TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have been placed at the end of the book.

Some minor changes to the text are noted at the [end of the book.] These are indicated by a dashed blue underline.

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry,

From its Formation in 1777, under the
Title of the

73rd, OR M^cLEOD’S HIGHLANDERS,

UP TO THE YEAR 1876.

COMPILED BY

LIEUTENANT HENRY J. T. HILDYARD,

71st H.L.I.

London:

HARRISON AND SONS, 59, PALL MALL,

Booksellers to the Queen and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.

1876.

LONDON:
HARRISON AND SONS, PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY
ST. MARTIN’S LANE.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

IN THE

71st HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.

1777. John Lord McLeod.
1789. The Hon. Wm. Gordon.
1803. Sir John Francis Cradock, G.C.B.
1809. Francis Dundas.
1824. Sir Gordon Drummond, G.C.B.
1829. Sir Colin Halkett, K.C.B.
1838. Sir Samuel Ford Wittingham.
1841. Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B.
1848. Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, K.C.B.
1849. Sir James Macdonell, K.C.B. and K.C.H.
1857. Sir Thomas Napier, K.C.B.
1863. The Hon. Charles Grey.
1871. Robert Law, K.H.
1874. The Hon. Sir George Cadogan, K.C.B.

The Seventy-first Highland Light Infantry bears the following honorary records of its varied services on the regimental colour and appointments:—

HISTORY

OF THE

71^ST HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY,

Formerly numbered the 73rd Regiment, and
called McLeod’s Highlanders.

1777.

Towards the end of the year 1777 every effort was made by the British Ministry to encourage the country to raise troops voluntarily for the prosecution of the war then being waged between Great Britain and her American Colonies. Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, each raised a regiment of a thousand men at its own expense, and several independent companies were formed in Wales. In this manner 15,000 men were raised and presented to the State, of which upwards of two-thirds were obtained from Scotland, and principally from the Highland clans.

1778.

At this time Lord McLeod, the eldest son of the Earl of Cromarty, whose title had been attainted and his estates forfeited for his participation in the Rebellion of 1745, returned to England from Sweden, having attained in its service the rank of Lieutenant-General. Being well received by His Majesty King George II, and finding his influence in the Highlands still considerable, although destitute of property, he offered his services to raise a regiment. The offer was accepted, and such was the respect entertained for his family and name, that in a short time 840 Highlanders were recruited and marched to Elgin. Here they were joined by 236 Lowlanders, raised by Captains the Honorable John Lindsay, David Baird, James Fowlis, and other officers, and by 34 English and Irish, who had been recruited in Glasgow. They amounted in all to 1,100 men, and were embodied at Elgin under the name of McLeod’s Highlanders in April 1778, where they were inspected by General Skene, and approved by him as an excellent hardy body of men, fitted for any service. Immediately after the completion of this battalion, letters of service were granted for the creation of a second battalion, which was raised in like manner, with nearly the same expedition and in equal numbers. There is no record extant to show the different nationalities of which this battalion was formed, but it is probable that its composition was very similar to that of the first battalion when raised. Thus in the course of a few months Lord McLeod from being an exile without fortune or British military rank, found himself at the head of upwards of 2,200 of his countrymen, of whom nearly 1,800 were from that district and neighbourhood in which his family had once possessed so much influence.

Each battalion consisted of 50 sergeants, 50 corporals, 20 drummers and fifers, 2 pipers, and 1,000 privates, and was officered as under.

The uniform of the regiment was red, with the regular Highland equipments.

It is worthy of remark that, when first raised, there were no less than 19 officers in the regiment named Mackenzie. It is probable that the proportion of non-commissioned officers and privates of that name was equally large, owing to the fact of the regiment having, as already stated, been principally raised on the estates of the Earl of Cromarty, the father of Lord McLeod. These estates are now in the possession of the present Duchess of Sutherland, who is Countess of Cromarty in her own right.

1st bat.

After being embodied at Elgin, the first battalion remained there some weeks, and then marched to Fort George, where it was formed into ten companies. It embarked on the 8th of May, 1,100 strong, under Lord McLeod, for Portsmouth, where it was to be transhipped and accompany the East India Fleet. The passage, however, having occupied fifteen days, the fleet sailed before the arrival of the transports, which were then ordered to proceed to Guernsey and Jersey. Here the battalion disembarked, and remained until relieved by the Seventy-eighth Regiment on the 27th November. Embarking on board the transports which brought the latter, it was conveyed to Portsmouth, where it disembarked on the 10th December and marched to Petersfield, where it was quartered until the close of the year. Orders having been received for its embarkation for the East Indies, a mutiny occurred in one of the companies, owing to a rumour gaining ground that the men had been sold to the East India Company by the British Government. This was happily checked, by the prompt and resolute spirit displayed by the officers, and the assurance of their Colonel that this report was entirely groundless. In January the battalion, about 1,100 strong, embarked on board Indiamen, under the command of Colonel Lord McLeod. Three vessels formed part of a fleet, escorted by Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, which in its passage touched at Goree, on the Coast of Africa, and captured that settlement from the French. After leaving Goree the fleet proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, at that time in possession of the Dutch, where it landed its sick. It remained there three months, anchored in Table Bay, and then continued its course to India. The voyage, though tedious, was on the whole prosperous, and was brought to a close by anchor being dropped in Madras Roads on the 20th January,1780. 1780, just twelve months subsequent to embarkation. The battalion was landed without delay at Fort St. George, where it remained about a month in barracks, after which it was removed to Poonamallee.

2nd bat.

1778.

Before following the proceedings of the first battalion any further, it will be as well to return to the second battalion, which, as already mentioned, was embodied in September, 1778. In March of the following year, this battalion, 1,000 strong, and commanded by Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. George Mackenzie (brother of Lord McLeod), embarked at Fort George, and was conveyed to Plymouth. There it remained encamped upon Maker Heights until the 27th November, when it embarked for Gibraltar in transports under convoy of Admiral Sir George Brydges Rodney. In the Bay of Biscay the Spanish Caraccas Fleet was encountered, and captured, and the Admiral being compelled to employ a number of the men of his ships of war to man the prizes, called upon Lieut.-Colonel Mackenzie for the services of the battalion as Marines. A few days after the men had been distributed in this manner, the fleet fell in with the Spanish Admiral Don Juan de Langara, with a fleet consisting of eleven sail of the line, the whole of whose ships were either taken or dispersed. On the 18th January, 1780, the second battalion1780. disembarked at Gibraltar, then closely blockaded by the Spaniards, landing at the New Mole and occupying the Casemates in the King’s Bastion, the marching in strength being as follows:—

Here it remained during the whole of the siege of that fortress by the French and Spaniards, sustaining a high character as steady and trustworthy soldiers.

In the grand sortie in which the Spanish batteries before the garrison were destroyed, all the grenadier and light infantry companies in garrison were made up to their establishment previous to the sortie. The grenadier and light companies in this regiment consisted of four officers, five sergeants, and 101 rank and file each. They were stationed with the companies of the Thirty-ninth and Fifty-sixth Regiments, and a proportion of artillery and engineers, amounting in all to 668 men, in the centre, or reserve column, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Dachenhausen and Major Maxwell. The orders they received were to march through Bayside barrier, towards the mortar batteries. The moon shone brightly as the soldiers assembled on the sands at midnight. Between two and three o’clock darkness overspread the country, and the troops issued silently from the fortress. They were challenged and fired upon by the enemy’s sentries, but the British soldiers rushed forward, overpowered the Spanish guards, and captured the batteries. The enemy’s soldiers, instead of defending the works, fled in dismay and communicated the panic to the troops in their rear. Within an hour the object of the sortie was effected, trains were laid to the enemy’s magazines, and the soldiers withdrew. As they entered the fortress, tremendous explosions shook the ground, and rising columns of smoke, flame, and burning timber proclaimed the destruction of the enemy’s immense stores of gunpowder. General Elliot stated in orders:—

“The bearing and conduct of the whole detachment, officers, seamen and soldiers on this glorious occasion, surpass my utmost acknowledgements.” The casualties in the three columns of attack were only 4 killed, 24 wounded, and 1 missing. The grenadier company, commanded by Captain Sinclair on this occasion, drove the enemy from their centre guard-house, and the light infantry, commanded by Captain Dalrymple, obliged them to evacuate Parchal’s battery.

The casualties of the battalion during the three years that the siege lasted were 1 sergeant, 41 privates killed; 6 officers, 7 sergeants, and 108 rank and file wounded, and 58 privates died from sickness. Although application has frequently been made to the authorities, for permission to have Gibraltar inscribed on the colours, yet for some inexplicable reason, this has always been refused, though granted to other regiments that served during the siege with the Seventy-third.

In May, 1783, it embarked on board transports, and sailed for Portsmouth, where it landed in July, and occupied Hilsea Barracks. The following month it marched to Stirling, where it was disbanded on the 3rd October after a service of five years, during the whole of which period it was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. George Mackenzie.

In 1784 the officers belonging to the late second battalion who were regimentally senior to those serving with the first were given the option of joining that battalion in the East Indies at their own expense, of which some availed themselves.

1st bat.

We shall now return to the first battalion which we left in quarters at Poonamallee in February, 1780. At the commencement of 1780 a new war had broken out in India, the causes of which it is not easy to unravel, owing to the depth to which the several Presidencies of the East India Company had entered into the intrigues and quarrels of the Native rulers. On the 5th April, the Mahratta Chiefs, Holkar and Scindia, were defeated in their camp whilst advancing on Surat, and this victory was followed by numerous less important successes. In Bengal, military movements were taking place under the direction of Sir Eyre Coote, who had now succeeded to the chief command in India, and the strong fortress of Gwalior, hitherto regarded as impregnable, was taken by escalade on the 3rd August.

On the side of Madras the forces on the establishment did not exceed 30,000 men, dispersed in very distant quarters, and the Presidency had unfortunately been engrossed in internal disputes rather than in active measures of preparation to oppose the enemy. Such was the state of affairs at Madras when on the 10th of June information was received that a large army was assembling at Bangalore under Hyder Ali, the son of a petty chief in Mysore, who had risen to the chief command of the army of that State. On the death of the Rajah, Hyder Ali assumed the guardianship of his eldest son, who was left a minor, placing him under restraint, and seizing upon the reins of government. Having a considerable territory under his control, he maintained a formidable military establishment, which he endeavoured to bring into a high state of discipline and efficiency. Standing now in the position of Sultan of Mysore, he formed a league with the French, and entered into a confederacy with the Nizam of the Deccan, the Mahrattas, and other native powers, for the purpose of expelling the British from India.

In July, 1780, Hyder Ali, having passed the Ghauts, burst like a torrent into the Carnatic, whilst his son, Tippoo Saïb, advanced with a large body of cavalry against the Northern Circars, and even the villages near Madras were attacked by parties of the enemy’s horse. In consequence of these events the first battalion Seventy-third Regiment was ordered to join the army being assembled at St. Thomas’s Mount under the command of Major-General Sir Hector Munro, K.B. This army amounted to upwards of 4,000 men, consisting entirely of the Honourable East India Company’s troops, with the exception of the Seventy-third Highlanders, then about 800 strong. It was composed as follows:—

Attached to these were 30 field pieces and howitzers, and four battering 24-pounders.

On the 25th August this corps marched to Conjeveram, about 50 miles west of Madras on the Arcot road, where it was to be met by a body of men under Colonel Baillie, from the Gunton Circar, the joint force proceeding to raise the siege of Arcot, invested by Hyder Ali on the 21st August. Sir Hector Munro’s army arrived at Conjeveram on the 29th August, being followed the whole way by the enemy’s horse. The country here was found to be entirely under water, so that no provisions of any kind were to be procured, and the force was consequently dependent upon the four day’s provisions in its possession.

Hyder Ali now raised the siege of Arcot, and detached Tippoo Saïb with a force of 40,000 horse and foot and 12 guns to intercept Colonel Baillie and prevent his junction with the main army. This junction had been expected to take place on the 30th August, but Baillie being delayed some days by the sudden rising of a small river, this time was utilised by the enemy to intercept him.

Colonel Baillie reached Perambaucum, 15 miles from General Munro’s position, on the 6th September, where he was attacked by Tippoo Saïb, whom after a contest of several hours he repulsed. Strange to say, however, the forces of Munro and Baillie, though within a few hours’ march of each other, made no effort to unite. Two days after the battle, Colonel Baillie sent notice to General Munro to push forward with the main body, as, from the loss he had lately sustained and from want of provisions, he was unable to advance in the face of an enemy so superior in numbers. After this unaccountable delay, the General sent forward a detachment under Colonel Fletcher consisting of the flank companies Seventy-third (now Seventy-first), two companies of European grenadiers, and 11 companies of Sepoys, in all 1,000 men. Of the flank companies, Seventy-third, the grenadier company was commanded by Lieutenant the Hon. John Lindsay, and the light company by Captain, afterwards General the Right Hon. Sir David Baird, G.C.B. Colonel Fletcher joined Colonel Baillie’s force on the 9th September.

Reinforced by this detachment, Colonel Baillie set out to join Munro on the same evening, but had not proceeded beyond a mile when he fell in with the pickets of Hyder Ali’s army. An irregular fire commenced, which was kept up by both parties for several miles, until Colonel Baillie halted about midnight, when he lay on his arms all night without being disturbed by the enemy.

He continued his march next morning without opposition, and after proceeding two miles entered a jungle. The Sultan had concentrated his army about this spot, and on the preceding day had thrown up three batteries, one in the centre of the grove and one on each flank. No sooner had Colonel Baillie entered the jungle than a heavy and destructive fire was opened upon him from 57 pieces of cannon. The march was continued in the form of a square, with the sick, baggage, and ammunition in the centre; and though the detachment was assailed on all sides by an immense force, the enemy after a desperate conflict of three hours’ duration, was driven back at every point.

Thus repulsed, Hyder Ali determined to retreat, and orders had been given to Colonel Lally, a French officer in the service of the Sultan, to draw off his men, and to the cavalry to cover the retreat, when two explosions were seen to take place in the British line. These laid open one entire face of their column, destroyed their artillery, and threw the whole into irreparable confusion. This occurrence revived Hyder’s hopes, his cavalry charged in successive squadrons, and his infantry poured volleys of musketry upon the devoted band. Reduced at length to little more than 400 men, Colonel Baillie formed these into a square upon a small eminence. Here, after two-thirds of the number had been killed or disabled, the officers with their swords, and the soldiers with their bayonets, repulsed thirteen charges. At length, borne down by fresh bodies of horse, Colonel Baillie, to save the lives of the few brave men who survived, displayed a flag of truce. Quarter was promised, but no sooner had the men laid down their arms, than they were savagely attacked, and only by the humane interference of the French officers were any lives saved.

One of these officers,[1] speaking of this action says:—

“Too great encomiums cannot be bestowed on the English commander and his troops, for in the whole of this trying conflict they preserved a coolness of manœuvre which would have done honour to any troops in the world. Raked by the fire of an immense artillery, the greater part of the action within grape shot range, attacked on all sides by not less than 25,000 horse and 30 battalions of Sepoys, besides Hyder’s European troops, the English column stood firm, and repulsed every charge with great slaughter. The horse driven back on the foot, the right of our line began to give way, though composed of the best troops in the Mysore army.”

In this action, known by the name of the battle of Perambaucum, Lieut.-Colonel Fletcher and 29 European officers, with 155 rank and file were killed; Lieut.-Colonel Baillie with 34 officers, and almost all the European privates, were wounded; 16 officers and privates remained unhurt, who, with the rest, were made prisoners. The whole of the sepoys were either killed, taken, or dispersed.

From the report of an eye-witness, it is stated that the grenadiers of this regiment under Captain Baird fought with such determination and heroism, that many of them were seen loading their muskets after their legs had been shot away; almost all disdained to accept of quarter.

The flank companies were almost annihilated. Lieut. Geddes Mackenzie and William Gunn, Volunteer Forbes, 3 sergeants, and 82 rank and file were killed. Captain Baird received seven wounds, and Lieutenant the Hon. John Lindsay nine. Lieutenants Philip Melville and Hugh Cuthbert, 4 sergeants, 4 drummers, and 92 rank and file were also wounded. All these, with 23 who escaped without wounds, were thrown into a dungeon by Hyder Ali, where they were treated with such barbarity that only 30 of the soldiers survived, and of these few were afterwards fit for service.

Mrs. Grant, in her “Superstitions of the Highlanders,” referring to this in allusion to the inflexible integrity of the Highlanders under the most trying circumstances, says of the prisoners:—

“They were treated with the most cruel indignity, and fed upon sparing proportions of unwholesome rice, which operated as a slow poison, assisted by the burning heat of the sun by day, and the unwholesome dews of night, to which they were purposely exposed to shake their constancy. Daily some of their companions dropped before their eyes, and daily they were offered liberty and riches in exchange for this lingering torture, on condition of relinquishing their religion and taking the turban. These Highlanders were entirely illiterate, scarce one of them could have told the name of any particular sect of Christians, and all the idea they had of the Mahommedan religion was that it was adverse to their own, and to what they had been taught by their fathers.”

Of the two entire companies but two men rejoined the battalion, and these were found in the jungle desperately wounded. In consequence of this, two new flank companies were formed from the battalion by Lord McLeod.

After Colonel Baillie’s defeat, Sir Hector Munro retired with the army to Chingleput, being much pressed by the enemy during his march. The sick and wounded being left there, the army went into quarters on Choultry Plain for the rainy season, which had now set in.

During the retreat the troops suffered severely from fatigue and want of provisions. Captain Gilchrist, of the grenadiers, whose ill health had prevented his being with his company, died, and Lieutenant Alexander Mackenzie, with a great many privates, was wounded in skirmishes with the enemy.

1781.

Upon the 17th January the army, being reassembled, took the field under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote. At this time the strength of the regiment did not exceed 500 men, and was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James Craufurd, this officer having succeeded Lord McLeod, who relinquished his command, and returned to England, having, it is said, differed in opinion with General Munro on the subject of his movements. Hyder Ali was in the Tanjore country committing every species of outrage and devastation.

On the 1st June, 1781, Colonel Lord McLeod received the local rank of Major-General in the East Indies. In June Sir Eyre Coote moved his force southwards along the coast towards Cuddalore, where his outposts were attacked by Tippoo Saïb, who was repulsed. He afterwards moved to Chillumborem, upon the Coleroon, where the enemy had a large magazine of grain. The Pagoda was attacked by the pickets under Major John Shaw, Seventy-third Highlanders, but they were repulsed and that officer wounded.

Hyder Ali, apprehensive for the safety of Chillumborem, moved his army in that direction from Tanjore and Trichinopoly, whilst Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote, with the view of obtaining supplies from the shipping, proceeded towards Cuddalore. By forced marches and manœuvres, however, Hyder Ali succeeded in nearly surrounding the latter on the plains of Porto Novo, about two days’ march south of Cuddalore.

About 4 a.m. on the 1st of July, the enemy, whose force was computed at 25 battalions of infantry, 400 Europeans, 45,000 horse, and above 100,000 matchlock-men, peons, and polygars, with 47 pieces of cannon, was seen to draw up in line-of-battle. The British force did not exceed 8,000 men, of which the Seventy-third was the only European regiment. Notwithstanding this immense disparity of force, Sir Eyre Coote determined to attack the enemy, and drew up his army in two lines, the first, of which the Seventy-third Highlanders formed a part, being commanded by Major-General Sir Hector Munro, the second by Major-General James Stuart. A plain divided the two armies, beyond which the enemy was drawn up on ground strengthened by front and flanking redoubts and batteries. The action commenced by an advanced movement of the English troops, and after eight hours’ hard fighting the enemy was forced from all his intrenchments and compelled to retire. The Seventy-third was on the right of the first line, and led all the attacks to the full approbation of the general commanding. His attention was particularly attracted by one of the pipers, who always blew up more heartily the heavier the fire became. This so pleased the general that he cried out “Well done my brave fellow, you shall have a pair of silver pipes for this!” The promise was not forgotten, for a handsome pair of pipes was presented to the regiment, with an appropriate inscription bearing testimony to the general’s esteem for its conduct and character. Meer Saïb, Hyder Ali’s favourite general, was mortally wounded in this action, and amongst the 4,000 killed were many of his principal officers.

The results of this battle enabled Sir Eyre Coote to reach Cuddalore, his point of destination, on the 4th July, and soon afterwards the army was moved to St. Thomas’s Mount. On the 3rd August the force from Bengal under the orders of Colonel Pearse, arrived and formed a junction with Sir Eyre Coote’s army at Pulicat, to which place the army had moved to facilitate that object. The British force now amounted to 12,000 men; the 1st Brigade, composed entirely of Europeans, was commanded by Colonel Craufurd, Seventy-third Highlanders, and had its station generally in the centre of the line. Major-General Sir Hector Munro commanded the right wing, and Colonel Pearse the left. About this period died Major James Mackenzie, universally regretted by the regiment. His exertions in the early part of the campaign had brought on an illness, which terminated his valuable life.

On the 16th August the preparations which had been actively carried on for the siege of Arcot and the relief of Vellore being completed, the army was put in motion. On the 20th Tripassoor was retaken, and a large supply of grain found there. Hyder Ali’s camp was now at Conjeveram, and every exertion was made by his detachments to check the progress of the troops. On the 27th August, the enemy was found drawn up in order of battle upon the very ground which had witnessed Colonel Baillie’s defeat, a position which Hyder Ali’s religious notions induced him to consider fortunate. Here he had determined to try the issue of a second general action, the result of which will be best told by the following extract from General Meadows’ despatch:—

“Hyder thought proper to fall back a few miles to the ground on which he had defeated the detachment under Colonel Baillie, where he took up a strong position, and, influenced by a superstitious notion of its being a lucky spot, had determined, as I was informed by my intelligence, to try his fortune in a second battle. I accordingly marched on the 27th, in the morning, towards him, and, as reported, about 8 o’clock we discovered his army in order of battle and in full force to receive us, and in possession of many strong and advantageous posts, rendered the more formidable by the nature of the country lying between, which was intersected by very deep watercourses; in short, nothing could be more formidable than the situation of the enemy, and nothing more arduous than our approach to present a front to them. I was obliged to form the line under a heavy cannonade from several batteries, as well as from the enemy’s line, which galled us exceedingly, and was a very trying situation for the troops, who bore it with firmness and undaunted bravery, which did draw the highest honour and showed a steady valour not to be surpassed by the first veterans of any nation in Europe. The conflict lasted from nine in the morning till near sunset, when we had driven the enemy from all their strong posts, and obliged them to retreat with precipitation, leaving us in full possession of the field of battle.” The loss of the British was upwards of 400 killed and wounded, almost all being native troops.

There was one circumstance peculiar to this field of battle, which stamped it with aggravated horrors. It is described by Captain Munro in his narrative as follows:—

“Perhaps there come not within the wide range of human imagination scenes more affecting or circumstances more touching than many of our army had that day to witness and to bear. On the very spot where they stood lay strewed amongst their feet the relics of their dearest fellow-soldiers and friends, who near twelve months before had been slain by the hands of those very inhuman monsters that now appeared a second time eager to complete the work of blood. One poor soldier, with the tear of affection glistening in his eye, picked up the decaying spatterdash of his valued brother, with the name yet entire upon it, which the tinge of blood and effects of weather had kindly spared.... The scattered clothes and wings of the flank companies were everywhere perceptible, as also their helmets and skulls, both of which bore the marks of many furrowed cuts.”

Upon this spot the army halted two days, and it then retired to Tripassoor, to secure provisions. At this period the health of Major-General Sir Hector Munro compelled him to leave the army, which led to Colonel Craufurd becoming second in command, the charge of the regiment devolving upon Major John Shaw.

On the 27th September, near Sholingar, Colonel Craufurd received the Commander-in-Chief’s orders to move the British Army to the front. Hyder Ali, confident of success, made a forward movement to meet it, when a general action ensued. A detachment commanded by Colonel Edmonstone, and of which the flank companies Seventy-third formed a part, succeeded in turning the enemy’s left flank, and falling upon his camp and rear. The day closed with the total defeat of Hyder Ali’s troops, who were pursued by the cavalry until sunset.

On the 1st October, under circumstances the most distressing and unpromising, but with a hope of obtaining provisions, of which the army was quite destitute, and for which no previous arrangement had been made by the Government, Sir Eyre Coote pushed boldly through the Sholingar Pass, and after a march of two days encamped at Altamancherry, in the Polygar country. Here, by the friendly aid and kindness of Bum Raze, one of the Polygar princes, the troops were well supplied with every requisite. The British camp was moved to Pollipat on the 26th October, and the sick and wounded sent to Tripassoor. Vellore was also relieved, after which the army, reinforced by Colonel Laing with 100 Europeans from Vellore, proceeded to the attack of Chittoor, which, after a gallant resistance, capitulated. With a view to draw his opponents from so inaccessible a country, Hyder Ali proceeded to the attack of Tripassoor, and on the 20th November Sir Eyre Coote retired out of the Pollamo, through the Naggary Pass, which obliged the enemy to raise the siege of Tripassoor and retire on Arcot. The campaign closed with the recapture of Chittoor by the enemy. On the 2nd December, the monsoon having set in, the army broke up its camp on the Koilatoor Plain, and the different corps marched into cantonments in the neighbourhood of Madras.

1782.

At the opening of the succeeding campaign at the beginning of 1782, the army did not muster a larger force than at the commencement of the former year. The first and most important object in view was the relief of Vellore, kept in strict blockade by the enemy. The safety of this fortress was of paramount consequence, being the only key possessed by the British to the passes of the Ghauts, through which an invasion of the enemy’s country could alone be accomplished. The army pushed through the Sholingar Pass, and by the 11th January Vellore was relieved and supplied with rice for six months. After this was effected the army retired, and on the 20th January arrived at Poonamallee, having lost upon this expedition 6 officers and about 30 Europeans, with 100 Sepoys killed and wounded.

The following account of the death of John Mackay, a corporal of the battalion, in a skirmish with the enemy on the march to Vellore, is given by Captain Munro:—“For the satisfaction of my Highland friends, I take this opportunity of commemorating the fall of John Mackay, alias Donn, a corporal in the Seventy-third, son of Robert Donn, the famous Highland bard, whose singular talent for the beautiful and extemporaneous composition of Gaelic poetry was held in such esteem by the Highland Society. This son of the bard has frequently revived the drooping spirits of his countrymen upon the march by singing in a pleasant manner the humorous and lively productions of his father. He was killed by a cannon ball on the 13th of January, and on the same evening was interred by his disconsolate comrades with all the honours of war.”

For the first three months of the year 1782 the army of Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote was retained inactive at St. Thomas’ Mount, the government of the presidency being apprehensive for its own safety, whereas a judicious movement on Porto Novo might have prevented Tippoo Saïb’s junction with the strong reinforcement of French troops that had arrived from Europe in Admiral Suffrein’s fleet, or at least averted the loss of Permacoil and Cuddalore. At length Sir Eyre Coote, having been reinforced by the Seventy-eighth (afterwards the Seventy-second) Regiment from England, was allowed to commence operations.

At the beginning of April he marched in a southerly direction by Corangooly and Wandewash towards the enemy, encamped upon the Red Hills of Pondicherry. The object of the Commander-in-Chief appeared to be to separate the French from the Mysore troops, for which purpose he manœuvred between Chitaput and Arnee, where he had established magazines. Hyder Ali made a rapid movement, on the 2nd of June overtaking and attacking the British rear guard, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel John Elphinston,[2] Seventy-third Highlanders, who maintained his ground with great spirit and intrepidity until the line had completed its formation. The troops were then ordered to advance immediately upon the enemy’s guns, and the foe was soon forced across the River Arnee, and in pursuit several tumbrils were taken by Captain the Honourable James Lindsay. This officer, perceiving a battalion of the enemy extricating the tumbrils from the bed of the river, dashed forward at the head of his grenadier company, supported by the remainder of the corps under Major-General Mackenzie, and succeeded in dispersing the enemy and seizing the tumbrils. The conduct of Captain Lindsay, although he had acted without orders, received the commendation of the Commander-in-Chief. At the action of Arnee the staff of the regimental colour was shattered by a cannon ball, and the ensign carrying it was severely wounded.

The army encamped for the night on the field of battle, and on the following morning took up a position before Arnee; but a scarcity of grain compelled the General to retrace his steps towards Madras, and on the 20th of June he arrived at St. Thomas’s Mount.

In the months of July and August the army made two expeditions, one to Wandewash, in which it was foiled by the activity of Hyder Ali, the other for the relief of Vellore, which was more fortunate, as it succeeded in throwing a large quantity of grain into the fortress. The siege of Cuddalore being determined on, the army moved on the 26th August in a southerly direction, and on the 4th September halted on the Red Hills of Pondicherry. Deserters reported the garrison of Cuddalore to consist of 800 Europeans, 300 Africans, and 600 Sepoys, who having expelled the inhabitants, and covered the walls with cannon were resolved to defend the place to the last extremity. The failure of the supplies which Sir Eyre Coote had been led to expect from Madras by the fleet, excited so much anxiety and disappointment in the veteran’s mind, that a severe illness ensued, which obliged him to quit the army. The command devolved upon Major-General James Stuart, who commenced his retreat on the evening of the 10th October. On the 15th October, the monsoon set in with unusual severity, and the army went into cantonments in the vicinity of Madras. Hyder Ali at the same time resumed his old position near Arcot. Shortly after this, Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, with a large fleet from England, arrived in Madras Roads. Considerable reinforcements were on board, consisting of the Twenty-third Light Dragoons, One hundred and first and One hundred and second Regiments, and the Fifteenth Regiment of Hanoverian Infantry, which joined the army in its cantonments.

In December occurred the death of Hyder Ali, who was, however, succeeded without commotion by his son Tippoo Saïb, to whom he left a kingdom of his own acquisition, which made him one of the most powerful princes in India. Notwithstanding that by private information overland news was received of a peace having been concluded between England and the other belligerent powers in Europe, still the Madras Government determined to persevere in its original plans for the attack of Cuddalore. With this view Major-General Stuart put his army in motion on the 21st April, marching by brigades in a1783. southerly direction. It consisted of the Seventy-third and Seventy-eighth, and One hundred and first regiments, a considerable body of native troops, and a detachment of Hanoverians under Colonel Wangenheim. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Elphinston, Seventy-third Highlanders, took the lead with the Fifth brigade, to the command of which he had been appointed, in consideration of his distinguished conduct and important services in the field. Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart, Seventy-eighth Highlanders, commanded the First or European Brigade, of which the Seventy-third formed a part, and which amounted to 1,600 men. Colonel Elphinston in his advance possessed himself of the Permacoil ruins, from whence the enemy’s advanced parties could be plainly seen upon the Red Hills. The remainder of the army joined him there on the 2nd May. About this time accounts were received of the death of Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote, and Major-General Stuart temporarily succeeded to the command of the forces in India.

After leaving Permacoil, the army advanced to Killinoor, and from thence towards the Red Hills. On the 4th June, Major-General Stuart encamped close to the Pannar river, about five miles west of Cuddalore, behind which the French army was descried in an intrenched camp. The British passed the Pannar river on the 6th June without opposition, passed the Bandipollam Hills, and took up a strong position not more than two miles from the south face of the fortress of Cuddalore, having the right flank covered by the sea and the left by the Bandipollam Hills. The enemy, commanded by General de Bussy, had in the meantime thrown up works along his front. On the 12th June Major-General Stuart determined to attack General de Bussy in the position he occupied, and issued preparatory orders accordingly. At 4 o’clock on the morning of the 13th June the action commenced by a movement from the British left against the enemy’s right flank. A very obstinate and sanguinary contest ensued, continuing without intermission until the evening, when, both armies remaining upon the field of battle, each claimed the victory. In this action the Seventy-third Highlanders highly distinguished itself, having wrested from the enemy in the course of the conflict seven different redoubts. The loss it sustained was very severe, amounting in killed and wounded to 13 officers and 272 men, being one-half of the number in the field. The regiment was commanded by Captain Hugh Lamont. Captain the Honourable James Lindsay, commanding the Grenadier Company, Captain Alexander McKenzie, Lieuts. Simon Mackenzie and James Trail, 4 sergeants and 80 rank and file were killed. Captain John Hamilton, Lieuts. Charles Gorrie, David Rannie, John Sinclair, James Duncan, and George Sutherland, 5 sergeants and 107 rank and file were wounded. The enemy’s loss was estimated at 62 officers, 961 men killed, wounded, and missing.

The following flattering compliment formed part of the General Orders issued by the Commander-in-Chief at the conclusion of the action:—

“I am also grateful to Captain Lamont and the officers under his command who gallantly led the precious remains of the Seventy-third Highlanders through the most perilous road to glory, until exactly one-half of the officers and men were either killed or wounded.”

The British prosecuted the siege of Cuddalore with vigour, and on the 25th June the first parallel was completed. On that day the enemy made a sortie, but was repulsed with considerable loss after a severe contest. The commander of the party, Colonel le Chevalier de Damas, was among the prisoners taken. On the 1st July a frigate arrived in Cuddalore Roads, bringing official accounts from England of a general peace having been concluded, and hostilities consequently ceased.

By the 2nd August the British army had received the supplies, of which it stood greatly in want, and the camp was broken up, the troops marching to St. Thomas’s Mount where they arrived on the 16th August. Shortly afterwards, the army went into winter quarters, the Seventy-third occupying the fort and cantonment of Arcot. On1784. the conclusion of the peace, in March, 1784, Captains Baird and the Honble. John Lindsay, Lieut. Melville and about 30 men, who were taken in Colonel Baillie’s affair, were released and rejoined the regiment. During the remainder of the year the Seventy-third continued at Arcot, and was only employed, beyond the usual routine of duty in quarters, for a short time in quelling a mutiny which broke out in the native cavalry at Arnee. The regiment at this period was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel William Dalrymple. In the course of the month of June it was removed from Arcot to Fort St. George, where it was joined by several officers of the late second battalion, which had been disbanded. Lieut.-Colonel Dalrymple having returned to England, Lieut.-Colonel the Honble. George Mackenzie took command of the regiment, which continued in quarters at Madras for the remainder of the year.[3]

At the commencement of the year 1786, the numerical title of the regiment was changed to the Seventy-first Highlanders, and new colours were received from England bearing that number, which designation it has since retained. In March quarters were changed to Wallajahabad and Chingleput, nine companies being cantoned at the former and one at the latter under Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Maxwell.

On the 4th June, 1787, Colonel the Honble. George Mackenzie, commanding the regiment, died after a short illness and was interred at Madras. He was succeeded in the command by the senior major, Brevet Lieut.-Colonel John Elphinston, who was succeeded in the majority by Captain David Baird.

During the year 1787 no change of quarters took place.

1788.

In February, 1788, in consequence of some disturbance or alarm in the Bombay presidency, the Seventy-first, about 800 strong, marched to Madras, and immediately embarked on board the Company’s ships for Bombay, where it arrived in April after a favourable passage. It remained here only six months, when, its services being dispensed with, it returned to Madras, and arrived there in December. Five companies under Lieut.-Colonel Elphinston occupied the barracks in Fort St. George, and the other five companies proceeded to Poonamallee. Major-General the Honble. William Gordon was appointed Colonel on the 9th April, 1789, in succession to Major-General John Lord McLeod deceased. In the course of the year the five companies at Poonamallee were moved to Tripassoor.

1790.

Early in 1790, hostilities having commenced by Tippoo Sultan attacking and capturing the lines of Travancore, the British Government in India determined to support the Rajah of that country. On the 18th of March an encampment was formed for that purpose in the neighbourhood of Conjeveram under the command of Colonel Musgrave. The force assembled there consisted of the Nineteenth British Dragoons, the Fifty-second and Seventy-first Highlanders, the Third and Fourth Regiments of native Cavalry, the first Battalion of Coast Artillery, and five of Coast Infantry. On the 29th of March this force moved to Trichinopoly, where Colonel Musgrave effected a junction on the 29th April, with the division assembled there under Colonel Brydges. This comprised the Thirty-sixth and Seventy-second Regiments, the Second and Fifth Native Cavalry, and seven battalions of Coast Sepoys.

On the 24th of May General Meadows arrived at Trichinopoly, and assumed the command: the army consisted of 15,000 men, forming two European and four native brigades. These were divided into wings. Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart, Seventy-second Highlanders, being appointed to command the left wing, and Colonel Brydges of the East India Company’s Service, the right; the Seventy-first and Seventy-second Highlanders, and First East India Company’s European battalion, formed the Second European brigade, under Lieut.-Colonel Clarke of the Company’s Service. The whole of the cavalry in the advance was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir John Floyd of the Nineteenth Light Dragoons.

On the 24th May, Major-General (afterwards Sir William) Meadows reviewed the army, which on the 26th was moved towards the Coimbatore country by Anatore and Kidnaveran. On the 15th June the army reached the fortified post of Caroor, which the enemy abandoned without opposition. Here it remained strengthening the place and collecting grain till the 2nd July, when it moved to Arrivacourchy, where it arrived on the 5th, and, continuing its march by Tooramboddy, reached Daraporam on the 10th July, where a large supply of grain was found. The army arrived at Coimbatore on the 22nd July, being harassed on the march by Tippoo Saïb’s irregular horse. A halt was made here, and detachments sent to reduce Dindigul, Errode, and Palghautcherry, upon which service the flank companies of the Seventy-first were employed under Captains Phineas M^cIntosh and James Robertson. In August the whole of the cavalry and the advanced infantry had been pushed forward to the Boovany, near to the Gudzelhetty Pass. Tippoo Saïb, profiting by the divided state of the British force, descended with his whole army, and, after a very severe conflict, obliged Lieut.-Colonel Floyd to fall back. The troops from Coimbatore, however, had marched to his support, and, on the junction being effected, Tippoo Saïb retired. The British returned to Coimbatore on the 23rd September. Upon the march of the main body, the flank companies of the Seventy-first and Seventy-second were withdrawn from the siege of Palghautcherry, and ordered to take post in the fort of Coimbatore: and on the return of the army they rejoined their regiments.

The army was again put in motion on the 29th September, proceeding towards the Boovany by Shawoor and Coopachittypollum, where the troops arrived a few hours after Tippoo Saïb had left it. Some elephants, bullocks, and camels, loaded with rockets, fell into the hands of the British. On the 4th of October the army arrived at Errode, the enemy keeping a respectful distance during the march, and on the 6th it was ascertained that he had arrived with his entire force at Darraporam, against which he opened his batteries on the 8th. The fort had no cannon mounted, and the garrison, consisting of 100 Europeans and 200 Sepoys, capitulated on honourable terms, which were strictly adhered to. The British army moved on the 5th October, and on the 15th encamped in the neighbourhood of Coimbatore, where Lieut.-Colonel Stuart joined from Palghautcherry, after having taken that place, and left it in a tolerable state of defence. On the 20th October, all the heavy baggage having been deposited in the fort of Coimbatore, the army marched towards Errode, by Avinochy and Perentore, where it arrived on the 2nd November. On the 8th the army proceeded in the direction of Bovancore, and thence to a ford about three miles below Errode, the whole crossing the Cavery on the 9th and 10th, while Tippoo Saïb moved his entire force against a division under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell, Seventy-fourth Regiment, then in the Bharamahl country. On the 11th November the army moved by Saukerrydroog on the Tappoor Pass, and ascended on the 14th, encamping at Adomancettah in the Bharamahl country: it marched again on the 15th, and effected its junction with Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell at Darampoury on the 17th. The whole force was now divided into ten brigades. The Seventy-fourth Highlanders joined the Seventy-first and Seventy-second in the Second Brigade; and Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell assumed command of the left wing in place of Colonel Brydges, who was appointed to command at Trichinopoly.

It was now ascertained that the enemy, whose movements were always sudden, varied, and perplexing, was directing his course to the Carnatic by Namacul and Trichinopoly. The British, in consequence, pursued by Malusundrum, arriving on the 23rd at Vavoor, the 27th at Jaloor, the 6th December at Munsarapett, at Terany on the last day of the year, and the 12th January, 1791, at1791. Arnee. During this long and fatiguing march, the Anglo-Indian troops frequently encamped upon the ground from which the enemy had removed in the morning, but the efforts made to overtake him were unsuccessful. The heavy guns and the sick having been left in the fort of Arnee, the army proceeded to Velhout, where on the 29th January it was reviewed by General Charles the Earl Cornwallis, K.G., who had arrived from Bengal to assume command, and who expressed great satisfaction at the appearance of the troops. His Lordship was at this period Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies. In the course of the foregoing campaign the Seventy-first lost few men in action, but many fell victims to climate and fatigue.

The army, being refreshed and equipped, commenced moving in a westerly direction on the 5th February, and passing by Perambaukum and Sholingar, arrived on the 11th in the vicinity of Vellore. On the 14th it marched by Chittipet and Chittoor towards the Muglee Pass, which it reached on the 17th. The following day the advance, followed by the park and stores, ascended the Ghauts, the whole army encamping on the 19th at Palamnaire, in the Mysore country, without having seen anything of the enemy. During the time the British army remained at Velhout Tippoo Saïb pushed southward and summoned Cuddalore, but upon hearing in what direction Earl Cornwallis had moved the Sultan hastened to the Shangana Pass, where he arrived too late to oppose the troops at the Muglee Pass. On the 24th the British marched to Colar, which was abandoned on their approach, and the army moved on to Ouscotta, which was carried by a battalion of sepoys. The enemy displayed a part of his force on the 4th March, and on the following day opened a cannonade upon the troops moving towards Bangalore, whilst his horse attempted to seize the stores and baggage, but without success. About sunset on the 5th March the army encamped within shot of the fort of Bangalore. The day following the suburbs of the town were attacked by the Thirty-sixth and Seventy-sixth Regiments, with some battalions of sepoys, and carried after a very resolute resistance on the part of the defenders. From this period to the 14th March nothing material occurred, but every preparation for the approaching siege was carried on with diligence and activity. On the 15th, the batteries being completed, opened fire upon Bangalore, and on the 17th the lines were cannonaded by the enemy, while at night the camp was much disturbed by his rockets. Forage became very scarce, and none could be procured beyond the advanced pickets. The siege, however, proceeded, the enemy continuing to harass the besiegers until the 21st March, when the breach being considered practicable, an attack was ordered. The storming party consisted of the grenadiers of the European regiments, followed by their light companies, and led by Lieutenant James Duncan, Seventy-first Highlanders, and Lieutenant John Evans, Fifty-second Regiment, with a forlorn hope of thirty chosen men, the whole supported by the battalion companies of the Thirty-sixth, Seventy-second, and Seventy-sixth Regiments, with some battalions of Bengal sepoys. The attacking force was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell, Seventy-fourth Highlanders, the flankers by Major Kelly; Major-General Meadows was present on the occasion. The grenadier company, Seventy-first Highlanders, was commanded by Captain the Honourable John Lindsay, who, upon entering the breach, directed his men to throw away their priming and trust entirely to their bayonets. The light company was commanded by Captain James Robertson, son of the celebrated historian. With the aid of scaling ladders, and after encountering very formidable obstacles, Bangalore was carried. From the 6th March to the capture of Bangalore the Seventy-first had 6 privates killed and 14 wounded. On the 28th March, a strong garrison being left in Bangalore, the army moved to Deonhully, the birthplace of Hyder Ali, where it arrived on the 30th, and on the 1st April at Chinnaballaporam, both of which places were abandoned by the enemy. The army reached Connapelly on the 12th April, and on the following day effected a junction with the Nizam’s force, which had been sent to co-operate with the British, and which amounted to about 15,000 cavalry. On the 18th April the army arrived at Venkatagherry, where a large detachment of Europeans, under Colonel Oldham, joined from the Carnatic, and on the 22nd April it again encamped near Bangalore. During this march, the object of which was chiefly to secure supplies, the enemy’s irregular horse were now and then seen in small detached bodies. On the 4th May the army marched towards Seringapatam, the capital of Tippoo Saïb’s territory, and on the 13th reached Arakerry, on the Cavery, about eight miles below Seringapatam. The enemy could be seen in front, with their right resting on the river, and their left on a high hill named the Carighaut. During the night of the 14th of May the troops marched with a view to surprising the enemy, but owing to the badness of the weather and roads, together with the jaded state of the gun bullocks, little or no progress was made during the night, but on the following day, after undergoing great fatigue, they were brought into action. The enemy was then soon driven from his strong position, and forced across the river to the island upon which the capital, Seringapatam, is situated, where he was protected by his batteries. In this affair four guns and several standards were taken. The Seventy-first lost Lieutenant and Adjutant Roderick Mackenzie and 7 rank and file killed. Ensign John Stuart and 74 rank and file were wounded. The army rested upon the field of battle, and moving again on the 18th arrived at Canambaddy, on the Cavery, upon the 20th. It was now ascertained that the season was too far advanced for undertaking immediately the siege of Tippoo Saïb’s capital, and it was determined accordingly to withdraw. The battering train was destroyed, all the ammunition stores which could not be removed were buried, and on the 26th May the army marched in the direction of Bangalore. In the course of this retreat the British were joined by the Mahratta army, consisting of about 33,000 men, chiefly cavalry, and 30 pieces of cannon. Of the approach of this large force the British had been kept in total ignorance by the activity of Tippoo’s irregular troops. Captain Little, with two battalions of Bombay sepoys, joined with the Mahratta army, and supplies were now abundant.

On the 11th July the army arrived at Bangalore without any attempt on the part of the enemy to interrupt the march. By this time the Nizam’s cavalry had become unfit to keep the field, and were allowed to return to their own country. A large detachment of the Mahrattas proceeded into the Sera country, the remainder continuing with the British army. On the 15th July the sick and half of the tumbrils belonging to the field pieces were sent into the fort of Bangalore, and the army moved towards Oussoor, where it arrived on the 11th of the following month. The fort of Oussoor was abandoned by the enemy after he had blown up the angles.

On the 12th of August the army moved from Oussoor, and on the 23rd arrived at Bayeur. About this period Major Gowdie, of the Honourable East India Company’s Service, was detached with some troops for the reduction of the strong hill fort of Nundydroog, which it was found required regular approaches. The flank companies of the Thirty-sixth and Seventy-first Regiments, under the command of Captain Robertson of the latter corps, marched on the 17th of October to join the detachment under Major Gowdie, and, upon their arrival, were immediately placed in the last parallel.

On the 18th of October General the Earl Cornwallis with the whole army, made a movement towards Nundydroog, and in the evening of that day the troops were told off for an assault upon the two breaches, which had been pronounced practicable. The attacks commenced at eleven o’clock at night, the grenadiers assaulting the right breach and the light companies the left. The forlorn hope of the right attack consisted of twenty grenadiers, volunteers from the Thirty-sixth and Seventy-first, led by Lieutenant Hugh Mackenzie of the Seventy-first, afterwards for a long time paymaster of the regiment. The same number of light infantry, headed by Lieutenant Lewis Moore, of the Seventy-first, formed the left attack. The grenadier company of the regiment, in support, was commanded by Lieutenant James Duncan, the light company by Lieutenant Kenneth Mackenzie, the whole under Captain Robertson’s orders. Captain Robert Burne supported, with the Thirty-sixth grenadiers, the right attack, and Captain William Hartley, with the light company of that regiment, the left attack; Major-General Meadows, as usual, animating the whole with his presence. Both breaches were carried without much resistance from the enemy, and the gateway of the inner wall being soon secured, the fort fell into the possession of the British. Many of the enemy were killed, and several, in attempting to escape, were dashed to pieces over the precipices. It was an additional source of gratification that this important service had been achieved without the loss of a British soldier. The following general order was issued on this occasion:—

“Head-Quarters Camp, October 20th, 1791.

“Lord Cornwallis having been witness of the extraordinary obstacles, both of nature and art, which were opposed to the detachment of the army that attacked Nundydroog, he cannot too highly applaud the firmness and exertions which were manifested by all ranks in carrying on the operations of the siege, or the valour and discipline which were displayed by the flank companies of His Majesty’s Thirty-sixth and Seventy-first Regiments (other regiments of native infantry were here enumerated) that were employed in the assault last night, and which, by overcoming all difficulties, effected the reduction of that important fort, and he particularly desires that his warmest thanks may be presented to Captain Robertson of the Seventy-first Regiment, who commanded the flank companies that led the assaults.”

In a few days subsequently to the fall of Nundydroog the army retraced its route to Bangalore. On the 4th of December the troops were again put in movement, directing their march towards Savendroog, a fortress situated on the side of a mountain surrounded by almost inaccessible rocks. The fort being reconnoitred, a detachment, under Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart of the Seventy-second Regiment, was selected and ordered to reduce the place. On the 17th the British were enabled to open upon the fort a battery of six 18-pounders and three 12-pounders with considerable effect. The flank companies of the Seventy-first and Seventy-sixth Regiments joined the detachment under Lieut.-Colonel Stuart on the 20th of December, and on the following day the flank companies of the Fifty-second, Seventy-first, Seventy-second, and Seventy-sixth were selected for the attack upon Savendroog, in which a practicable breach had been effected, and formed under Lieut.-Colonel Colebrook Nesbitt, of the Fifty-second Regiment. The storming party, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Nesbitt, was directed to four different attacks: Captain James Gage, with the grenadiers of the Fifty-second and flank companies of the Seventy-sixth Regiments, to gain the eastern hill to the left; Captain the Hon. John Lindsay and Captain James Robertson, with the flank companies of the Seventy-first, to separate and attack the works or parties they might discover in the chasm or hollow between the hills; the Fifty-second and Seventy-second Regiments were to follow the flank companies. Parties were detached under Lieut.-Colonel Baird and Major Petrie round the mountain to draw the attention of the enemy from the main object, and to endeavour to prevent his escape. At eleven o’clock in the morning of the 21st of December, on a signal of two guns being fired from the batteries, the flank companies, in the order described, followed by the Fifty-second and Seventy-second Regiments, advanced to the assaults, the band of the Fifty-second playing “Britons, strike home,” while the grenadiers and light infantry mounted the breach. Immediate success followed the attempt, the fort being carried without the loss of a man. The troops were thanked in general orders for their gallant conduct, as follows:—

“Lord Cornwallis thinks himself fortunate, almost beyond example, in having acquired by assault a fortress of so much strength and reputation, and of such inestimable value to the public interest as Savendroog, without having to regret the loss of a single soldier.... Although the resistance was so contemptible, he is not the less sensible that the behaviour of the grenadiers and light infantry of the Fifty-second, Seventy-first, Seventy-second, and Seventy-sixth Regiments, who led the assaults, and who must have made the decisive impression upon the minds of the enemy, reflects the most distinguished honour upon their discipline and valour.”

Outredroog, Ram Gurry, and Sheria Gurry shortly afterwards surrendered to the British Army. The force subsequently moved towards Outredroog, a hill fort about thirty miles west of Bangalore, where a general hospital was established. On the 31st of January, 1792, the army,1792. under General the Earl Cornwallis, was reviewed by the Poonah and Hyderabad Chiefs, and on the following day commenced its march towards Seringapatam, passing by Hooleadroog, Tagilly, and Carrycode. The troops came in sight of Tippoo’s capital on the 3rd of February, and encamped at the French Rocks. The enemy’s horse showed itself on the 4th and 5th, but attempted nothing hostile.

The entrenched camp of Tippoo Saïb was reconnoitred on the 6th of February, and at dark the army was formed in three columns of attack. The right, under Major-General Meadows, consisting of the Thirty-sixth and Seventy-sixth King’s Regiments; the centre, under the Commander-in-Chief, General the Earl Cornwallis, consisting of the Fifty-second, Seventy-first, and Seventy-fourth King’s Regiments. The left, under Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell, of the Seventy-fourth, was composed of the Seventy-second Regiment. The native troops were divided among the three columns. By eight o’clock in the evening of the 6th of February, the three columns were in motion. The head of the centre column, led by the flank companies of the respective corps, after twice crossing the Sohany river, which covered the enemy’s right wing and front, came in contact with his first line, and immediately forced its way through it. The British flankers, mixing with the fugitives, crossed the north branch of the Cavery, at the foot of the glacis of the fort of Seringapatam. Captain the Honourable John Lindsay collected the grenadiers of the Seventy-first upon the glacis, and attempted to push into the body of the place, but was prevented by the bridge being raised a few moments before he reached it. He was soon after joined by some of the light company of the Fifty-second and grenadiers of the Seventy-sixth, with whom he forced his way down to the famous “Lal bagh,” or Ruby Garden, where he was attacked most furiously, but the enemy was repelled with the bayonet.

Captain Lindsay was afterwards joined by the Seventy-fourth grenadiers, and attempted to drive the enemy from the Pettah, but could not succeed, from the numbers which poured on him from all sides. This gallant officer then took post in a redoubt, where he maintained himself until morning, and then moved to the north bank of the river, where the firing appeared very heavy. He was there met by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable John Knox, of the Thirty-sixth Regiment, and by Lieut.-Colonel Baird, with the grenadiers of the Fifty-second and the light company of the Seventy-first, together with some of the troops that composed the left attack.

During these occurrences the battalion companies of the Fifty-second, Seventy-first, and Seventy-second Regiments forced their way across the river to the island, overpowering all that opposed them, when Captain Archdeacon, commanding a battalion of Bengal sepoys, being killed, that battalion was thrown into confusion, falling back upon the Seventy-first. Major Stair Park Dalrymple, wishing to prevent the sepoys intermingling with his men, ordered the regiment to move obliquely to the left, an operation that by chance brought him in contact with the Sultan’s redoubt, which was instantly attacked and carried. The charge of the redoubt was given to Captain Hugh Sibbald, of the Seventy-first, with his company, who on the following morning was killed, nobly defending it against repeated and desperate attacks from the enemy. He was replaced by Major Shelly, under whom the redoubt sustained two serious assaults. The Commander-in-Chief, General the Earl Cornwallis, in compliment to the memory of this officer, had the name of the redoubt changed to “Sibbald.”

In the evening of the 7th of February 3,000 of the enemy’s horse attacked the British troops on the island, but were repulsed by the Seventy-first Regiment and the First Coast Sepoys. In the course of these operations the regiment had Captain Sibbald and Lieutenant Daniel Bayne killed; Ensign Duncan Mackenzie was wounded; about 100 rank and file were killed and wounded.

The enemy’s loss was very severe, being estimated at 20,000 hors de combat. Eighty pieces of cannon were taken by the British. The following general order was issued:—

“Feb. 7th.

“The conduct and valour of the officers and soldiers of this army have often merited Lord Cornwallis’s encomiums, but the zeal and gallantry which were so successfully displayed last night in the attacks of the enemy’s whole army in a position which had cost him so much time and labour to fortify, can never be sufficiently praised; and his satisfaction on an occasion which promised to be attended with the most substantial advantages has been greatly heightened by learning from the Commanding officers of divisions that this meritorious behaviour was universal through all ranks, to a degree that has been rarely equalled. Lord Cornwallis therefore requests that the army in general will accept of his most cordial thanks for the noble and gallant manner in which they have executed the plan of the attack; it covers them with honour, and will ever command his warmest sentiments of admiration.”

On the 9th of February the army took up its final position for the siege of Seringapatam, and on the 15th Major-General Robert Abercromby joined with the Bombay force, consisting of the Seventy-third, Seventy-fifth, and Seventy-seventh regiments, besides native troops, making a total of about 6,000 men.

The Seventy-first Highlanders, commanded by Major Dalrymple, crossed the south branch of the Cavery at nine o’clock at night on the 18th of February, and two hours later attacked by surprise a camp of the enemy’s cavalry, of whom a great part were slain and the remainder dispersed in all directions. This movement was designed to cover the operation of opening the trenches, which took place at the same time within 800 yards of the fort. Until the 24th of February the approaches were carried on with the greatest activity, when the general orders announced that the preliminary articles of peace had been signed, and in consequence all hostile measures immediately ceased.

On the 26th of February the two sons of Tippoo Saïb, Abd-el-Khalik and Musa-ed-Deen, the former ten years of age and the latter eight, were brought to the British camp as hostages for the due performance of the preliminary articles.

In consequence of some obstacles which had been opposed by Tippoo to the arrangement of the definitive treaty, working parties were ordered, and the guns replaced in the batteries on the 10th March. This state of suspicion and preparation lasted until the 15th of March, when it was discontinued, and on the 18th of that month, the definitive treaty being duly executed and signed, was delivered by the young Abd-el-Khalik to each of the confederates. On the 20th the counterpart was sent to Tippoo Saïb.

Thus terminated a war in which the confederates wrested from the enemy 70 fortresses, 800 pieces of cannon, and destroyed or dispersed at least 50,000 men. By the articles of the treaty Tippoo Saïb was bound to pay a large sum of money and to cede one-half of his dominions. The Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in India granted from this money a sum equal to six months’ batta for all ranks, and the Court of Directors afterwards made a similar grant. The East India Company also granted an annuity of £50 to Captain P. Melville for his services in India.

On the 26th of March, the exchange of the definitive treaty being completed, the British commenced moving towards Bangalore, from whence they proceeded to the Pednaigdurgum Pass, where the Bengal troops were ordered to their own Presidency.

Early in May the army descended the Ghauts, arriving soon after at Vellore, where the Commander-in-Chief arranged the cantonments of the troops and proceeded to Madras. The Seventy-first received orders to march to the southward, and in the month of June arrived at Warriore, near Trichinopoly, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Baird, who during the campaign had been absent from the regiment in command of a brigade. Eight companies were stationed at Warriore, and two were detached with Major Dalrymple to Dindigul. In this situation the regiment continued for the remainder of the year.

1793.

In March, 1793, the eight companies under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Baird proceeded from Warriore to Secundermally, in the neighbourhood of Madura. Meanwhile the events of the French Revolution had involved England in another contest, the National Convention of France having declared war against Great Britain and Holland in February, 1793. The news of this event arrived in India in May following, when the siege of the French settlement of Pondicherry, on the Coromandel coast, was determined upon. Lieut.-Colonel Baird, of the Seventy-first, was appointed to command a brigade on this service.

In July the flank companies of the regiment were ordered to join the force about to besiege Pondicherry, and marched for that purpose, being followed soon afterwards by the battalion companies. The place surrendered on the 22nd of August, and the Seventy-first returned to Secundermally and Dindigul, where it continued during the remainder of the year.

1794.

An attack upon the Mauritius was in contemplation at the commencement of the year 1794, and troops for that service were assembled at Wallajohabad. The Seventy-first, having received orders to join this force, marched to Wallajohabad, where the regiment remained only a short time, having been ordered to return to the southward, in consequence of the projected expedition being relinquished.

The regiment marched accordingly, and arrived at Tanjore in June, where it was stationed for the remainder of the year, having two companies detached under Major Dalrymple at Vellum.

1795.

Holland became united to France in the early part of 1795, and was styled the Batavian Republic. Upon the arrival of this information in India, an expedition was fitted out against the Island of Ceylon, where the Dutch had several settlements. Major Dalrymple, with the flank companies, marched to the coast, and embarked at Negapatam, for the purpose of co-operating with the troops destined for Ceylon, under the command of Colonel James Stuart, of the Seventy-second, who was promoted to the rank of Major-General at this period. The fleet arrived on the coast of Ceylon on the 1st of August, and two days afterwards the troops landed four miles north of the fort of Trincomalee. The siege of the fort was commenced as soon as the artillery and stores could be landed and removed sufficiently near to the place. On the 26th of August a practicable breach was effected, and the garrison surrendered. The fort of Batticaloe surrendered on the 18th of September, and the fort and island of Manaar capitulated on the 5th of October. After these services were performed, the flank companies returned to Tanjore in the month of October, having lost 11 men in killed and wounded. Captain William Charles Gorrie, of the grenadier company, was desperately wounded in this expedition.

The following honourable mention of an officer in this regiment is extracted from a letter of Sir Robert Abercromby to the Duke of York.

“Calcutta, November 4th.

“I have the honour to inform you that Major Dirom having resigned his office of Deputy Adjutant-General in India, I have appointed Captain James Robertson, of the Seventy-first Regiment, who has acted for him since 1st July, 1792, to succeed until His Majesty’s pleasure is known, as Captain Robertson was included in the brevet of Major, made in March, 1794, though not yet published in India, and I am sensible any further mark of His Majesty’s favour will be pleasing to the Marquis Cornwallis, under whom he served, and I beg leave to recommend him for the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.”

1796.

In May, 1796, the regiment marched to Wallajohabad, where it was stationed during the remainder of the year.

1797.

On the 2nd of January, 1797, the regiment was inspected by Major-General Clarke, who issued the following general order:—

“Major-General Clarke has experienced infinite satisfaction this morning at the review of His Majesty’s Seventy-first Regiment.

“He cannot say that on any occasion of field exercise he ever was present at a more perfect performance.

“When a corps is so striking in appearance, and so complete in every branch of its discipline, little can occur to the Commander-in-Chief to particularize. He cannot but notice, however, that the Seventy-first Regiment has excited his admiration for its expertness in those parts of its exercise which are most essential and most difficult to execute. He alludes to its order and regularity when moving in line, its extreme accuracy in preserving distance, and the neatness and promptitude that are so evident in all its formations. So much perfection in a corps whose services in India will long be held in remembrance, does the greatest honour to Lieut.-Colonel Baird and all his officers, to whom and the corps at large the Commander-in-Chief desires to offer his best thanks.”

The regiment remained in the cantonment of Wallajohabad until the month of October, when orders were issued for its return to Europe. It was accordingly drafted, giving five hundred men to the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth Regiments, and then marched from Wallajohabad, under the command of Colonel Baird, to Madras, and immediately embarked on board of Indiamen for Great Britain. The fleet sailed from Madras Roads on the 17th of October, and was at sea during the remainder of the year. A few days previous to its embarkation the following order was published:—

“Fort St. George,
“October 16th, 1797.

“General Order by Government.

“The officers, non-commissioned officers, drummers, and privates of the Seventy-first Highlanders are under orders for Europe, to embark to-morrow morning at six. The President in Council has much satisfaction in expressing the great sense entertained by the Government of the active, zealous, and important services of the Seventy-first Highlanders during the eighteen years they have been stationed in India, by which they have contributed so largely to the reputation of the British Army, and so essentially promoted the interests of the East India Company.

“By order of the Right Honourable the President in Council.

(Signed) “S. Webbe,
“Secretary to the Government.”

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

“General Order by Lieut.-General Harris.

“The Commander-in-Chief cannot think of parting with a corps that has been so eminently distinguished as the Seventy-first Highlanders in India by a series of long, arduous, and spirited services, without requesting Lieut.-Colonel Baird, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and every man belonging to that regiment to accept of his warmest acknowledgments for conduct which has been equally honourable to them, and advantageous to their country. The alacrity with which Lieut.-Colonel Baird has arranged, at a short warning, everything relative to the drafting, confirms Lieutenant-General Harris in the favourable opinion he had formed of the internal order and discipline of that corps, and he trusts that the regularity and zeal of the men destined for the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth Highlanders will be such as to maintain the high reputation they have so deservedly acquired.

(Signed) “J. Robertson,
“Deputy Adjutant-General.

“Head-Quarters, Choultry Plain,
“October 16th, 1797.”

1798.

Early in January, 1798, the fleet arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, where the commanding officer of the regiment, Colonel Baird, was detained upon the Staff, having been appointed Brigadier-General. After remaining a few days in Table Bay, the fleet sailed, and reached St. Helena in February, where it was detained three months, waiting for a convoy.

The fleet sailed on the 1st of May from St Helena, without a convoy, and in July, in consequence of contrary winds, was compelled to put into Cork Harbour. It sailed from thence for the Thames, and on the 13th of August the regiment disembarked at Woolwich, where it remained for a few days, and then re-embarked in smacks for Leith. After landing, the regiment proceeded to Stirling. As a mark of indulgence, a general leave for two months was granted to the officers and men of the Seventy-first, to enable them to visit their friends and families after the long absence from their native country. At the expiration of this period, the whole assembled at Stirling, with the addition of a few recruits[4]. Immediately afterwards, the whole of the officers and non-commissioned officers, with the exception of the Staff, and a few at head-quarters, were sent out to recruit for the regiment.

Very few of the men remained who had originally formed the regiment; of the officers, the following were still in the regiment:—

Colonel Baird,
” Dalrymple,
Major Lindsay Robertson,
Brevet-Major Borthwick,
” Gorrie,
Captain D. Ross,
” Hugh Cuthbert,
” Roderick McKenzie,
” Hugh McKenzie.

1799.

During the year 1799, the head-quarters remained at Stirling, and the recruiting went on but slowly.

1800.

In May, 1800, the strength of the regiment amounted to about 200 rank and file, when a route arrived changing the quarters to Paisley, but soon after the march an order arrived for its proceeding to Ireland. In June the regiment reached Portpatrick, and crossed immediately to Donaghadee, from whence it marched, under the command of Colonel Dalrymple, to Newry, and in a few days afterwards was removed to Dundalk.

In July the regiment received 600 volunteers from the Scotch Fencible Corps serving in Ireland, and remained at Dundalk until the close of the year, when a route for Dublin was received. At this period, Colonel Dalrymple was appointed Brigadier-General, and the command of the regiment devolved on Brevet Lieut.-Colonel John French.

On the 6th of December Major Denis Pack was promoted from the Fourth Royal Irish Dragoon Guards to be Lieut.-Colonel in the Seventy-first Regiment, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable John Lindsay, who retired from the service.

1801.

The regiment, early in the year 1801, marched from Dundalk to Dublin, and occupied the barracks in the Palatine Square. On the 24th of April, Lieut.-Colonel Pack joined, and assumed the command of the regiment.

1802.

In March, 1802, in which month the Peace of Amiens was concluded, the regiment proceeded from Dublin, and was quartered in the county of Wicklow. The corps was so divided, that at Arklow, the head-quarters, there were only two companies. In this situation it continued for the remainder of the year.

1803.

The regiment proceeded in March, 1803, in three divisions, to Ballinasloe, where it remained for a few days, and afterwards marched to Loughrea.

Major-General Sir John Francis Cradock, K.B., was appointed Colonel of the Seventy-first Highlanders on the 6th of August, 1803, in succession to General the Honourable William Gordon, who was removed to the Twenty-first Royal North British Fusiliers.

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

“To the memory of Captain John Sinclair, this stone was caused to be placed by his brother officers of the Seventy-first Regiment, as a testimony of the high esteem they held him in as an officer, as well as the sincere love they bore him as a friend. Twenty-six years spent in zealous and faithful discharge of his duty justly entitled him to the character of the one, and the many estimable qualities of the heart gave him no less claim to the other; he died at the age of 41, in the year of our Lord 1803, resigning only with his breath that commission which His Gracious Majesty had pleased to bestow.”

1804.

In May the regiment proceeded from Loughrea to the county of Limerick; the head-quarters being stationed at Rathkeale, one detachment at Newcastle, another at Tarbert, and a third at Askeaton.

2nd bat.

While the regiment was stationed in Ireland, war had recommenced with France, and Bonaparte having made preparations for invading Great Britain, additional measures of defence to those of the former year were adopted by the Government; and under the “Additional Force Act,” passed on the 10th of July, 1804, a second battalion was added to the Seventy-first Regiment, which was to consist of men to be raised for limited service in certain counties of North Britain. The second battalion was formed at Dumbarton in October, to the command of which Lieut.-Colonel Lord George Beresford was appointed. Its establishment was fixed at 23 sergeants, 22 drummers, 20 corporals, 1,380 privates.

1805.

1st bat.

In March, 1805, the first battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Pack, proceeded to Bandon, in the county of Cork, and was stationed at that place until July, when it marched to Cork, and immediately afterwards to Monkstown, where it embarked in transports, having been selected to form part of a secret expedition under its former commander, Major-General Sir David Baird.

In the beginning of August the embarkation was completed, and on the 5th of that month the fleet sailed, convoyed by three 64-gun ships, two frigates and gun brigs, under the orders of Commodore Sir Home Popham; and on the 28th of September the fleet, after a very boisterous passage, arrived at Madeira.

On the 3rd of October the fleet left Madeira, and on the 12th of November arrived at St. Salvador, in the Brazils, where an opportunity was afforded of refreshing the men, landing the sick, and procuring some horses for the cavalry.

The fleet again put to sea on the 28th of November, and directed its course towards the Dutch Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, then in possession of the Batavian Government, which was united with France in hostility to Great Britain.

1806.

It arrived at the high table-land of the Cape of Good Hope on the 4th of January, 1806, and shortly afterwards came to anchor. The whole of the following day the surf upon the shore of the bay was too violent to admit of any attempt to land. Brigadier-General William Carr, afterwards General Viscount Beresford, was detached, with such of the cavalry as had horses, and the Thirty-eighth Regiment, to Saldanha Bay.

In the morning of the 6th of January a landing was effected by the Highland brigade, consisting of the Seventy-first, Seventy-second, and Ninety-third Highlanders, and numbering 2,200 men, under the command of Brigadier-General Ronald Craufurd Ferguson, in the performance of which service Lieut.-Colonel Pack, the commanding officer of the Seventy-first Regiment, was wounded. The following day was devoted to landing the supplies and the remainder of the army.

Early in the morning of the 8th of January, Major-General Sir David Baird formed his troops in two columns, and moved up to the heights of Bleuberg, from whence the enemy was seen, drawn up in order of battle, in two lines, with twenty-three pieces of cannon, his numbers being calculated at 5,000, of which a large proportion was cavalry.

The British lines were formed with promptitude and correctness, and the enemy was attacked with the utmost spirit. He maintained his ground with some firmness, until a charge of the Highland brigade dislodged and completely routed him, with the loss of three guns and 700 men.

In this affair the Seventy-first had Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Robert Campbell wounded. 5 men were killed, and 2 sergeants and 64 rank and file were wounded[5].

The troops halted for the night at the Reit Valley, and on the 9th of January the army moved towards the Salt River, where it was intended to take up a position previously to the attack of Cape Town, when a flag of truce appeared from the town, which produced some negociations, that terminated in its surrender to His Majesty’s arms. Lieut.-General Janssens, the Governor of the colony, after his defeat of Blenberg on the 8th, had retired towards the interior of the country by the Hottentot Holland Kloof, or Pass, from whence, on the 19th of January, he signed and ratified the treaty that placed the whole of the Cape of Good Hope and its dependencies in the possession of Great Britain, under whose sway it has since continued.

1st bat.

The following letter from Brigadier-General Ferguson to Major-General Sir David Baird, relative to the regiment and its commander, is here inserted:—

“Cape Town, 19th January, 1806.

“Sir,

“As in the affair of Bleuberg, on the 8th instant, chance placed two of the enemy’s guns in possession of the Highland brigade, I hope you will be pleased to order the allowance usually granted on such occasions to be issued and shared amongst the Seventy-first, Seventy-second, and Ninety-third Regiments.

“Although the guns fell into our hands in front of the Seventy-first Highlanders, Lieut.-Colonel Pack (desirous that the three regiments should be considered as one family) has most handsomely withdrawn the prior claim His Majesty’s Seventy-first Highlanders might have made, and to which the situation of the guns, when taken, would have entitled that most excellent corps.

“I have, etc.,
(Signed) “R. C. Ferguson,
“Brigadier-General.

“Major-General Sir David Baird.”

The Seventy-first went into quarters at the cantonment of Wynberg, about seven miles from Cape Town, on the road to Simon’s Bay, where the battalion remained until the 12th of April, when, most unexpectedly, an order arrived for its immediate embarkation on an expedition to the Rio de la Plata, in South America, which had been planned by the British Commanders, naval and military, at the Cape. The Seventy-first was the only corps of the Cape garrison destined for this service, with the addition of a few dragoons and some artillery. At this period the strength of the battalion amounted to 800 rank and file, having received some recruits from foreign corps at the Cape. The troops were to be commanded by Brigadier-General William Carr Beresford, afterwards Viscount Beresford.

The battalion was embarked in line-of-battle ships and transports, and on the 14th of April the fleet sailed from Table Bay, directing its course to the westward until the 20th, when, in consequence of unfavourable weather, and having parted company with one of the transports in which were three companies of the Seventy-first, the signal was made to rendezvous at St. Helena, at which island the fleet arrived on the 30th of April, with the exception of the missing transport. Here the force under Brigadier-General Beresford received an augmentation of 200 men from the St. Helena Regiment, making a total of 1,087 rank and file.

On the 2nd of May the fleet sailed from St. Helena, and after a tedious voyage arrived at Cape St. Mary at the entrance of the Rio de la Plata, on the 8th of June, where it met with the missing transport.

The troops that had sailed in the line-of-battle ships were transferred on the 16th of June to the transports, which proceeded up the river, and on the 24th of that month came to anchor opposite the city of Buenos Ayres. The force amounted in all to 1,466 rank and file; the Seventy-first mustered 784 rank and file. On the 25th, at night, the Seventy-first, with the other troops, effected a landing without any opposition. The following morning they pushed forward, and met the enemy at the village of Reduccion, who made a trifling stand, and then retired towards the city. On this occasion Captain Henry Le Blanc of the Seventy-first lost his leg, and a sergeant and 5 rank and file were wounded.

The British troops continued to advance in pursuit of the enemy, and on the morning of the 27th of June forced their passage across the Rio Chuelo. Some skirmishing followed this movement, but the city of Buenos Ayres almost immediately surrendered. In the evening the town and fort were taken possession of by the first battalion of the Seventy-first and detachments of marines and St. Helena Regiment. Major-General Beresford, in his despatch to Sir David Baird, wrote as follows:—

“I cannot omit reporting to you that I had the most just cause to be satisfied with the conduct of every officer and all the troops under my command; to Lieut.-Colonel Pack, of the Seventy-first Highlanders, every praise is due, as well as to that excellent regiment.”

The Seventy-first occupied barracks in Buenos Ayres, and remained undisturbed until the beginning of August, by which time the enemy had collected a force of about 1,500 men, under a leader named Pueridon, at five leagues from the city. Brigadier-General Beresford in consequence moved out with 300 of the Seventy-first, 50 from the St. Helena Regiment, and six field pieces; attacked and dispersed the enemy, taking all his artillery, namely, ten pieces of various calibre. The battalion had only 5 men wounded in this operation.

About this period a body of the enemy, headed by Colonel Liniers, a French officer in the service of Spain, crossed from Colonna to Concher, evidently with hostile intentions. Forming a junction with the force under Pueridon, the whole marched upon Buenos Ayres.

On the 10th of August the enemy commenced operations by the massacre of a sergeant and his guard of the Seventy-first Regiment, who were posted at a place in the suburbs where the bull-fights were usually exhibited. On the following day much skirmishing ensued in the outskirts of the city, the enemy taking possession of the tops of houses, from which he kept up a galling and destructive fire. During this time the main body of the British force took up a position in the Grand Square, but afterwards retired into the fort of Buenos Ayres. Being now bereft of all resources, and having no hope of support, no alternative remained but to capitulate. At about one o’clock, therefore, the fort was surrendered to the enemy and hostilities ceased. The troops marched out with the honours of war, and laid down their arms in the square. The officers being granted parole were quartered upon the inhabitants of the town, and the men were confined in the prisons of the city.

In these melancholy proceedings Lieut. Mitchell and Ensign Lucas were killed, and the regiment lost 91 men in killed and wounded.

2nd bat.

In August, 1806, the second battalion embarked at Glasgow for Ireland, and arrived at Belfast on the 1st of September.

1st bat.

About the middle of September the Seventy-first were removed from Buenos Ayres into the interior. Brigadier-General Beresford, with his staff, and Lieut.-Colonel Pack, were placed at Luxon, from whence they subsequently effected their escape, upon learning that the removal of the prisoners still further up the country had been ordered.

1807.

Lieut.-Colonel Pack was thus enabled to join the troops which had landed near Monte Video in January, 1807, under the command of Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty, who at Lieut.-Colonel Pack’s request, directed a board of naval and military officers to inquire into the particulars of his escape, by whom it was unanimously approved, and he was declared free to serve.

2nd bat.

The second battalion was removed from Ireland to Scotland in January, 1807, but returned to Ireland in June following.

1st bat.

In May, 1807, a further removal to the interior of the prisoners took place. The officers were collected at a college belonging to the Jesuits about forty leagues to the northward of Cordova, and entirely separated from their men. In this situation they remained until August following, when, just as they were ordered to prepare for a transfer to a station still more remote, the accounts of the convention entered into by Lieut.-General John Whitelocke were received, by which it was stipulated that the prisoners should be restored to liberty on condition that all the British forces should be withdrawn. It is scarcely necessary to remark that the prospect of being restored to liberty and friends was greatly damped by the military events which produced it, and which completely extinguished the ardent hopes of success that had been entertained from the arrival of the last British force in South America.

In September the whole of the officers and men were reconducted to Buenos Ayres, from whence they were conveyed in boats to Monte Video, and there embarked in transports with a view of returning to Europe.

It is a circumstance highly creditable to the character of the soldiers of the Seventy-first that, although so many powerful allurements were held out to induce them to remain in South America, but few individuals were found to swerve from their duty and allegiance to their King and country. The Spaniards were very fond of the Highlanders, particularly of those who were Catholics. One of these, named Donald Macdonald, overcome by solicitations, had almost agreed to remain at Buenos Ayres, but whilst wavering one of his companions sung to him “Lochaber no more;” the effect was irresistible; the tears started into poor Donald’s eyes, and wiping them away, he exclaimed, “Na, na! I canna stay, I’d maybe return to Lochaber nae mair.”

The fleet sailed immediately, and after a tedious and rough voyage of three months, the transports having the Seventy-first on board put into Cork Harbour in December, and on the 27th of that month the whole were landed, without uniform, clothing, arms, or accoutrements, and marched to Middleton under the command of Major Henry Tolley, Lieut.-Colonel Pack having previously returned to England from South America.

1808.

In March, 1808, the regiment proceeded from Middleton to Cork, where its equipment in every respect was completed.

2nd bat.

The second battalion embarked at Londonderry for Scotland on the 9th of April, 1808, after transferring 200 men to the first battalion, which raised the strength of the latter to nearly 900 rank and file.

1st bat.

On the 26th of April, whilst in garrison at Cork, new colours, to replace those left in South America, were presented to the Seventy-first by Lieut.-General John Floyd, who had commanded the cavalry and advance in the campaign of 1790 in the East Indies.

The following animating and soldier-like address was made by the gallant General on the occasion:—

“Seventy-first!!

“I am directed to perform the honourable duty of presenting your colours.

“Brave Seventy-first, the world is well acquainted with your gallant conduct at the capture of Buenos Ayres in South America, under one of His Majesty’s bravest Generals.

“It is well known that you defended your conquest with the utmost courage, good conduct, and discipline, to the last extremity. When diminished to a handful, hopeless of succour, and destitute of provisions, you were overwhelmed by multitudes, and reduced by the fortune of war to lose your liberty and your well-defended colours, but not your honour. Your honour, Seventy-first Regiment, remains unsullied.

“Your last act in the field covered you with glory. Your generous despair, calling upon your General to suffer you to die with arms in your hands, proceeded from the genuine spirit of British soldiers. Your behaviour in prosperity—your sufferings in captivity—and your faithful discharge of your duty to your King and country, are appreciated by all.

“You who now stand on this parade, in defiance of the allurements held out to base desertion, are endeared to the army and to the country, and your conduct will ensure you the esteem of all true soldiers—of all worthy men—and fill every one of you with honest martial pride.

“It has been my good fortune to have witnessed, in a remote part of the world, the early glories and gallant conduct of the Seventy-first Regiment in the field; and it is with great satisfaction I meet you again with replenished ranks, with good arms in your hands, and with stout hearts in your bosoms.

“Look forward, officers and soldiers, to the achievement of new honours and the acquirement of fresh fame!!

“Officers! be the friends and guardians of these brave fellows committed to your charge!!

“Soldiers! give your confidence to your officers. They have shared with you the chances of war; they have bravely bled along with you,—they will always do honour to themselves and you. Preserve your regiment’s reputation for valour in the field and regularity in quarters.

“I have now the honour to present the

“Royal Colour.
“This is the King’s colour!!

“I have now the honour to present your regimental colour.

“This is the colour of the Seventy-first Regiment.

“May victory for ever crown these colours!!!”

The Peninsula was at this period the centre of political interest. Portugal, deserted by her government, and Spain betrayed, the people of each rose in arms to recover the national independence. Dissensions had arisen in the Royal family of Spain, occasioned by the sway of Emanuel Godoy, who bore the title of the “Prince of Peace.” This Minister was dismissed, but the Court was unable to restore tranquillity. In this emergency the French Emperor was solicited to be umpire, and Napoleon ultimately placed the crown of Spain on his brother Joseph, who was transferred from the throne of Naples. The Spaniards flew to arms in consequence. The British Government resolved to aid the Spanish and Portuguese patriots, and a British army was ordered to proceed to the Peninsula, under the command of Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley. The first battalion of the Seventy-first Highlanders formed part of the force selected on this occasion.

It embarked at the Cove of Cork on the 17th of June, 1808, its strength consisting of 52 sergeants, 22 drummers, and 874 rank and file.

In June, 1808, His Majesty King George III was pleased to approve of the Seventy-first bearing the title of Glasgow in addition to the appellation of Highland regiment.[6]

In the first instance, the Seventy-first were brigaded with the Fifth, Thirty-eighth, and fifth battalion of the Sixtieth Regiment, under Brigadier-General Henry Fane, and sailed for Portugal, in conjunction with the forces destined to aid the Spaniards and Portuguese, on the 12th of July. After a favourable passage, the troops anchored in Mondego Bay in the beginning of August, and a landing was effected in the vicinity of the village of Frejus.

Early in the morning of the 4th of August a small picket of the enemy stationed in the neighbourhood fell back, and the operation of disembarking the troops was carried into effect without opposition. The army then moved on to a position across a deep sandy country, where it halted and encamped for the night.

At this period a change took place in the arrangement of the brigades, and the first battalion of the Seventy-first was placed, with the Thirty-sixth and Fortieth Regiments, in that commanded by Major-General Ronald Craufurd Ferguson.

The division under Major-General Sir Brent Spencer, K.B., from Cadiz, consisting of about 4,000 men, joined on the 8th of August; and, after a short halt, the army was again put in motion to occupy a more forward position, where it remained for some days. On the 17th August the enemy, commanded by General Laborde, was encountered near Roleia. The position was attacked and carried with great loss to the French, who retreated to Torres Vedras.

The light company of the Seventy-first was the only part of the regiment engaged, the remainder being employed in manœuvring on the right flank of the French. It suffered a trifling loss, having but 1 man killed and 2 wounded.

The Seventy-first subsequently received the Royal authority to bear the word “Roleia” on the regimental colours and appointments, in commemoration of this victory.

Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, after the battle of Roleia, did not pursue the enemy by the high roads, but, keeping to the right near the sea, marched to Vimiera to cover the landing of a brigade commanded by Major-General Anstruther, which was effected on the 20th of August.

The morning of the 21st of August was given up to the troops, in order to prepare and repose themselves. The men were engaged in washing and cleaning their equipments, when the approach of the enemy, moving to the left, was discovered at eight o’clock in the morning, and the brigades commanded by Major-General Ferguson, Brigadier-Generals Nightingall, Acland, and Bowes, were consequently moved across a valley from the heights on the west to those on the east of Vimiera.

Marshal Junot, Duke of Abrantes, moved on his army to the attack of the position, directing it on the British centre, where the Fiftieth Regiment was posted, and moving along the front gradually to the left until the whole line became engaged.

A short time previously to this, the soldiers of the brigade were ordered to sit down, with their arms in their hands, keeping their formation. The enemy in the meantime cannonaded the whole line, and pushed on his sharpshooters and infantry. To oppose the former, Major-General Ferguson ordered the left sections of the companies to move forward and skirmish. Upon the retreat of the enemy’s sharpshooters, the action became general along the front of this brigade, and the whole moved forward to the attack. Nothing could surpass the steadiness of the troops on this occasion, and the general and commanding officers set a noble example, which was followed by all.

The grenadier company of the Seventy-first greatly distinguished itself, in conjunction with a subdivision of the light company of the Thirty-sixth Regiment. Captain Alexander Forbes, who commanded the grenadier company, was ordered to the support of some British artillery, and seizing a favourable opportunity, made a dash at a battery of the enemy’s artillery immediately in his front. He succeeded in capturing five guns and a howitzer, with horses, caissons, and equipment complete. In this affair alone the grenadier company had Lieutenants John Pratt and Ralph Dudgeon and 13 rank and file wounded, together with 2 men killed.

The French made a daring effort to retake their artillery both with cavalry and infantry; but the gallant conduct of the grenadier company, and the advance of Major-General Ferguson’s brigade, finally left the guns in the possession of those who had so gallantly captured them.

George Clark, one of the pipers of the regiment, and afterwards piper to the Highland Society of London, was severely wounded in this action, and being unable to accompany his corps in the advance against the enemy, he deliberately sat down, and unstrapping his pipes, called out, “Well my bra’ lads, I can no farther wi’ ye a fighting, but diel ha’ my soul if ye sal want music,” and immediately began playing “Up and war them a’ Willie.” He was afterwards presented with a handsome stand of pipes by the Highland Society. This is the second instance in which the pipers of the Seventy-first have behaved with particular gallantry, and evinced high feeling for the credit and honour of the corps.

During the advance of the battalion, several prisoners were taken, among whom was the French General Brennier, who surrendered himself on the columns giving way to corporal John M^cKay. The latter was afterwards promoted to an ensigncy in the Fourth West India Regiment.

The result of this battle was the total defeat of the enemy, who subsequently retreated on Lisbon, with the loss of twenty-one pieces of cannon, twenty-three ammunition waggons, with powder, shells, stores of all descriptions, and 20,000 rounds of musket ammunition, together with a great many officers and soldiers killed, wounded, and taken prisoners.

The conduct of the battalion, and of its commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Pack, was noticed in the public despatches, and the thanks of the Houses of Parliament were conferred on the troops.

The following officers of the Seventy-first were wounded in the battle of Vimiera: Captains Arthur Jones and Maxwell Mackenzie; Lieutenants John Pratt, William Hartley, Augustus M^cIntyre, and Ralph Dudgeon; Ensign James Campbell, and Acting Adjutant R. M^cAlpine. Twelve rank and file were killed; six sergeants, and eighty-six rank and file wounded.

The Seventy-first subsequently received the royal authority to bear the word “Vimiera” on the regimental colour and appointments, in commemoration of this battle.

The Convention of Cintra was the result of this victory; it was signed on the 30th of August, and by its provisions the French Army evacuated Portugal.

The British Army was ordered to move forward to Lisbon, some of the reinforcements for it having preceded it by water, and occupied the forts at the mouth of the Tagus. The French Army having by this convention fallen back on Lisbon, the British proceeded to the vicinity of Fort St. Julien, and encamped there.

All the objects of the expedition being carried into effect, and the French troops embarked for France, the British Army remained for some time at Lisbon and its vicinity. At this period (September) Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, having assumed the command, made dispositions for entering Spain.

The first battalion of the Seventy-first was now brigaded with the Thirty-sixth and Ninety-eighth Regiments, under Brigadier-General Catlin Craufurd, and placed in the division under the command of Lieut.-General the Honourable John Hope, afterwards the Earl of Hopetoun. On the 27th of October the division was put in motion, and after a short stay at Badajoz, resumed the march, proceeding by Merida, Truxillo, Jaraicejo, Puerto-de-Merivette, and crossing the Tagus at the bridge of Almaraz, directed its route upon Talavera-de-la-Reyna. From this town the column proceeded to the Escurial, seven leagues to the north-west of Madrid.

Intelligence was here received of the enemy’s approach towards Madrid, and two companies of the Seventy-first, under Major Archibald Campbell, were pushed forward to occupy the important pass in the Guadarama Mountains, which separate Old from New Castile. After a halt of a few days, the division was put in motion over the Guadarama Pass to Villa Castin, at which place Lieut.-General the Honourable John Hope, in consequence of the intelligence which he received of the enemy’s movements, made a night march to the left, by Avila and Peneranda, and finally proceeded to Alba de Tormes. At the latter place a junction was formed with a detachment from the army under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, then at Salamanca. The army under Sir John Moore was shortly afterwards put in motion towards Valladolid, and subsequently to the left, to form a junction with Lieut.-General Sir David Baird’s division, which had landed at Corunna.

Previously to this period, the Spanish Armies under General Blake, near Bilboa on the left, General Castanos in the centre, and General Palafox lower down the Ebro on the right, had been completely defeated. Lieut.-General Sir John Moore consequently made arrangements for a retreat on Portugal by Ciudad Rodrigo; but it having been represented to him that Madrid held out against the French, he was induced to effect a junction with Lieut.-General Sir David Baird, in order to make a diversion in favour of Madrid, by attacking Marshal Soult on the River Carion.

The British force, twenty-nine thousand strong, joined at Toro on the 21st of December, and on the 23rd of that month Sir John Moore advanced with the whole army. The cavalry had already met with that of the enemy, and the infantry was within two hours’ march of him, when an intercepted letter informed the British Commander that Napoleon, who had entered Madrid on the 4th of December, was then in full march for Salamanca and Benevente. A retreat on Corunna, through Gallicia, was immediately decided on, that through Portugal being then impracticable.

Accordingly the several divisions marched towards the Esla, the greater part crossing by the bridge of Benevente. On the 26th of December, after a day’s halt, the cavalry under Lieut.-General Lord Paget and Brigadier-General the Honourable Charles Stewart had an engagement with some of the Imperial Guards that had forded the River Esla under General Le Févre, who was made prisoner, with several of his men.

At this period the situation of the British Army was dispiriting in the extreme. In the midst of winter, in a dreary and desolate country, the soldiers chilled and drenched with the heavy rains, and wearied by long and rapid marches, were almost destitute of fuel to cook their victuals, and it was with extreme difficulty that they could procure shelter. Provisions were scarce, irregularly issued, and difficult of attainment. The waggons, in which were their magazines, baggage and stores, were often deserted in the night by the Spanish drivers, who were terrified by the approach of the French. Thus baggage, ammunition, stores, and even money were destroyed to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy; and the weak, the sick, and the wounded were necessarily left behind. The Seventy-first suffered in proportion with the rest, and by weakness, sickness, and fatigue lost about 93 men.

1809.

1st bat.

On the 5th of January, 1809, a position was taken up at Lugo, where some skirmishing occurred, in which three companies of the Seventy-first were engaged, and repulsed the enemy.

Lieut.-General Francis Dundas was appointed from the Ninety-fourth Regiment to be Colonel of the Seventy-first on the 7th of January, 1809, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir John Francis Cradock, K.B., removed to the Forty-third Regiment.

The retreat was again commenced on the 9th of January, and on the 11th the army, still nearly fifteen thousand strong, reached Corunna. The British Army, having accomplished one of the most celebrated retreats recorded in modern history, repulsing the pursuing enemy in all his attacks, and having traversed two hundred and fifty miles of mountainous country, accompanied by severe privation, was not destined to embark for England without a battle.

The transports not having arrived, a position was occupied in advance of Corunna, and some sharp skirmishing ensued, in which four companies of the Seventy-first were warmly engaged, and lost several men in killed and wounded. Lieutenant William Lockwood was severely wounded. On this ground the battle of Corunna was fought on the 16th of January; but the Seventy-first being placed on the extreme left of the British line, had little part in it. The result of the action was glorious to the British Army, but was darkened by the loss of Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, who received a severe wound during the battle, and died at ten o’clock on the same night. His remains were wrapped in a military cloak, and interred in the Citadel of Corunna, over which Marshal Soult, with the true feeling of a soldier, erected a monument.

Lieut.-General Sir David Baird, who succeeded to the command upon Sir John Moore being wounded, was also wounded, and the command devolved upon Lieut.-General the Honourable John Hope.

At eight o’clock on the night of the 16th of January the troops quitted their position, leaving the pickets posted and a few men to keep up the fires, and then marched into Corunna, where they embarked for England on the following day.

In commemoration of this battle, and of the conduct of the battalion during the expedition, the Seventy-first, in common with the army employed under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, received the royal authority to bear the word “Corunna” on the regimental colour and appointments.

The thanks of both Houses of Parliament were conferred on the troops, and were communicated to Lieut.-Colonel Pack by Lieut.-General Sir David Baird in the following letter:—

“Portsmouth, 30th January, 1809.

“Sir,

“I have great pleasure in transmitting to you copies of letters from the Lord Chancellor and the Speaker of the House of Commons, enclosing the resolutions of both Houses of Parliament, dated 25th of January, 1809, which contain the thanks of those Houses to the army lately engaged before Corunna.

“In communicating to you, Sir, this most signal mark of the approbation of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, allow me to add my warmest congratulations upon a distinction which you, and the corps under your command on that day, had a share in obtaining for His Majesty’s service.

“I have, etc.,
(Signed) “David Baird,
“Lieut.-General.

“Officer commanding first battalion
“Seventy-first Highlanders.”

After the battalion had landed at Ramsgate it was marched to Ashford, in Kent, where it continued for some time collecting the men, who, from contrary winds, were driven into different ports.

While at Ashford the battalion was brigaded with the Warwick Militia and the Ninety-first Regiment, under Brigadier-General the Baron de Rottenburg. Great sickness prevailed at this station, and Surgeon James Evans and several of the soldiers died of typhus fever.

On the 20th of March, 1809, the Royal authority was granted for the Seventy-first to be formed into a light infantry regiment, since which time it has been distinguished as the Highland Light Infantry.

The first battalion marched on the 27th of April, 1809, for Brabourne-Lees Barracks, and was brigaded with the Sixty-eighth and Eighty-fifth Light Infantry Regiments. Every exertion was here made to increase the strength and improve the discipline of the corps. In June the first battalion was increased by a large reinforcement, consisting of several officers and 311 non-commissioned officers and privates from the second battalion, which continued to be stationed in North Britain. Several volunteers from the militia were also received at this period.

Immense preparations had been made by the British Government to fit out the most formidable armament that had for a long time proceeded from England. The troops, amounting to 40,000 men, were commanded by Lieut.-General the Earl of Chatham. The naval portion consisted of 39 ships of the line, 35 frigates, and numerous gunboats, bomb-vessels, and other small craft, under Admiral Sir Richard Strachan. The object of the expedition was to obtain possession of the islands at the mouth of the Scheldt and to destroy the French ships in that river, with the docks and arsenals at Antwerp. The first battalion of the Seventy-first, towards the end of June, received orders to prepare for the above service, and marched on the 28th and 29th of that month in two divisions, encamping near Gosport.