by Colonel Campbell and the second battalion of the Royal Highlanders, now the 73rd regiment, are as noble examples as any in history.” The East India Company showed a due sense of the services of the garrison, by ordering a monument to be erected to the memory of Colonel Campbell,[437] Captains Stewart and Dalyell, and those who fell at the siege, and giving a handsome gratuity to the survivors.

The battalion embarked for Tellicherri on the 4th of February 1784, where it remained till April, when it departed for Bombay. It was afterwards stationed at Dinapoor in Bengal, when, on the 18th of April 1786, the battalion was formed into a separate corps, with green facings, under the denomination of the 73rd regiment, the command of which was given to Sir George Osborne. It was at first intended to reduce the junior officers of both battalions, instead of putting all the officers of the second on half-pay; but on representations being made by the officers of both battalions, the arrangement alluded to was made to save the necessity of putting any of the officers on half-pay.

In December 1787, the 73rd removed to Cawnpore, where it remained till March 1790, when it was sent to Fort William in Bengal. Next year the regiment joined the army in Malabar, under the command of Major-General Robert Abercromby. Major Macdowall being about this time promoted to the 57th, was succeeded by Captain James Spens.

With the view of attacking Seringapatam, Lord Cornwallis directed General Abercromby to join him with all his disposable force, consisting of the 73rd, 75th, and 77th British, and seven native regiments. He accordingly began his march on the 5th of December 1791, but owing to various causes he did not join the main army till the 16th of February following. The enemy having been repulsed before Seringapatam on the 22nd, entered into preliminaries of peace on the 24th, when the war ended.

The 73rd was employed in the expedition against Pondicherry in 1793, when it formed part of Colonel David Baird’s brigade. The regiment, though much reduced by sickness, had received from time to time several detachments of recruits from Scotland, and at this period it was 800 strong. In the enterprise against Pondicherry, Captain Galpine, Lieutenant Donald Macgregor, and Ensign Tod were killed.

The 73rd formed part of the force sent against Ceylon in the year 1793, under Major-General James Stuart. It remained in the island till 1797, when it returned to Madras, and was quartered in various parts of that presidency till 1799, when it joined the army under General Harris.

This army encamped at Mallavelly on the 27th of March, on which day a battle took place with the Sultan, Tippoo, whose army was totally routed, with the loss of 1000 men, whilst that of the British was only 69 men killed and wounded. Advancing slowly, the British army arrived in the neighbourhood of the Mysore capital, Seringapatam, on the 5th of April, and took up a position preparatory to a siege, the third within the space of a few years. The enemy’s advanced troops and rocket-men gave some annoyance to the picquets the same evening, but they were driven back next morning by two columns under the Hon. Colonel Arthur Wellesley and Colonel Shaw; an attempt made by the same officers the previous evening having miscarried, in consequence of the darkness of the night and some unexpected obstructions. The Bombay army joined on the 30th, and took up a position in the line, the advanced posts being within a thousand yards of the garrison. A party of the 75th, under Colonel Hart, having dislodged the enemy on the 17th, established themselves under cover within a thousand yards of the fort; whilst at the same time, Major Macdonald of the 73rd, with a detachment of his own and other regiments, took possession of a post at the same distance from the fort on the south. On the evening of the 20th, another detachment, under Colonels Sherbrooke, St John, and Monypenny, drove 2000 of the enemy from an entrenched position within eight hundred yards of the place, with the loss of only 5 killed and wounded, whilst that of the enemy was 250 men. On the 22nd the enemy made a vigorous though unsuccessful sortie on all the advanced posts. They renewed the attempt several times, but were as often repulsed with great loss. Next day the batteries opened with such effect that all the guns opposed to them were silenced in the course of a few hours. The siege was continued with unabated vigour till the morning of the 4th of May, when it was resolved to attempt an assault. Major-General Baird, who, twenty years before, had been kept a prisoner in chains in the city he was now to storm, was appointed to command the assailants, who were to advance in two columns under Colonels Dunlop and Sherbrooke; the Hon. Colonel Arthur Wellesley commanding the reserve. The whole force amounted to 4376 firelocks. Everything being in readiness, at one o’clock in the afternoon the troops waited the signal, and on its being given they rushed impetuously forward, and in less than two hours Seringapatam was in possession of the British. The Sultan and a number of his chief officers fell whilst defending the capital. In this gallant assault, Lieutenant Lalor of the 73rd was killed, and Captain William Macleod, Lieutenant Thomas, and Ensigns Antill and Guthrie of the same regiment, were wounded.

Nothing now remained to complete the subjugation of Mysore but to subdue a warlike chief who had taken up arms in support of the Sultan. Colonel Wellesley was detached against him with the 73rd and some other troops, when his army was dispersed, and the chief himself killed in a charge of cavalry.

In 1805 the regiment was ordered home, but such of the men as were inclined to remain in India were offered a bounty. The result was that most of them volunteered, and the few that remained embarked at Madras for England, and arrived at Gravesend in July 1806. The remains of the regiment arrived at Perth in 1807, and in 1809 the ranks were filled up to 800 men, and a second battalion was added. The uniform and designation of the corps was then changed, and it ceased to be a Highland regiment.

FOOTNOTES:

[436] This officer, the son of a goldsmith in Edinburgh, was very eccentric in his habits. He became a furious republican, and going to France on the breaking out of the revolution, was killed in 1793 in La Vendée, at the head of a regiment of which he had obtained the command.

[437] Colonel Campbell died at Bombay. His father, Lord Stonefield, a lord of session, had seven sons, and the colonel was the eldest. After the surrender of Mangalore the Sultan showed him great courtesy, and, after deservedly complimenting him upon his gallant defence, presented him with an Arabian charger and sabre. Tippoo had, however, little true generosity of disposition, and the cruelties which he inflicted on General Matthews and his army show that he was as cruel as his father Hyder.

74th HIGHLANDERS.

1787-1846.

Raising of Four new Regiments--Original establishment of Officers of
74th--Goes to India--Mysore--Kistnagherry--Seringapatam--Incident
at Pondicherry--Patriotic Liberality of the 74th--Seringapatam
again--Storming of Ahmednuggur--Battle of Assaye--Battle of
Argaum--Return home--Captain Cargill’s recollections--Highland
dress laid aside--The Peninsula--Busaco--Various skirmishes--Fuentes
d’Onor--Badajoz--Ciudad Rodrigo--Badajoz--Salamanca--Vitoria
--Roncesvalles--Nivelle--Nive--Orthes--Toulouse--Home--Medals
--Burning of the old colours--Nova Scotia--The Bermudas--Ireland
--Barbadoes--West Indies--North America--England--Highland garb
restored.

ASSAYE (with the elephant).
SERINGAPATAM.
BUSACO.
FUENTES D’ONOR.
CIUDAD RODRIGO.
BADAJOS.
SALAMANCA.
VITORIA.
PYRENEES.
NIVELLE.
ORTHES.
TOULOUSE.
PENINSULA.]

In the year 1787 four new regiments were ordered to be raised for the service of the state, to be numbered the 74th, 75th, 76th, and 77th. The first two were directed to be raised in the north of Scotland, and were to be Highland regiments. The regimental establishment of each was to consist of ten companies of 75 men each, with the customary number of commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Major-General Sir Archibald Campbell, K.B., from the half-pay of Fraser’s Highlanders, was appointed colonel of the 74th regiment.[438]

The establishment of the regiment was fixed at ten companies, consisting of--

1 Colonel and Captain.
1 Lieutenant-Colonel and Captain.
1 Major and Captain.
7 Captains.
1 Captain-Lieutenant.
21 Lieutenants.
8 Ensigns.
1 Chaplain.
1 Adjutant.
1 Quartermaster.
1 Surgeon.
2 Surgeon’s Mates.
30 Sergeants.
40 Corporals.
20 Drummers.
2 Fifers, and
710 Privates.

A recruiting company was afterwards added, which consisted of--

1 Captain.
2 Lieutenants.
1 Ensign.
8 Sergeants.
8 Corporals.
4 Drummers.
30 Privates.

Total of Officers and Men of all ranks, 902.

The regiment was styled “The 74th Highland Regiment of Foot.” The uniform was the full Highland garb of kilt and feathered bonnet, the tartan being similar to that of the 42nd regiment, and the facings white; the use of the kilt was, however, discontinued in the East Indies, as being unsuited to the climate.

The following were the officers first appointed to the regiment:--

_Colonel_--Archibald Campbell, K.B.
_Lieutenant-Colonel_--Gordon Forbes.

_Captains._

Dugald Campbell.
Alexander Campbell.
Archibald Campbell.
William Wallace.
Robert Wood.

_Captain-Lieutenant and Captain_--Heneage Twysden.

_Lieutenants._

James Clark.
Charles Campbell.
John Campbell.
Thomas Carnie.
W. Coningsby Davies.
Dugald Lamont.
John Alexander.
Samuel Swinton.
John Campbell.
Charles Campbell.
George Henry Vansittart.
Archibald Campbell.

_Ensigns._

John Forbes.
Alexander Stewart.
James Campbell.
John Wallace.
Hugh M’Pherson.

_Chaplain_--John Ferguson.
_Adjutant_--Samuel Swinton.
_Quartermaster_--James Clark.
_Surgeon_--William Henderson.

As the state of affairs in India required that reinforcements should be immediately despatched to that country, all the men who had been embodied previous to January 1788 were ordered for embarkation, without waiting for the full complement. In consequence of these orders, 400 men, about one-half Highlanders, embarked at Grangemouth, and sailed from Chatham for the East Indies, under the command of Captain William Wallace. The regiment having been completed in autumn, the recruits followed in February 1789, and arrived at Madras in June in perfect health. They joined the first detachment at the cantonments of Poonamallee, and thus united, the corps amounted to 750 men. These were now trained under Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, who had succeeded Lieutenant-Colonel Forbes in the command, and who had acquired some experience in the training of soldiers as captain in Fraser’s Highlanders.

From a painting by J. C. Wood.]

In connection with the main army under Lord Cornwallis, the Madras army under General Meadows, of which the 74th formed a part, began a series of movements in the spring of 1790. The defence of the passes leading into the Carnatic from Mysore was intrusted to Colonel Kelly, who, besides his own corps, had under him the 74th; but he dying in September, Colonel Maxwell[439] succeeded to the command.

The 74th was put in brigade with the 71st and 72nd Highland regiments. The regiment suffered no loss in the different movements which took place till the storming of Bangalore, on the 21st of March 1791. The whole loss of the British, however, was only 5 men. After the defeat of Tippoo Sahib at Seringapatam, on the 15th of May 1791, the army, in consequence of bad weather and scarcity of provisions, retreated upon Bangalore, reaching that place in July.

The 74th was detached from the army at Nundeedroog on the 21st of October, with three Sepoy battalions and some field artillery, under Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, into the Baramahal country, which this column was ordered to clear of the enemy. They reached the south end of the valley by forced marches, and took the strong fort of Penagurh by escalade on the 31st of October, and after scouring the whole of the Baramahal to the southward, returned towards Caverypooram, and encamped within five miles of the strong fort of Kistnagherry, 50 miles S.E. of Bangalore, on the 7th of November. Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell determined on attacking the lower fort and town immediately, and the column advanced from the camp to the attack in three divisions at ten o’clock on that night; two of these were sent to the right and left to attack the lower fort on the western and eastern sides, while the centre division advanced directly towards the front wall. The divisions approached close to the walls before they were discovered, succeeded in escalading them, and got possession of the gates. The enemy fled to the upper fort without making much resistance, and the original object of the attack was thus gained. But a most gallant attempt was made by Captain Wallace of the 74th, who commanded the right division, to carry the almost inaccessible upper fort also. His division rushed up in pursuit of the fugitives; and notwithstanding the length and steepness of the ascent, his advanced party followed the enemy so closely that they had barely time to shut the gates. Their standard was taken on the steps of the gateway; but as the ladders had not been brought forward in time, it was impossible to escalade before the enemy recovered from their panic.

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The Scottish Highlands, Highland Clans and Highland Regiments, Volume 2 (of 2)Chapter LIII: Introduction: Military character of the Highlands (20)

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