Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Posts : 705 Join date : 2012-05-05

91st Argyllshire Highlanders 1794 - 1881

"In 1793 George III wrote to John, 5th Duke of Argyll, asking him to raise a kilted regiment of 1,100 men. The Duke was unwell at the time and deputed the task to his kinsman, Duncan Campbell, 8th Lochnell. On 9 July 1794 they were formally gazetted into the British Army as the 98th Argyllshire Highlanders, renumbered later, in October 1798, as the 91st.

On 5 May 1795 the regiment embarked for South Africa to capture the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch. At this time 15 of the 33 officers were Campbells and 2 of the others had married Campbells. But the required number of NCOs and rank and file could not be found in Argyllshire, the rest came largely from Glasgow and Edinburgh, Renfrew and Paisley, with a small contingent of Irish. (See: Complete List of all the names.

Officers continued to be drawn mainly from Argyllshire, and there were always enough genuine Highlanders to give the regiment its characteristic stamp. Irish and Englishmen who only reluctantly took to wearing the kilt were in the end successfully absorbed; and the 91st maintained their Highland tradition.

The 91st remained as part of the garrison in Cape Town, South Africa, for seven years, (for further detail see; The Cape 1795) returning in 1803 to England to help patrol the southern counties against the event of an invasion by Napoleon.

In 1808 it went to Portugal with Sir John Moore where it was part of the rearguard action against Napoleon's army (under Marshall Soult) which ended with the British evacuation at Corunna. At this time the 91st, together with 5 other Highland Corps, lost the right to wear Highland Dress, though it was allowed to keep the title The Argyllshire Regiment. The 91st was back again in 1812 taking part in the advance which pushed the French out of Spain. (For further detail see; The Napoleonic Wars; The Peninsular War 1808)

Later it was also at St Helena supervising the exhumation of Napoleon's remains prior to reburial in France.

In 1864, while the regiment was in India, Queen Victoria approved the 91st reverting to the old title of the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders. In 1871 the Queen's daughter, HRH Princess Louise, married the Marquess of Lorne, (later 9th Duke of Argyll) and at the wedding the 91st provided the Guard of Honour. A year later in 1872 she was appointed Colonel-in-Chief and the 91st became 'Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders', with her coronet and cipher and the Argyll Boar's Head and motto of 'Ne Obliviscaris' added to their insignia. Their depot moved to Stirling, and the Regiment went to Inverness for its first Scottish tour of duty in eighty years, and thence to South Africa during the Zulu Wars.

In 1881 it became the 1st Battalion, Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders."

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:23 pm

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Original cdv head-and-shoulder portrait of a soldier in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (from his collar badges) photographed by a Cape Town photographer. The A+S were formerly the 91st (Princess Louise's) Highlanders and as such had fought in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. They formed part of the Eshowe Relief Expedition and took part in the battle of Gingindlovu on 2 April 1879. In 1881 the 91st were combined with the 93rd Highlanders to form the Argylls who shortly afterwards were posted to Cape Town, where this photo was taken. This man is clearly wearing his Zulu campaign medal indicating that he had served with the 91st before the amalgamation. The A+S went on to perform further policing duties in Zululand during the troubled years of the 1880s.

Subject: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Fri Dec 13, 2013 1:16 am

I think I recently bid on that cdv on ebay , unfortunately I wasnt the winner

90th

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:35 pm

The soldier in the photograph is still wearing a 91st Highlanders uniform, with the boar's head collar badges.

On the formation of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders the two battalions wore the famous double badged - The Cat (of the Sutherland Clan) & The Boar's Head (of the Campbell Clan) - collar badge.

John Y.

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:22 pm

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Argyll & Sutherland Highlander with medal Natal c.1880 Zulu War.

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:26 pm

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
CDV: Sergeant, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders by Adamson, Glasgow. Zulu War era.

Source:pinteres

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:32 pm

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
CDV: Argyll & Sutherland Highlander officer with medal Natal c.1880 Zulu War.
Source: Pinit

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:36 pm

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Argyll & Sutherland Highlander. Pietermaritzburg, Natal c.1880 Zulu War

Source: Pinit

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Sat Dec 14, 2013 11:48 am

See what I mean about the double badged collar badge.

The last one is interesting as he is still wearing the 91st's plaid brooch.

John Y.

Posts : 4 Join date : 2014-10-29

My ancestor, Angus Campbell (I've also seen him referenced with the first names Alexander Angus) was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1851. He emigrated late in life to the U.S. and in the 1930 U.S. Census, it notes that he was a "vet Zulu War 1879". Any advice anyone may have on how I might research his military records would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
John Campbell

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Sat Nov 01, 2014 3:53 pm

John,

There are two possible candidates as far as I'm concerned:

Private 1761 A. Campbell of the 2nd Battalion, 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment.

Private 2013 A. Campbell of the 99th (Duke of Edinburgh's Lanarkshire) Regiment.

Glasgow was a rich recruiting ground for the Royal Scots Fusiliers especially in the 19th Century.

The Regimental Museum of what became the Royal Highland Fusiliers stands in the famous thoroughfare of Sauchiehall Street. See [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Regards,

John Y.

Posts : 4 Join date : 2014-10-29

Thanks very much for your message, John. I'm very grateful for these names, and your indication that the Scots Fusiliers received a lot of recruits from Glasgow. It's remarkable to think that Angus might have been in the action at Rorke's Drift, but he never had children so there are no descendants to tell his story. Again, thanks for your response, I really appreciate it.
John Campbell

Posts : 4 Join date : 2014-10-29

P.S.
Thanks as well for the link to the Regimental Museum. I will follow up with them regarding Private 1761 of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Subject: Re: Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Sun Nov 02, 2014 5:59 pm

John,

JohnC wrote:: It's remarkable to think that Angus might have been in the action at Rorke's Drift, but he never had children so there are no descendants to tell his story.

The 2nd Battalion, 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment departed from what was then Queenstown, (now an Cóbh), Ireland on board the hired transport City of Paris on 21st February 1879, almost a month to the day after the Battle of Rorke's Drift. Unfortunately the City of Paris ran aground in Simon's Bay to the east of Cape Town on 23rd March 1879. The 2nd/21st would not disembark in Durban, Natal, until 31st March 1879 from H.M.S. Tamar, more than two months after Rorke's Drift.

The 2nd/21st fight at the Battle of Ulundi on 4th July 1879, and continued to serve in South Africa. In late 1879 they fought against the baPedi King Sekhukhune in the Transvaal, and in 1880/1 they fought against the Boers in the 1st Anglo-Boer War.

Regards,

John Y.

Posts : 4 Join date : 2014-10-29

Hi John

Thanks for this additional information. It's very thoughtful of you to provide this follow-up. Although it's a reasonable likelihood that Private 1761 was Angus, the only means of achieving greater certainty would be if there is a record that includes Prvt. 1761's DOB or approximate DOB, his place of birth, or his parents' names. Is it very likely that such information might be in his military records? Is there a source which might be the best place to start such an inquiry?

» Second Lt Thomas Fraser. Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
» Lt G.M. Donald Fowler. Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
» Sub-Lt Freville Cookson Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders