Chapter LXVII: Introduction: Military character of the Highlands (34)

In the beginning of Dec. 1842 a force, consisting of 800 men, of whom 400 belonged to the 1st battalion of the 91st, was ordered to proceed from the eastern frontier to the northern boundary, an insurrection of the Dutch farmers having been expected in that quarter. This force, commanded by Colonel Hare, the Lieutenant-Governor, arrived at Colesberg, a village near the Orange river, about the end of the month. No active operations were, however, found necessary, and the troops were ordered to return to their quarters, after leaving 300 men of the 91st in cantonment at Colesberg. Previous to the force breaking up, Colonel Hare issued a frontier order, dated Feb. 1st, 1843, in which he expressed his admiration of the conduct of officers and men.

In the beginning of June 1843 nearly all the disposable troops on the eastern frontier were ordered on a special service to Kaffirland. The 1st and reserve battalions of the 91st furnished detachments for this service. The object of the expedition was to drive a refractory Kaffir chief, named Tola, from the neutral territory, and to dispossess him of a number of cattle stolen from the colony. The third division, commanded by Lt.-Col. Lindsay of the 91st Regiment, in the performance of this duty encountered some opposition from a body of armed Kaffirs, in a skirmish with whom one man of the battalion was severely wounded. The force returned to the colony in the beginning of the following July, having captured a considerable number of cattle.

The emigrant farmers beyond the Orange river, or N.E. boundary of the colony, having early in the year 1845 committed aggressions on the Griquas or Bastards, by attacking their villages and kraals, and carrying off their cattle, &c., the Griquas claimed the protection of the British Government, the Boers having assembled in large bodies. Accordingly, the detachment of the 91st stationed at Colesberg, consisting of the grenadiers No. 2 and light companies, under the command of Major J. F. G. Campbell, was ordered to the Orange river, about fifteen miles from Colesberg. The detachment, along with a company of the Cape Mounted Riflemen, crossed the river on the night of April 22nd, and marched to Philippolis, a village of the Griquas.

Information having been received that the Boers were encamped in force at Touw Fontein, about thirty-five miles from Philippolis, the detachment marched on the night of the 23rd of April for the camp, within four miles of which camp the Boers and Griquas were found skirmishing, the former, 500 strong, being mounted. Dispositions were made to attack the camp, but the troops of the 7th Dragoon Guards and the company of the Cape Rifles pushed forward, and the Boers fled in all directions, after offering a very slight resistance. The detachment of the 91st remained encamped until the 30th of June, when it was ordered to Grahamstown.

On Nov. 25th of this year the 1st battalion was inspected by Colonel Hare, who, at the same time, presented the regiment with new colours, and expressed in a few words his entire approval of the battalion.

At the commencement of the Kaffir war, in March 1846, the battalion proceeded to Fort Peddie, in the ceded territory,[543] and shortly afterwards it was joined by detachments of the corps from various outposts. The grenadier company at the commencement of the war was attached to the field force under Colonel Somerset, K.H., and was engaged in the Amatola Mountains with the enemy on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of April, when Lt. J. D. Cochrane was severely wounded. What details we have been able to collect concerning the part taken by the 91st in this long and arduous engagement we shall record in speaking of the reserve battalion, which was also largely engaged during these three days.

After this the grenadier company was attached to the reserve battalion, with the exception of a few men, who accompanied Captain Hogg’s Hottentot levy to Makassa’s Country.

The headquarters of the battalion was engaged in protecting the Fingoe settlement at Fort Peddie, being stationed there when the post was attacked, on the 28th of May 1846, by upwards of 8000 Kaffirs. The strength of the battalion consisted of 254 officers and men; there was also a weak troop of cavalry at the post. The details of this attack will be best told in the words of a writer quoted by Mrs Ward:--[544]

“Finding their scheme of drawing the troops out did not succeed,
small parties advanced in skirmishing order, and then the two
divisions of Páto and the Gaikas moved towards each other, as if
intending a combined attack on some given point. Colonel Lindsay was
superintending the working of the gun himself, and, as soon as a
body of the Gaikas came within range, a shot was sent into the midst
of them, which knocked over several, disconcerted them a little,
and threw them into confusion; rapid discharges of shot and shell
followed. The Kaffirs now extended themselves in a line six miles in
length. These advancing at the same time, so filled the valley that
it seemed a mass of moving Kaffirs; rockets and shells were poured
rapidly on them, and presently a tremendous fire of musketry was
poured, happily, over our heads. The enemy, however, did not come
near enough for the infantry to play upon them, and only a few shots
were fired from the infantry barracks.

“The dragoons were ordered out, and, though rather late, followed
up some of Páto’s men, who fled at their approach, Sir Harry Darell
galloping after them with his troop. The daring Fingoes followed the
Kaffirs to the Gwanga river, four miles off.

“Upwards of 200 of the enemy fell, and more were afterwards
ascertained to be dead and dying, but they carried off the greater
part of the cattle.”

Towards the end of June the battalion furnished to the second division of the army, under Colonel Somerset, three companies under a field officer, which proceeded with the division as far as the Buffalo affluents in Kaffraria, and rejoined headquarters, when the division fell back for supplies, on Waterloo Bay in September. The whole force was under the command of Sir Peregrine Maitland, and, after encountering many difficulties, hardships, and privations, successfully effected the object of the expedition.

Soon after this the battalion furnished detachments for the Fish River line, from Trompeter’s Drift to Fort-Brown; and, after the second advance of the 2nd division into the enemy’s country, performed a very considerable amount of escort duty in guarding convoys of supplies for the Kei river and other camps.

During the remainder of the stay of the 1st battalion at the Cape, we have no record of its being engaged in any expedition. On January 12th, 1848, it marched from Grahamstown to Algoa Bay, and thence proceeded to Cape Town, where headquarters and three companies embarked for home on the 23rd of February, followed on the 10th of March by the other three companies, arriving at Gosport on the 28th of April and 11th of May respectively. The dépôt was consolidated with the battalion on the 1st of May.

By a memorandum, dated “Horse Guards, 5th May 1846,” a second lieut.-colonel was appointed to the 91st, as well as to all the regiments having reserve battalions; he was to have the command of the reserve battalion.

II.

1842-1857.

The reserve battalion--Captain Bertie Gordon cures
desertion--Grahamstown--Fort Beaufort--Kaffir War--Amatola
Mountains--The Tyumie River--A daring deed--Trompeter’s
Hill--Amatola and Tabindoda Mountains--“Weel done, Sodger!”--The
Kei River--The Rebel Boers--Grahamstown--The Second Kaffir
War--Fort Hare--The Yellow Woods--Amatola Mountains--Fort Hare
attacked--Kumnegana Heights--The Waterkloof--The Kumnegana
again--Amatola Mountains and the Tyumie--The Waterkloof--The
Waterkloof again--Patrol work--The Waterkloof again--Eland’s
Post--The Kei--The Waterkloof again--Blinkwater and other
posts--From Beaufort to Port Elizabeth--The battalion receives
an ovation--Home--Redistribution of regiment--Aldershot--The
Queen visits the lines of the 91st--“The Queen’s Hut”--Duke
of Cambridge compliments the regiment--Second visit of the
Queen--Berwick--Preston--Final absorption of the second battalion.

To return to the reserve battalion. During Oct. and Nov. 1842 desertions had taken place among the young soldiers of the reserve battalion, then at Cape Town, to an unusual extent. At length, when eighteen soldiers had deserted in less than six weeks, and every night was adding to the number, Captain Bertie Gordon volunteered his services to the Major commanding, offering to set off on the same day on a patrolling expedition, to endeavour to apprehend and bring the deserters back. Captain Gordon only stipulated to be allowed the help of one brother officer and of a Cape Corps soldier as an interpreter, with a Colonial Office Order addressed to all field-coronets, directing them to give him such assistance, in the way of furnishing horses for his party and conveyances for his prisoners, as he might require. Captain Gordon’s offer was accepted.

Captain Gordon had not the slightest trace or information of the track of a single deserter to guide his course over the wide districts through which his duty might lead his patrol. In taking leave of his commanding officer before riding off, Major Ducat said to him,--“Gordon, if you do not bring them back we are a ruined battalion.” The patrol was absent from headquarters for eight days, during which Captain Gordon rode over 600 miles; and when, on the evening of the 16th of Nov., his tired party rode into the barracks of Cape Town, just before sunset, after a ride of 80 miles in 13 hours, 16 out of 18 deserters had been already lodged in the regimental guard-room as the result of his exertions. Two more deserters, hearing that Captain Gordon was out, had come in of their own accord, and thus all were satisfactorily accounted for. The desertions in the reserve battalion from that period ceased.

The battalion embarked on the morning of Feb. 22nd, 1842, for Algoa Bay, but the ship did not sail till the 27th, anchoring in Algoa Bay on March 4th, the battalion disembarking at Port Elizabeth on the 5th. On the 7th the reserve battalion set out for Grahamstown, which it reached on the 13th, and took up quarters at Fort England with the 1st battalion of the regiment.

In the beginning of Jan. 1844 the reserve battalion left Grahamstown for Fort Beaufort, which became its headquarters for the next four years, detachments being constantly sent out to occupy the many posts which were established, and keep the turbulent Kaffirs in check.

In the early part of 1846 the Kaffir war was commenced, and on April 11th the headquarters of the reserve battalion, augmented to 200 rank and file by the grenadier company of the 1st battalion, marched from Fort Beaufort into Kaffirland with the division, under command of Col. Richardson of the 7th Dragoon Guards; and, on the 14th, the detachment joined Col. Somerset’s division near the Debè Flats. The object of this expedition was to chastise the Kaffirs for some outrages which they had committed on white settlers,--one of which was the murder of a German missionary in cold blood, in open day, by some of the people of the chief named Páto.

The attack on the Kaffirs in the Amatola mountains having been ordered for an early hour on April 16th, and the rendezvous having been fixed at the source of the Amatola River, the 91st, of the strength already given, under command of Major Campbell, with about an equal number of Hottentot Burghers, crossed the Keiskamma river, and ascended the Amatola valley. During the greater part of the way the march was through dense bush, with precipitous and craggy mountains on each hand. On reaching the head of the valley the Kaffirs, estimated at from 2000 to 3000, were seen on the surrounding heights, closing in upon the force. The ascent to the place of rendezvous was by a narrow rugged path, with rocks and bush on both sides, and, when the party had got about half-way up the hill, it was attacked on each flank, and was soon exposed to a cross-fire from three sides of a square, the enemy having closed on the rear. The height was gained, however, and the party then kept its ground until joined by Colonel Somerset with the rest of the force shortly afterwards; while waiting for the latter the party was repeatedly attacked. In the performance of this service the 91st had 3 privates killed, and several wounded, 3 severely.

During the night of the 16th a division, under Major Gibsone of the 7th Dragoon Guards, which had been left in charge of the baggage at Burns’ Hill, was attacked and the recklessly brave Captain Bambrick of the same regiment killed.

“Major Gibsone’s despatch states further--‘About seven o’clock,
just as I had diminished the size of my camp, we were attacked by
a considerable body of Kaffirs, whom we beat off in six or seven
minutes, I am sorry to say, with the loss of 4 men of the 91st
killed, and 4 wounded.’

“On the 17th, Major Gibsone, in compliance with Colonel Somerset’s
instructions, moved from Burns’ Hill at half-past ten A.M. From
the number of waggons (125), and the necessity of giving a support
to the guns, Major Gibsone was only enabled to form a front and
rear baggage-guard, and could not detach any men along the line of
waggons. After proceeding about a mile, shots issued from a kloof
by the side of the road; Lieut. Stokes, R.E., ran the gun up to a
point some 300 yards in advance, and raked the kloof with a shell.
When half the waggons had passed, the Kaffirs made a dash upon one
of them, firing at the drivers and some officers’ servants, who
were obliged to fly; then took out the oxen, and wheeled the waggon
across the river. An overpowering force then rushed down from the
hills in all directions, keeping up an incessant fire, which was
returned by the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 91st with great spirit.
The gun was also served with much skill; but, owing to the Kaffirs’
immense superiority in numbers, Major Gibsone, to prevent his men
from being cut off, was obliged to return to Burns’ Hill, where
he again put the troops in position. A short time after this, a
company of the 91st, under Major Scott, advanced in skirmishing
order, keeping up a heavy fire; but the waggons completely blocking
up the road, the troops were obliged to make a _détour_, and, after
considerable difficulty, succeeded in getting the ammunition-waggons
into a proper line, but found it quite impracticable to save the
baggage-waggons, the Kaffirs having driven away the oxen. One of
the ammunition-waggons broke down, but the ammunition was removed
to another; the troops then fought their way, inch by inch, to the
Tyumie camp, where they were met by Colonel Somerset’s division, and
where they again encamped for the night.”[545]

On the 18th the camp, with captured cattle, was moved to Block Drift; the guard on the large train of waggons consisted of a detachment of the 91st regiment, under Captain Scott. The rear of the retiring column was brought up by Captain Rawstorne of the 91st and his company, assisted by Lieut. Howard of the 1st battalion. The enemy vigorously attacked the waggons and the division whenever they found cover from the dense bush, which extended the greater part of the distance to Block Drift. Captain Rawstorne was wounded in the stomach by a musket ball, and 1 man of the 91st was killed and 1 mortally wounded.

On approaching the Tyumie river, the ammunition of Captain Rawstorne’s company being all expended, it was relieved from protecting the rear by the grenadier company of the 91st. The waggons crossed the river, the drift being held by the reserve battalion of the 91st and a few dismounted dragoons, the guns of the royal artillery firing from the higher ground on the opposite side of the river.

Again to quote Mrs Ward--[546]

“Thus, scarcely 1500 men, not all regular troops, encumbered with
125 waggons, made their way into the fastnesses of these savages,
who were many thousands in number; and although unable to follow up
the enemy, of whom they killed at least 300, succeeded in saving all
their ammunition, captured 1800 head of cattle, and finally fought
their way to the original ground of dispute.

“Among the slain was afterwards discovered a soldier of the 91st,
who had probably been burned to death by the savages, as his remains
were found bound to the pole of a waggon, and horribly defaced by
fire.”

The headquarters of the reserve battalion remained at Block Drift until the July following. On the 12th of May it was attacked by the Kaffirs, who were repulsed, with the loss of a chief and 60 men killed; the 91st had 1 man mortally wounded.[547]

From a drawing by Major Ward, 91st.]

Lieut. Dickson of the reserve battalion of the 91st, while commanding at Trompeter’s Drift, frequently obtained the approbation of Sir Peregrine Maitland and Lt.-Col. Johnston for his great zeal and activity; and on the 21st of May, when a convoy of waggons, proceeding from Grahamstown and Fort Peddie, was attacked and captured by the enemy on Trompeter’s Hill, the gallant conduct of Lt. Dickson, who had voluntarily joined the escort, was highly commended by his Excellency the commander-in-chief, in general orders. In reference to this incident, Mrs Ward writes as follows:--

“On this occasion Lieut. Dickson, 91st Regiment, who had been
ordered to assist in escorting the waggons a certain distance, till
the other escort was met, nobly volunteered to proceed further, and
led the advance; nor did he retire till his ammunition was expended.
On reaching the rear, he found the commanding officer of the party
retreating, by the advice of some civilians, who considered the
defile impassable for so many waggons, under such a fire. Lieut.
Dickson’s coolness, courage, and energy, in not only leading the
men, but literally ‘putting his shoulder to the wheel’ of a waggon,
to clear the line, were spoken of by all as worthy of the highest
praise. His horse, and that of Ensign Aitchison, were shot under
their riders.”

On July 27th, the battalion proceeded with Colonel Hare’s division to the Amatola mountains, and was present in the different operations undertaken against the Kaffirs between that time and the end of December, when the battalion returned to Block Drift, and thence proceeded to Fort Beaufort, where it remained stationary until the renewal of hostilities against the Kaffirs in the following year.

The head-quarters and two companies entered Kaffirland with Col. Campbell’s column, and were present in the operations undertaken in the Amatola and Tabindoda mountains during the months of Sept. and Oct.[548] As a result of these operations the Kaffir chief, Sandilli, surrendered, the 91st having had only 3 men wounded. Lt.-Col. Campbell and the above column received the warmest approbation of Lt.-Gen. Sir George Berkeley in Orders of Dec. 17th, 1847, at the close of the war.

At the end of Oct. the two companies above mentioned, under the command of Capt. Scott, marched to King-Williamstown to join the force about to proceed to the Kei river, under the commander-in-chief, Lt.-Gen. Sir George Berkeley. They were attached to Col. Somerset’s division, and served therewith until the end of December, when peace was concluded, and the detachment of the 91st returned to Fort Beaufort.

We regret that we have been unable to obtain more details of the part taken by the 91st during the Kaffir War of 1846-47, in which it was prominently employed. Among those who were honourably mentioned by Sir Peregrine Maitland, in general orders, for their conduct in defending their respective posts when attacked, were Lts. Metcalfe and Thom, and Sergeants Snodgrass and Clark of the 91st.

The reserve battalion removed from Fort Beaufort to Grahamstown in Jan. 1848, nothing of note occurring until the month of July. In that month two companies under the command of Capt. Rawstorne marched from Grahamstown to Colesberg, to co-operate with a force under the immediate command of the Governor, Lt.-Gen. Sir Harry Smith, against the rebel Boers in the N.E. district. After an arduous and protracted march, owing to the inclement season, and swollen state of the rivers, the companies reached the Governor’s camp on the Orange river, on August 24th. Detachments under Lt. Owgan, from Fort Beaufort, and under Ensign Crampton, from Fort England, here joined, so that the strength of the party of the 91st amounted to 178 officers and men.

After the troops had crossed, Captain Rawstorne remained at Bothas Drift, on the Orange river, with a party of 40 men of the 91st, to guard the Drift, and keep open the communication with the colony. The remainder of the party, furnished by the reserve battalion, under Lt. Pennington, proceeded with the Governor’s force in pursuit of the rebels, and was engaged in a most severe and spirited skirmish with the enemy at Boem Plaats on Aug. 29th, when Ensign Crampton, Lt. Owen, and 5 privates were wounded. The enemy held a very strong position, occupying a series of koppies on the right of the road, from which they kept up a heavy fire, against which the Rifle Brigade advanced, supported by the 45th Regiment and artillery. The 91st remained with the guns till the enemy appeared among the ridges on the left, when they were immediately ordered to fix bayonets and charge, which they did in the most gallant manner, causing the enemy to retreat in the greatest confusion, and driving them from every successive hill on which they took up a position, until nightfall. The pursuit was continued with untiring energy, and severe loss to the enemy. Lt. Pennington’s name was mentioned by the Commander-in-Chief in his despatch as commanding on that occasion a detachment of the reserve battalion of the 91st, which shared in the praise bestowed by His Excellency on the troops.

The companies returned to Grahamstown on the 15th of October, and from this date the headquarters of the battalion remained at Fort England and Drostdy’s Barracks, Grahamstown, for upwards of two years, sending out detachments to perform the ordinary outpost duties of the frontier.

At the outbreak of the second Kaffir war, at the end of 1850, every available man was required for active operations in the field, and the reserve battalion of the 91st marched en route to Fort Hare on Dec. 12th. On the 26th a small detachment of the regiment, under Lt. Mainwaring, marched from Fort Hare to patrol the vicinity of the “military villages,”[549] about six miles distant. As Kaffirs were observed to be assembling in force, a reinforcement from Fort Hare was sent for; on the arrival of this, the patrol proceeded across the country to the Tyumie (or Chumie) Missionary Station, where it halted for a short time. On the patrol leaving the missionary station, a fire was opened on its rear, which was kept up until the party got in sight of Fort Hare, when a company was sent out to assist.

On Dec. 29th a detachment of the 91st, led by Colonel Yarborough, marched towards Fort Cox, under Colonel Somerset, for the purpose of opening a communication with the Commander of the Forces, who was surrounded by the enemy, and of throwing in a supply of cattle for the troops. When nearing the Kamka or Yellow-Woods river, the Kaffirs opened a heavy fire upon this force, when two companies were thrown out in extended order, and advanced till they reached the base of the hill which surmounts the Umnassie (or Peel’s) Valley, where a formidable force of the enemy had taken up a position behind rocks which skirt the summit of the hill. It was then found necessary to retire, the Kaffirs endeavouring to outflank and cut off the retreat. A reinforcement was sent from Fort Hare to the assistance of the patrol, which enabled it to return to the fort after a severe struggle, in which Lts. Melvin and Gordon, and 20 men were killed, and Lt. Borthwick, 2 sergeants, and 16 men were wounded; 2 of the latter dying of their wounds.

On the 7th of January 1851, Fort Beaufort, in which was a small detachment of the 91st, under Captain Pennington, was attacked by a numerous force of Kaffirs, under the Chief Hermanes, when the latter was killed in the square of the fort.

On Feb. 24th, the Kaffirs in force, from 5000 to 7000, surrounded Fort Hare, and endeavoured to capture the Fingoes’ cattle, but were repulsed by 100 men of the 91st, under Ensign Squirl.

For the next few months the regiment furnished frequent detachments for the performance of patrol duty, which required considerable tact, and was attended with considerable danger. On one of these occasions, June 27th, when a detachment of the 91st was with Colonel Eyre’s division, Ensign Pickwick and 1 private were wounded.

On the 24th of June, a detachment of 180 men of the 91st, under Major Forbes, proceeded to the Amatola mountains, under command of Major-General Somerset, and was engaged with the enemy on the 26th, 27th, and 28th of June, and the 2nd of July. A General Order was issued on July 3rd, in which the Commander-in-Chief spoke in high terms of the conduct of the troops on this occasion, when the operations were crowned with signal success and the complete discomfiture of the enemy; 2200 head of cattle and 50 horses fell into the hands of the troops, while the enemy were driven with considerable loss from every one of the strong and almost insurmountable passes they attempted to defend.

“The accuracy and energy,” the Order says, “with which Major-General
Somerset carried into effect with the 1st division [to which the
91st Regiment belonged], the part assigned to him in the complicated
and combined movements, deserve the Commander-in-Chief’s highest
praise. His column sustained the chief opposition of the enemy,
principally composed of rebel Hottentots, who resisted our troops
with great determination.”

Previous to this, on June 6th, Captain Cahill of the 91st, with a small detachment, joined a patrol under Lt.-Col. Michell, which was attacked by a body of the enemy at Fort Wiltshire. It joined Colonel M’Kinnon’s division on the Debè, captured a number of cattle and horses, and patrolled Seyolo’s country, returning to Fort Peddie on the 12th.

On the 14th of June the enemy, taking advantage of Major-General Somerset’s absence from Fort Hare, assembled their bands in the neighbourhood, with the intention of carrying off the Fingoe’s cattle. Lt.-Col. Yarborough promptly despatched all the Fingoes, supported by 160 men of the 91st, under Lt. Mainwaring, for the protection of the herds. The Fingoes gallantly attacked the Kaffirs, completely routing them, killing 14 of their number, and re-capturing the whole of the cattle.

On the 8th of August a detachment of the 91st, under Lt. Rae, proceeded from Fort Peddie to escort cattle and waggons to Gentleman’s Bush, and after handing them over returned and joined a patrol under Lt.-Col. Michell. The patrol on the following morning marched to Kamnegana Heights, and on arriving there lay concealed till 9 A.M., and afterwards descending to reconnoitre were nearly surrounded by the enemy, when Major Wilmot’s life was saved by Sergeant Ewen Ferguson of the 91st. The patrol retired, and attacked the enemy again on the following morning, returning to Fort Peddie on the 11th.

From October 13th to the 23rd a detachment of the 91st, consisting of 318 of all ranks under Lt.-Col. Yarborough, was engaged with the enemy in a series of combined movements at the Waterkloof, as also on the 6th and 7th of November. An idea of the nature of the work which the regiment had to perform may be obtained from the following extract from the “Precis,” transmitted to the Commander-in-Chief by Major-General Somerset, who commanded the expedition. On the night of the 13th the force had encamped on one of the spruits of the Kaal Hoek river, and on the 14th Major-General Somerset writes:--

“Marched at 1 A.M.; very thick fog. Gained the ascent above Bush Nek
by 5 A.M. At 7 A.M. moved to the bush at the head of the Waterkloof;
observed the enemy in force along the whole face of the ridge. At
half-past 7 I observed Lt.-Col. Fordyce’s brigade on the opposite
ridge; moved up Lt. Field’s guns, and opened on the enemy, who
showed at the head of the Blinkwater. Ordered Lt.-Col. Michel’s
brigade forward, and sent a squadron of Cape Mounted Rifles and two
battalions forward, directing a strong body of skirmishers to be
thrown into and line the forest. These were immediately received by
a smart fire from the enemy at several points. This sharp attack
drove the enemy from their position, which they evacuated, and
retired into Blinkwater and Waterkloof. The enemy continued to show
themselves. I reinforced the skirmishers with two companies of the
91st, dismounted a troop of the Cape Mounted Rifles, and ordered the
whole to push through the ravine, and to communicate with Lt.-Col.
Fordyce’s brigade, and to order them through. This movement was well
effected. In the meantime the enemy continued their efforts to annoy
us. Having brought the brigade through, and the enemy being beaten,
and all the troops having been under arms from 1 A.M., I retired to
form camp at Mandell’s Farm, leaving one squadron, one battalion,
and two guns of the Royal Artillery to cover the movement. On
commencing our move the enemy came out in force and opened a smart
fire, following the rear-guard. The enemy were driven off. The
troops encamped at Mandell’s at 5 o’clock, after being under arms
for eighteen hours.”

So in all the operations of the succeeding days, in and around the almost inaccessible Waterkloof, the 91st, to judge from the merest hints in Major-General Somerset’s despatches, must have performed important services, especially when acting as skirmishers. The fighting continued almost without intermission up to the 7th of November, the loss to the regiment being 1 private killed, and Ensign Ricketts and 8 privates wounded; the ensign afterwards died of his wound, and was buried in the little group of graves at Post Retief.

The next operations in which the 91st seems to have been engaged was on the 30th of December, when Lt. Mackenzie and a small detachment joined a patrol under Major Wilmot, which proceeded from Fort Peddie to the Goga, where it arrived at daylight on the following morning. The patrol lay concealed in the bush until the morning of the 1st of January 1852, and then proceeded to the Kamnegana, scouring the bush and destroying a number of huts. On entering a path lined on both sides with huts the patrol commenced to destroy them, and was vigorously opposed by the Kaffirs, who commenced a heavy fire on its advance, when Major Wilmot was killed by a musket ball fired from one of the huts. Lt. Mackenzie immediately assumed command of the patrol, which was between three camps occupied by the enemy, when he found it necessary to retreat to Fort Peddie, carrying Major Wilmot’s body with him.

On the 26th of Jan. a detachment of 416 of all ranks of the 91st under Lt.-Col. Yarborough marched from Fort Hare, and was employed in destroying the enemy’s crops on the Amatola mountains and Tyumie until the end of Feb., when it proceeded to Haddon. On the 4th of March the force proceeded to the Waterkloof, and was engaged in a combined movement[550] against the Kaffirs from daylight on that morning until evening, the casualties to the regiment being 1 sergeant and 3 privates killed, and Lt.-Col. Yarborough, Ensign Hibbert, 3 sergeants, and 12 privates wounded, 1 of the sergeants and 1 private ultimately dying of their wounds.[551] Sir Harry Smith in writing to Earl Grey said, “Lt.-Col. Yarborough of the 91st is a steady officer, and greatly distinguished himself on the day he was wounded;” and in reference to this occasion a Division Order, dated March 5th, was issued by Major-General Somerset, from which the following is an extract:--

“The movement was most ably and gallantly conducted by Lt.-Col.
Yarborough.... He attributes the comparatively small loss to the
manner in which the enemy was charged, checked, and driven back when
pressing on in great force, although with every advantage of ground.”

We may mention here that on board the “Birkenhead” when she was wrecked on the morning of Feb. 26, 1852,[552] were Captain Wright and 41 privates of the 91st.

To the memory of
Colonel Edward W:C:Wright C:B
late 91^{st} Highlanders
and Deputy Inspector of Reserve Forces
who died 26^{th} August 1871 Aged 57.

Cap^t Wright was the senior surviving Officer
of the Troops embarked in Her Majestys Ship
Birkenhead wrecked off the Cape of Good
Hope on 26. Feby:1852: For his distinguished
service on this occasion he was promoted to the
rank of Major and awarded a good service pension

He was also engaged in the Kaffir wars of 1846-47 and
1852-53 for which he was granted the medal and promoted
for service in the Field to the rank of Lt. Colonel:
This Tablet is erected by his Brother Officers

MDCCCLLXXIII ]

On the 10th of March a force of 375 of all ranks of the 91st, under Major Forbes, was again engaged at the Waterkloof in a combined movement,[553] in which 11 rank and file of the regiment were wounded. The Commander-in-Chief, in writing of these operations, said:--

“Lt.-Col. Napier moved on the 10th up the Waterkloof Valley, and
on entering the narrow and difficult ground towards its head, it
was evident that the enemy meditated an attack upon the rear, and
Colonel Napier accordingly placed the 91st regiment, under Major
Forbes, in a position to resist it. This was most effectually done
after a short fight, and Colonel Napier gained and maintained his
position.”

On the 17th of March the battalion, under Major Forbes, proceeded from Blinkwater _en route_ to Thorn river with Colonel Napier’s division, patrolling the country, capturing the enemy’s cattle, and destroying the crops. The following extracts from a report of Colonel Napier, dated “Camp, Quantie River, 8th April 1852,” gives some details of the work done by the force, of which the 91st formed part:--

“I marched from the camp at the Thomas river at 9 A.M. on the 5th
instant, and encamped at the Quantie river at 4 P.M. Next morning I
sent Captain Tylden’s force, the whole of the mounted Burghers and
Fingoes, before daylight to scour the country between the Thomas
river and the Kei, while I followed in support with the Cape Mounted
Rifles, 60 of the 74th regiment, 200 of the 91st regiment, and the
Kat River levy, leaving Captain Robinson, R.A., with the gun and
100 of the line to take charge of the camp. At noon I perceived
Captain Tylden on a hill to my front, and the Burghers on another to
my left, who made a signal (previously agreed upon) that they saw
cattle and wanted support.”

The cattle, however, were too far off to attempt to capture them that afternoon, and the infantry remained on the heights. The attack was resumed next day, when the Kaffirs were made to retreat, and a great quantity of cattle, horses, and goats were captured.

“The infantry, under Major Forbes, 91st regiment,” the report
states, “were not engaged with the enemy; but, from the judicious
position the Major took up, were of great use in preventing the
cattle escaping from Captain Tylden.”

The battalion returned to Blinkwater on the 16th of May. During the greater part of July operations were carried on against the enemy in the Waterkloof region, in which a detachment of the 91st formed a part of the force engaged. It was probably during these operations that an attack by a body of rebels upon Eland’s Post was gallantly repulsed by a small detachment of the 91st stationed there under Captain Wright (the survivor of the “Birkenhead.”) The enemy appeared in considerable force, and manœuvred with all the skill of disciplined troops, extending, advancing, and retiring by sound of bugle. After endeavouring, almost successfully, to draw the little garrison into an ambuscade, they sounded the “close” and the “advance,” and moved on to the fort. Captain Wright, with only 23 men of the 91st, then marched out to meet them, and, being joined by a party of the Kat River levy, drove them off with loss.

On the 30th of July the battalion marched from Blinkwater, under Major Forbes, on an expedition which lasted during a great part of August, across the Kei, to capture cattle from the chief Kreli. The expedition was very successful, having captured many thousand head of cattle.

On the 14th of September the battalion, under Major Forbes, marched from Blinkwater to unite with a force under His Excellency General Cathcart to expell the Kaffirs and rebel Hottentots from the Waterkloof. The troops having been concentrated in the neighbourhood of the Waterkloof, were so posted as to command every accessible outlet from the scene of the intended operations, which consisted of an irregular hollow of several miles in extent, nearly surrounded by precipitous mountains, the bases of which, as well as the greater part of the interior basin, were densely wooded. The arduous nature of the duty imposed upon the troops of dislodging such an enemy from such a position may thus be faintly imagined. Four companies of the 91st and Cape Mounted Rifles were posted on the northern heights of the Waterkloof, while another detachment of the regiment and some irregulars from Blinkwater were to move up the Fuller’s Hoek ridge; other troops were judiciously posted all around the central position of the enemy. The dispositions having been completed, the several columns moved upon the fastnesses they were to clear at daylight on the 15th.

“The operations of that and the following day,” to quote General
Cathcart’s order, “were conducted with unabated vigour and great
judgment on the part of the officers in command. The troops
bivouacked each night on the ground of their operations, and pursued
on the following day, with an alacrity which cannot be too highly
commended, the arduous task of searching for and clearing the forest
and krantzes of the enemy. These appeared to be panic-stricken,
offering little resistance, but endeavouring to conceal themselves
in the caverns and crevices of the wooded hills, where many of
them were killed. The results of the three days’ operations have
been, the evacuation of the Waterkloof and other fastnesses by the
Tambookie chief Quashe and the Gaika chief Macomo and his adherents,
and the expulsion and destruction of the Hottentot marauders.”

Among those specially mentioned by the Commander-in-chief was Major Forbes of the 91st.

The battalion returned to Blinkwater on the 20th of September, where it stayed till the 29th, when it proceeded to Fort Fordyce, sending out detachments to the Waterkloof, Port Retief, and various other posts. The headquarters of the battalion remained at Fort Fordyce till the 10th of November 1853, when it marched to garrison Fort Beaufort, where it remained till July 1855, sending out detachments regularly to occupy various frontier posts.

On July 6th 1855 the battalion marched, under command of Major Wright, from Fort Beaufort _en route_ for embarkation at Port Elizabeth, having been ordered home, after a stay of thirteen years in the colony. Previous to its march, the Commander of the forces issued a General Order highly complimentary to the battalion; and the inhabitants of Fort Beaufort presented an address to the officers and men, which spoke in the highest terms of the conduct of the regiment during the Kaffir wars.

In marching through Grahamstown the battalion received a perfect ovation from the inhabitants and from the other regiments stationed there. About the middle of the pass which leads out of the town a sumptuous luncheon had been prepared for officers and men by the inhabitants; before partaking of which, however, the regiment was presented with an address, in the name of the inhabitants, expressive of their high regard and admiration for the officers and men of the 91st.

A very large number must have remained behind as settlers, as the battalion, when it embarked at Port Elizabeth on the 30th of July, numbered only 5 captains, 7 lieutenants, 4 staff, 21 sergeants, 14 corporals, 9 drummers, and 340 privates. Nothing of importance occurred during the voyage, the battalion disembarking at Chatham on the 29th of September.

From a Photograph.]

On the 10th of Nov., a letter was received from the Horse-Guards, directing a redistribution of the regiment into 6 service and 6 dépôt companies, each of 60 rank and file, besides officers and non-commissioned officers, the term “reserve battalion” being thenceforth discontinued, though, practically, the battalion seems to have lasted till 1857, when the dépôt companies of the two battalions were incorporated. We shall briefly carry the history of this battalion up to that time.

On the 4th of April 1856, the dépôt companies, as the reserve battalion was now called, left Chatham for Aldershot, under command of Lt.-Col. Gordon, and took up their quarters in the North Camp (Letter M).

On the 19th and 20th of April the troops in camp, including the 91st, were reviewed by Her Majesty, and on July the 16th the Queen visited the lines of the 91st. The royal carriage stopped in the centre of the 91st lines, where Her Majesty alighted, and entered one of the soldiers’ huts. The Queen walked quite through the hut, and asked questions of Lt.-Col. Gordon, and made observations indicating Her Majesty’s Gracious satisfaction. After leaving this hut, which belonged to No. 2 company (Capt. Lane’s), the Queen signified her desire to see the soldiers’ cook-house, which she entered, expressing her praise of its cleanliness and order, and of the excellence of the soup. The Queen then re-entered her carriage and proceeded at a foot pace through the other portions of the lines, Lt.-Col. Gordon walking by the side of Her Majesty, and pointing out various other excellent arrangements. After the Queen had departed the soldiers visited the hut which had received the royal visit, and surveyed it with a sort of wondering and reverential interest.

The following inscriptions were afterwards placed on the doors at each end of the hut (No. 6 hut, M lines, North Camp), which had been honoured by Her Majesty’s visit. On the front door:--

“Her Most Gracious Majesty, the Princess Royal, and the Princess
Alice, visited the lines of Her Majesty’s faithful soldiers of the
91st Argyll Regiment, and deigned to enter this hut. 16th June 1856.”

On the door in the private street:--

“Henceforth this hut shall be a sacred place,
And its rude floor an altar, for ’twas trod
By footsteps which her soldiers fain would trace,--
Pressed as if the rude planking were a sod,
By England’s monarch; none these marks efface,
They tell of Queenly trust, and loyalty approved of God.”

Orders were afterwards issued to the troops in camp at Aldershot, by direction of H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, calling attention to the manner in which the lines of the 91st camp were kept, and desiring that the same order and the same efforts to procure occupation and amusement for the soldiers might be made by the other regiments. The strictest orders were also issued to the barrack department to maintain the inscription on the “Queen’s Hut,” as it is called.

On the 7th of July, the lieutenant-general commanding made an unexpected visit of inspection of the lines of the regiment. Lt.-General Knollys expressed himself satisfied in the highest degree with the order of the lines, and with the companies’ huts, as also with the works completed by the dépôt to give amusement to the men.

On the same day Lt.-Col. Gordon received orders to be ready to proceed to Berwick-on-Tweed early on the following morning, and on the same evening the Queen, without warning, again passed down through the lines of the 91st, the royal carriage stopping opposite the door of the hut previously visited by Her Majesty, who read the inscription which had been placed over the door.

On the morning of July 8th the companies of the 91st left Aldershot by train for Berwick, stopping at Peterborough and York, and reaching Berwick on the 10th.

On Jan. 20th, 1857, Lt.-General Sir Harry Smith inspected the dépôt companies, and addressed Lt.-Col. Gordon and the battalion in a speech which was highly complimentary, afterwards assuring Lt.-Col. Gordon in a private note, that his words of praise “were as fully merited as they were freely bestowed.”

The dépôt companies remained in Berwick till the 3rd of March, when they proceeded by train to Preston, almost the entire population of Berwick accompanying the dépôt to the railway station. The Mayor and Sheriff had previously expressed to Lt.-Col. Rawstorne the general respect with which the conduct of all ranks had inspired the citizens, and the general regret which was felt at the removal of the 91st. At Preston, on the 30th of March 1857, the remains of the dépôt companies were incorporated with the dépôt battalion at Preston, commanded by Lt.-Col. Smith, C.B., while under the command of Brevet Lt.-Col. Rawstorne.

Thus ends the somewhat chequered history of the reserve battalion of the 91st; and now we shall return to the point at which we left off the history of the 1st battalion of the regiment.

III.

1857-1874.

The first battalion--Gosport--Dover--The regiment deprived of its
bagpipes--The northern district--Belfast--Excellent conduct of
the regiment--Enniskillen--Dublin--Cork--Furnishes volunteers to
Crimean regiments--Malta--Greece--The Piræus--Useful works of the
91st while in Greece--Major Gordon the moving spirit--Encampment at
Salamis Bay and Pentelicus--Reading-room started--Works executed at
the Piræus by the regiment--New system of promotion--Discovery of
the old Waterloo Roll--Old Colours--Highland dress and designation
restored--Home--The Queen’s attentions--Col. Gordon’s retirement--He
is succeeded by Lt.-Col. Sprot--His energy and efficiency--Marriage
of the Princess Louise--The 91st as her guard of honour--The
presents from the officers and men--Aldershot--Inverary Castle--The
Queen’s mark of approbation--The change of designation--Regimental
Museum--The Tontine Snuff-Box, &c.

We left the 1st battalion at Gosport in May 1848, and on Oct. the 13th of the same year Lt.-Col. Lindsay retired from the service, when the command of the battalion devolved upon Lt.-Col. Yarborough. The regiment remained at Gosport till April 1850, during which time there is nothing remarkable to record.

The 91st proceeded to Dover in three divisions, on the 4th, 6th, and 9th of April; headquarters, under the command of Lt.-Col. Campbell, occupying the Heights’ Barracks, other companies being located in the Castle.

After the arrival of the regiment at Dover it was inspected by Major-General G. Brown, C.B., K.H., Adjutant-General to the Forces, who, for some inscrutable reason, ordered the immediate abolition of the bagpipes, which had been fondly clung to as the last relic that remained of the origin, the history, and the nationality of the corps. To the unofficial mind this must appear an exceedingly harsh, and quite uncalled for measure, though, as will be seen, ample amends was in the end made to the regiment for this “unkindest cut of all.” In the meantime the 91st lost its bagpipers.

The 91st did not stay long at Dover; having received orders to move to the northern district, it proceeded by detachments, in the end of Dec. 1850 and beginning of Jan. 1851, to Preston, Liverpool, and Manchester, moving about among these three towns for the next few months, the grenadier company, under Captain Bayly, being sent to the Isle of Man. After about six months’ duty in the northern district, the regiment proceeded to Fleetwood, and embarked in detachments on the 22nd and 24th of July for Belfast, whence a draft of 1 sergeant and 60 rank and file, under Captain Wright, proceeded to Cork on the 26th Dec., and embarked on board the ill-fated “Birkenhead,” on Jan. 7th, 1852, to join the the reserve battalion at the Cape of Good Hope.

From a Photograph.]

The stay of the regiment in Belfast was comparatively short; but during that time officers and men won the respect and attachment of the inhabitants for their excellent behaviour, their kindliness, and their liberality to charitable institutions. On the occasion of the regiment’s leaving Belfast, an address, signed by the Mayor, the Earl of Belfast, and about 200 of the leading citizens, was presented to Lt.-Col. Campbell and the other officers, expressive of their gratitude and esteem for the “high-toned gentlemanly conduct” of the officers, and the soldierlike and exemplary conduct of the men.

Between the 26th of April and the 3rd of May the regiment marched in detachments to Enniskillen, where it was next to be stationed. On several occasions, during its stay at Enniskillen, the 91st had to perform the delicate, and not very agreeable duty of aiding the civil power to maintain order at elections as well as on other occasions. This duty the regiment always performed with admirable promptness, great tact, and excellent effect.

The 91st remained at Enniskillen until the month of March 1853, when, between the 19th and 30th of that month, it marched in detachments to Dublin, and was there quartered in Richmond Barracks. The 91st was, of course, regularly inspected while in Ireland, the reports of the inspecting officers being invariably of the most favourable kind.

After a year’s stay in Dublin the 91st left that city by railway, in detachments, for Cork, and out-stations, between the 25th of April and the 1st of May 1854, detachments being sent from headquarters to Spike Island, Haulbowline Island, and Carlisle Fort. The regiment, although as a body it did not take part in the Crimean war, liberally furnished volunteers to the three Highland regiments that bore so distinguished a part in that contest, and also to the 50th Regiment. In this way it parted with about 250 of its best men.

On the 23rd of June Lt.-Col. J. F. G. Campbell was promoted to the rank of Colonel.[554]

The 91st made but a short stay at Cork, as on the 15th of December it embarked, under command of Col. Campbell, on board H.M.S. “Saint George,” _en route_ for Malta, and this heavy old-fashioned three-decker did not cast anchor in the harbour of Valetta till Jan. 11th 1855. Besides 26 officers and staff, the strength of the regiment, as it landed at Malta, was 649 non-commissioned officers and privates, 39 women, and 51 children.

After a stay of about two months at Malta the 91st embarked on the 20th of March for the Piræus, in Greece, which it reached on the 23rd. The regiment took up its quarters in the miserable warehouses that formed the barracks of the British soldiery. Colonel Straubenzee of the 3rd Regiment handed over the command of the British Force in Greece to Colonel Campbell, who also retained the command of the regiment; but he was ordered by the general commanding-in-chief to hand it over, on the 3rd of June, to Major Bertie Gordon.

The 91st was located in Greece for about two years, during which time it was engaged in operations which were of the highest benefit, not only to the men, but also to the district in which they were stationed. We regret that space prevents us from giving a detailed account of the various ways in which the regiment rendered itself useful, and staved off the _ennui_ and consequent demoralisation which always attend the idle soldier. The presiding genius of the regiment during its stay in Greece, and, indeed, during the whole time that he had any important connection with it, was Major Bertie Gordon.

The relations of the 91st with the French force stationed in Greece, officers and men, were particularly cordial, both as regards work and enjoyment.

The accommodations allotted to the regiment were very defective in every detail that is deemed necessary for the permanent barrack occupation of British soldiers, while, owing to a peculiar arrangement with the commissariat department, the evil could not be remedied. It was, no doubt, the thoughtful ingenuity of Major Gordon that discerned a happy remedy for the evil, by selecting a spot at Salamis Bay, about three miles from the Piræus, on a slope close to the sea, for the construction of a camp in which a detachment of the regiment might take up its quarters, and thus remedy to some extent the stinted accommodation provided in the town. To this place the grenadiers and No. 1 company marched on the 4th of April, under the command of Major Gordon, who commenced at once a system of road-making, throwing up field-works, the construction of a small landing place, and other works, which employed and interested both officers and men; thus the little camp soon became a cheerful and accessible spot. The only difficulty that they had to encounter was the want of tools, of which the supply from headquarters was very stinted indeed; it consisted of three spades and three pickaxes. But by dint of persistent applications. Major Gordon obtained an additional supply from the Greek authorities. An ancient well, which may have watered part of the fleet of Xerxes, was at the bottom of the hill, and furnished excellent water.

To this delightful little encampment detachments were sent in rotation at intervals during the stay of the regiment in the Piræus; and it was no doubt greatly owing to this and to the other exertions of Major Gordon for the good of his men, that the regiment was in such excellent condition, notwithstanding its miserable quarters in the town.