"Highland/lowland" Topic

Looking at doing Culloden in 15mm, I have found a list of all the troops present but I need to know which units were highland and which were lowland before I get my Old Glory order in ! Any ideas ?

I don't think any of the Government troops were Highland Regiments. There was one Highland Battalion but not sure that was from a numbered Regiment or a mix of local clansmen that were not on teh Jacobite side.

Government Scottish regiments that I know of were Royal Scots, North British Fusiliers and what became the King Own Scottish Borderers.

All would be classsed as Lowland regiments.

PDF link

Apparently 200 or so were Argyll Militia, see the link for photos

Why don't you send a message to the museum and ask?

Then if not look at the names and get from the net a clans map, that will give another idea.

Some others are in doubt or not homogeneous I am now to lazy to did the info as I did not look for Culloden so things might have changed a bit.

Also get some info in old glory booklets which I can't reach mine now.

Do you refer to the Government/Hanoverian forces or the Jacobites?

I've studied and researched the 1745 rebellion for decades and have a library of books and reference materials. In a nutshell, if you're talking about the Jacobites, while they did tend to divide their regiments into ad hoc "Lowland" and "Highland" brigades on campaign, these terms are not hard and fast guides to the make-up of individual battalions. There was often a mix of Highlanders and Lowlanders in the same unit and Highland dress was worn in common by many ranks. The division of northern Scotland east of the Great Glen into Highland and non-Highland areas was more nebulous in those times, with much intermarriage and coming and going between rural areas and towns. Units raised in these territories reflected this mix. A better distinction among the Jacobites is between Clan and non-Clan units. Clan units would be almost entirely Highland in dress and language and training and have different capabilities than non-clan units.

As for the Government forces, at Culloden there were regular battalions that were nominally Lowland Scottish: the 1st (St. Clair's, the Royal Regiment, later the Royal Scots), 21st (Campbell's, the Royal North British Fusiliers, later the Royal Scots Fusiliers), 25th (Sempill's, the Edinburgh Regiment, later the King's Own Scottish Borderers). The dress of these units was indistinguishable from "English" regiments, altho' it is to be noted that the 21st was a fusilier regiment and the rest are regular line. Also at Culloden and brigaded together initially was what is usually referred to as the Argyll Militia (or the Campbells, since these were largely officered by Clan Campbell lairds). This consisted of one company of the 43rd Highlanders (Murray's; later the 42nd, the Black Watch) and three companies of the 64th Highlanders (Loudoun's), both regular redcoat regiments wearing Highland dress in the form of the great kilt, hose, and bonnet, plus four companies of genuine Highland militia raised in Argyll by the Duke of Argyll. These companies were probably not in regular uniform at this time except perhaps some officers, some of whom held commissions in the 43rd or 64th, and the militiamen are noted as wearing red or yellow saltires in their bonnets to distinguish them from the rebel Highlanders.

I'm just now checking this PDF linked above. Interesting reenactors but you can't always take these representations as gospel. I see some painted illustrations reproduced from Stuart Reid's "Like Hungry Wolves", an excellent book if you can find a copy. I haven't visited the Culloden battlefield in many years, sad to say, but it is a haunted place.

Kiltboy – thanks for sharing the PDF document – I just picked up some Crann Tara figures, so this is a great resource to have.

Piper909 – agree on Culloden. Very atmospheric place.

The '45 by Christopher Duffy has all the information you need, and more.

link

I recommend it.

dave001776

When I looked at the Jacobite forces for my army the front line was all Highlanders and the second was Lowland plus the French/Irish and cavalry.

The Athol Brigade were lowland troops.

Christopher Duffy's history of the '45 is excellent, yes!

Ah, the Atholl Brigade. A good example of a unit (units, rather; up to four small battalions) composed of a mix of "Highlanders" and "Lowlanders," clansmen and volunteers and conscripts (as it were). Mostly in Highland garb, but raised from volunteers and feudal levy, in the main. It was grouped with the "Lowland" brigade but to think of it as a Lowland unit, geographically or culturally, is mistaken. Not quite a clan unit, but definitely not to be confused with, say, a Scottish town unit or Borders unit.

Atholl itself straddles the Highland Line.