An event of very great interest to the regiment occurred on the 27th of Aug. 1871; this was the discovery of the old Waterloo roll of the regiment among the orderly-room papers. It had been saved from destruction by Sergeant Hirst in 1848, when a quantity of old books and papers had been ordered to be burned. The interesting document was now sent to London, where it was so handsomely bound as to ensure, we hope, its preservation in all time coming.
On the 16th of Oct. of the same year, Col. Gordon received from the daughters of the late Lt.-Col. Lindsay an offer of the old colours of the 91st. Col. Gordon gladly accepted this graceful offer, and sent the colours, which had seen many a hard-fought field, to Ellon Castle, Aberdeenshire, there to find a permanent home, and to be preserved as an heirloom in his family.
In Aug. 1861, Lt.-Col. Gordon was promoted to be colonel by brevet. He had succeeded to the command of the regiment in Nov. 1860, on the promotion of Lt.-Colonel Campbell to the rank of Major-General. There had been for some time, in accordance with the regulations for the augmentation of the Indian establishment, two Lt.-Cols. to the 91st, Major W. T. L. Patterson having been raised to that rank on the retirement of Col. Campbell.[556]
On the 24th of April 1862, Col. Gordon proceeded on leave to England. During his absence, in Feb. 1863, the 91st left Kamptee for Jubbulpoor, which it reached on the 19th, after a march of fifteen days. The regiment was now in the Bengal Presidency, and under the command of Gen. Sir Hugh Rose, G.C.B. then Commander-in-Chief in India.
One of the most notable and gratifying events in the history of the 91st during the régime of Col. Bertie Gordon was the restoration to it of its original Highland designation, along with the Highland dress, the tartan trews, however, taking the place of the more airy kilt. So far back as 1833, an ineffectual effort had been made to have its nationality restored to the regiment. Col. Gordon resumed the attempt shortly after he obtained command of the regiment at Kamptee in 1859, and with the most determined perseverance, amid discouragements that would have daunted any ordinary man, he did not cease his solicitations until they resulted in complete success in the year 1864. Col. Gordon found a powerful and willing supporter in his Grace the Duke of Argyll, who was naturally anxious to have the regiment raised by his ancestors once more recognised by its original name, “the Argyllshire Highlanders.” The voluminous correspondence carried on between Col. Gordon, the War Office authorities, and the Duke of Argyll, we cannot reproduce here. The letters of Col. Gordon show clearly his ability, his enthusiasm, his perseverance, and his intense nationality and love for his regiment. We can only say that, after a long correspondence, Col. Gordon’s efforts resulted in triumph, as will be seen in the following War Office memorandum, notifying the restoration to the 91st of its Highland designation and dress, of which it had been deprived fifty years before:—
“War Office, Pall Mall, May 3, 1864.
“Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to approve of the 91st Foot resuming the appellation of the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders, and being clothed and equipped as a non-kilted Highland corps, as follows:—Tunic, as worn in all Highland regiments; Trews, of the Campbell tartan; Chaco, blue cloth, with diced band and black braid; Forage Cap, Kilmarnock, with diced band. The officers to wear plaids and claymores. The alteration of the dress is to take place from 1st April 1865. The white waistcoat with sleeves, issued to other Highland regiments, will not be worn by the 91st Foot.”
In Jan. 1866 Col. Gordon arrived at Jubbulpoor, and assumed command of the regiment. In Dec. of the same year the 91st left its quarters at Jubbulpoor and proceeded partly on foot and partly by train to Dumdum, which it reached on the 11th. While at Dumdum Col. Gordon’s health broke down, and on the recommendation of a medical board, he left India for Europe in Oct. 1866, handing over the command of the regiment to Major Battiscombe.
After staying a year at Dumdum, the 91st was removed in Jan. 1867 to Hazareebagh. Here the 91st remained until the end of the year, setting out on Dec. 1st for Kamptee again, which it reached after a long and tedious journey, partly on foot and partly by train, on the 26th of January 1868.
After a stay of a few months at Kamptee, the 91st got the welcome route for home, setting out in two detachments on the 7th and 8th of Oct. for Bombay, where it embarked on the 12th. The regiment proceeded by Suez, and arrived at Portsmouth on Nov. 13th, disembarking on the 15th, and proceeding by rail to Dover, where Col. Bertie Gordon resumed command. The 91st had been on foreign service for the long period of fourteen years, and it is very remarkable that during all that time there were only ten desertions. The dépôt companies removed from Fort George and were amalgamated at Dover with the service companies on Nov. 25th.