MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES 18TH T ERIE RY 261 Cy MILITARY, STUART REID MIKE CHAPPELL© Copyright 1993 Osprey Publishing Lid All sights reserved. Apart from any far dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as stored ina retrieval system, bbyany means, electronic, electrical, chemical, ‘mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission ofthe copyright ‘owner. Enquiries should be addressed tothe Publishers ISBN 1 85532 5168) Filmsetin Grea Britain Printed through Bookbuilders Lad, Hong Kong Fora catalogue ofall books published by Osprey Military please write to: ‘The Marketing Manager, Consumer Catalogue Department, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London SW3 6RB Dedication: ‘To the lads of X Company Acknowledgements and author's note: I would like to express once again my appreciation of the assistance provided by the staff of the Scottish United Services Museum in Edinburgh Castle, and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Further reading: J.M. Bulloch’s Territorial Soldiering in the North-East of Scotland 1759-1815 (Aberdeen 1914) covers most highland regiments raised during this period in considerable detail. David Stewart of Garth’s Sketches of the Highlanders of Scotland (Edinburgh 1822) is also useful, but needs to be approached with some care; as does John Prebble’s rather one-sided Mutiny (London 1975)I8STH-CENTURY HIGHLANDERS THE FIRST HIGHLAND REGIMENTS On 25 October 1739 Letters of Service were granted to John, Earl of Crawford, for forming a regiment of foot from the six independent companies then ma- king up the Highland Watch, augmented by four additional companies. The new regiment then took precedence as the 43rd Foot Strictly speaking the 43rd, now better known as the Black Watch, was not the first highland regiment niised for service in the British Army. Several units, including the notorious Earl of Argyle’s, had been ised in King William’s time some 50 years earlier, only to be disbanded on the outbreak of peace. These carly highland regiments were, however, outwardly indistinguishable from their Lowland Scots and English counterparts, and virtually no concessions were made to their highland origins. Most of them, it is true, wore blue bonnets rather than hats, and the Laird of Grant’s Regiment at least was wholly armed with firelocks; but otherwise they wore breeches and long coats, and were armed with pikes and matchlock muskets. The new 43rd Regiment, by contrast, not only wore bonnets but had short jackets in place of coats, and belted plaids instead of breeches. In addition to Private, 43rd Regiment, than black leather. The from the 1742 Cloat most curious feature Book. The what appears to be a picee ofthe better illustrations lace with a red ofhighland milicary zig-zag line attached to the uniform, this engraving soldier's bonnet. The predictably fails to capture — significance is unknown, theintricacies of tartan, but it may simply have butdoes manage to showa been slipped in by the number of interesting artist to show a lace features. Note the odd pattern worn by the cartridge pouch worn in _grenadicrs but not by the place of 2 purse, and the ‘battalion companies. absence of dirk and pistols; (Scottish United. the narrow sword belt Museum) appears to be buff rather