"The 71st Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders)" Topic

After the outbreak of the American War of Independence in 1775, Simon Fraser, Master of Lovat, was authorized to raise the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot. With companies mustered in Inverness and Stirling, two battalions were formed and in April 1776 the 71st Highlanders, known informally as ‘Fraser's Highlanders', sailed from Glasgow as part of the reinforcement of British forces in America.

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My forbear sailed out with the 71st as a Volunteer in 1776, serving for year as Quartermaster replacing his predecessor captured at sea. After being commissioned, he served on the QMG staff at New York and then in 1780 went down with Leslie via Virginia to Charleston where doubtless he met up with the remnants of his old regiment. He served with QMG until the evacuation in December 1782, sailing from New York back to England in the New Year. After 7 years away, he got his Captaincy, took half pay and went home to Scotland to marry his sweetheart and take up farming just outside Crail.

You've done a great job on these figures. One should always have as many Highland regiments as one can get in your British forces!

42flanker -- That is a sure tie-in with DRB's post. But I'm surprised you didn't call yourself "71flanker" here due to that part of your family history.

Jim

Nice paint job.

Great paint job and a great family history – love to hear those stories; I am sure while 42flanker's family were setting down roots and seeding fields in bonny Scotland mine were tending goats in the Urals

@Col Campbell. I nearly went on to mention three generations of service in the Black Watch by his descendants, which just trumps the gallant Captain's service in America (not forgetting his service in the Fencible Cavalry in the 1790s until his untimely death).

@Frederick. In a perfect world I would keep a goat

Nicely done.