“When midnight hour is come,
The drummer forsakes his tomb,
And marches, beating his phantom-drum,
To and fro through the ghastly gloom.
“He plies the drum-sticks twain,
With fleshless fingers pale,
And beats, and beats again, and again,
A long and dreary reveil!
“Like the voice of abysmal waves
Resounds its unearthly tone,
Till the dead old soldiers, long in their graves,
Awaken through every zone.”
When we regard the battle-fields of earth, and think of the mighty dead
who slumber there, apart from feelings of sentimental or real respect
for the sacred dust, imagination animates the scene, as Memory,
conjuring up from the graves of the past, bids us confront the soldiers
who lived, and fought, and have long since died to “gild a martial
story.” Yet it is our business, in the present undertaking, to gather
from the mouldering records of a bygone age, the truth, and rescue from
the shades of oblivion that “martial story” which belongs to the
soldiers of Scotland.
[Illustration: MUSKETEERS OR FUSILIERS AND CAVALRY, ABOUT 1650.]
The Old Scots Brigade claims an antiquity of nearly 300 years, and only
yields in prominence to that of the Royal Scots, which in previous
chapters we have discussed. The love of adventure, the hope of gain, and
the troubles at home having variously conspired to expatriate many
Scotsmen, these readily found employment in the armies of the Continent,
wherein, conspicuous for fidelity and bravery, their services were
highly appreciated, frequently honoured as a distinctive, select corps,
or as a body of royal guards. In the States of Holland, about the year
1568, our countrymen were included in numerous independent companies of
soldiers, which, in 1572, united into several regiments, constituted one
brigade—the Old Scots Brigade—the strength of which varied from four to
five thousand men.
“The first mention we find of their distinguished behaviour was at the
battle of Reminant, near Mechlin, in the year 1578; the most bloody part
of the action, says Meteren, a Dutch historian, was sustained by the
Scotch, who fought without armour, and in their shirts, because of the
great heat of the weather. After an obstinate engagement, the Spaniards,
commanded by Don Juan of Austria, were defeated.”
Throughout the long and sanguinary wars which ultimately resulted in the
deliverance of Holland from the dominion of Spain, the valiant behaviour
of the Scots was very remarkable, and is honourably recorded in most of
the old histories of the period. The brigade was originally commanded by
General Balfour, and under him by Colonel Murray and Walter Scott, Lord
of Buccleugh. It learned the business of war under those great masters
of the art, the Princes Maurice and Frederick Henry of Orange. Its early
history is one with that of the present Fifth and Sixth Regiments of the
line, which then constituted the English Brigade, long commanded by the
noble family of De Vere, afterward the illustrious House of Oxford.
“King James VI. of Scotland having invited the States-General to be
sponsors to his new-born son, Prince Henry, on the departure of the
ambassadors, fifteen hundred Scots were sent over to Holland to augment
the brigade.”
At the battle of Nieuport, in 1600, the firmness of the Scots Brigade
saved the army of Prince Maurice from imminent danger, and contributed
largely in attaining the victory gained over the Spanish army of the
Archduke Albert of Austria. “After having bravely defended the bridge
like good soldiers, they were at length forced to give way, the whole
loss having fallen on the Scots, as well on their chiefs and captains as
on the common soldiers, insomuch that eight hundred of them remained on
the field, amongst whom were eleven captains, and many lieutenants and
other officers.”
At the siege of Ostend the Scots, by their unflinching steadiness,
helped so materially in the defence that the giant efforts of the enemy
under the Marquis Spinola, one of the ablest of the Spanish Generals,
failed to accomplish its reduction by force of arms. A capitulation,
honourable alike to besieger and besieged, was agreed upon; “and the
garrison marched out with arms, ammunition, and baggage, drums beating,
and colours flying, after having held out three years and three months.”
“According to a memorial found in the pocket of an officer of Spinola’s
suite, after he was killed, the number of slain on the side of the
Spaniards amounted in all to seventy-six thousand nine hundred and
sixty-one men. The loss on the part of the States was not less than
fifty thousand. When the remaining garrison, which consisted of only
three thousand men, arrived at Sluice in Flanders, Prince Maurice
received them with the pomp of a triumph; and both officers and private
men were promoted or otherwise rewarded.”
The gallant conduct of Colonel Henderson, who commanded the brigade in
the defence of Bergen-op-Zoom in 1621, is worthy of note. At the siege
of Bois-le-duc in 1629 we find the brigade composed of three regiments,
respectively commanded by Colonels Bruce, Halket, and Scott (Earl of
Buccleugh, son of the Lord of Buccleugh previously mentioned). We do not
pretend here to follow the narrative of sieges and battles in which the
brigade was at this period engaged. We shall only further mention that
at the siege of Sas-van-Ghent in 1644, Colonel Erskine, at the head of
one of the Scots regiments, won great renown by his excellent bravery,
being foremost in effecting the passage of the river Lys; and again, at
the siege of Ghent, Colonel Kilpatrick and another Scots regiment
fulfilled a similar mission with equal credit. The peace of Munster,
concluded in 1648, gave an honourable issue to the contest in favour of
the Dutch, who, for a little while, were permitted to enjoy repose from
the horrid turmoil of war.
The British Revolution, which drove Charles II. from the throne of his
father and established instead the Protectorate of Cromwell, occasioning
his exile—a king without a kingdom or a throne—his Scots partizans,
sharing his banishment, greatly recruited the Brigade, where many of
them gladly found refuge and honourable employment.
Cromwell, in the plenitude of power, insisted upon the Dutch Estates
declaring the exclusion of the House of Orange from the Stadtholdership,
thereby hoping to break what appeared to be an antagonistic power to his
rule, because of the bond which, by marriage, united the families of
Orange and Stuart, imagining, in the blindness of bigotry, thereby to
crush out the last remnant of Jacobitism, and extirpate the creed which
had inflicted so many and grievous evils upon his country. The effect of
this unfortunate exclusion Act was immediately felt throughout the
States of Holland in the confusion and distress which it entailed.
Taking advantage of these circumstances, and the imbecility of its
rulers, the crafty and ambitious monarch of France, Louis XIV., without
provocation, and with no other aim than his own aggrandisement, at once
invaded Holland with three vast armies, under three of the greatest
soldiers of the day—Condé, Turenne, and Luxembourg. With these
difficulties and dangers the embarrassments of the State so increased
that its feeble rulers in this hour of terror implored the aid of
William, Prince of Orange, readily restoring all the rights they had
formerly despoiled him of, and conferring upon him the powers of a
Dictatorship. The genius of William proved equal to the emergency. At
once he set to work, restoring the army to its ancient vigour, and
reforming all manner of abuses which had crept into the government.
We are happy to record that, however weak and faulty the Dutch army had
become, the Scots Brigade retained its effectiveness, despite the
languor of the State, and, in consequence, particularly enjoyed the
Prince’s confidence on his restoration. It was commanded by Colonels Sir
Alexander Colyear (Robertson), Graham, and Mackay, in 1673. United into
one British brigade, the three Scots and the three English regiments
served together under Thomas Butler, Earl of Ossory, throughout the wars
with France. On the death of the Earl of Ossory in 1680, the command was
conferred upon Henry Sidney, Earl of Romney.
On the outbreak of Monmouth’s Rebellion in England and Argyll’s
Rebellion in Scotland, King James II. sent for the three Scots
regiments, then serving in Holland, which, on being reviewed by the King
on their arrival at Gravesend, drew forth the following compliment,
expressed in a letter of thanks to the Prince of Orange for his prompt
aid—“There cannot be, I am sure, better men than they are; and they do
truly look like old regiments, and one cannot be better pleased with
them than I am.”
Colonel Hugh Mackay, who commanded the brigade on this occasion, was
promoted to the rank of Major-General.
On the return of these regiments to Holland, the perfidy and ingratitude
of James gradually oused out and revealed his truer character. Rightly
esteeming the value of such soldiers to the Prince of Orange, and ever
jealous of that Prince’s increasing power, he vainly attempted to seduce
the brigade and persuade it to exchange into the service of the King of
France. He was further extremely mortified to find that, apart from the
influence of the Prince, the men declined to serve under the Roman
Catholic officer he proposed to appoint. When dangers thickened around
himself, he earnestly desired its return; alas, too late! already
sickened with his unworthy conduct, the brigade refused to obey.
In the subsequent Revolution the English and Scots brigades were of
essential service to the Prince of Orange—“commanded by General Mackay,
a Scotsman of noble family, sailed under the red flag.”
At the battle of Killiecrankie the Scots Brigade was present, but unable
to withstand the furious onset of the Highlanders, betrayed a weakness
altogether inconsistent with its previous reputation, being utterly
routed and dispersed. It is very remarkable that Viscount Dundee and
General Cannon, who commanded the rebels, had both previously served in
the Scots Brigade. Afterwards, employed with the Royal army in Ireland,
it somewhat redeemed its character by good conduct at the siege of
Athlone and the battle of Aghrim, at both which it held the post of
peril and of honour with great credit. Peace having been restored to
unhappy Ireland, the brigade was sent to join the British army in
Flanders, and at the battle of Steenkirk suffered severely, especially
in the death of General Mackay, who finished a career of honour on that
bloody field. The retreat of the allied army in 1695 was successfully
covered by the Scots under Brigadier Colyear, afterwards Earl of
Portmore. On the death of Brigadier Æneas Mackay, at the siege of Namur,
the command of the Scots regiments was conferred on Robert Murray of
Melgum, afterwards General Count Murray, Commander-in-Chief of the
Emperor Joseph’s forces in the Netherlands, and acting Governor-General
of these provinces. On the Peace of Ryswick in 1697, the Scots Brigade
returned with the army to Britain, and was stationed in Scotland until
1698, when it was restored to the service of Holland.
During the Wars of the Succession the Brigade was increased by the
addition of three new Scots regiments, and the command conferred on
John, Duke of Argyll—the “Great Argyll”—of whom it is well said—
“Argyll, the State’s whole thunder born to wield,
And shake alike the Council and the Field.”
It was hotly engaged in all the great actions of the war, and amongst
the fearful carnage of Malplaquet mourned the loss of a brave officer,
John, Marquis of Tullibardine, eldest son of the Duke of Athole. On the
conclusion of hostilities, in 1713, the three new regiments of the
brigade were disbanded. The peace was not again seriously disturbed
until 1745, when the outbreak of war occasioned the increase of the
brigade by the addition of second battalions, and a new regiment under
command of Henry Douglas, Earl of Drumlanrig. The total strength of the
brigade at this time rose to about 6000 men. At the battle of Roucoux
five battalions of the Scots, forming the extremity of the left infantry
wing, covered the retreat of the troops from the villages abandoned in
front. “An officer who was present relates that General Colyear’s
regiment, in which he then served as an Ensign, was drawn up on the
ridge of a rising ground, the slope of which was to the rear, so that by
retiring a few paces the cannon-balls must have passed over their heads;
but it was thought requisite that they should appear in full view of the
French, who kept up an incessant fire of their artillery upon them for
more than two hours, without ever advancing near enough to engage with
small arms. The ardour of British soldiers to charge an enemy by whose
fire they saw their comrades fall on every side, may easily be
conceived, but was so much restrained by the authority of their
officers, that the whole brigade seemed immoveable, except when the
frequent breaches which the cannon made in the ranks required to be
closed up. The intrepidity and perfect order which those battalions then
showed, were greatly extolled ever after by the Prince of Waldeck, and
likewise by Baron d’Aylva, a Dutch General of distinguished reputation,
who happened to have the command of that part of the army. He had before
shown a violent prejudice against the Scots,” but their gallantry on
that memorable occasion so impressed him, that ever after he regarded
the Scots with peculiar favour, and on one occasion in his presence, a
certain Prince having observed that the Scottish soldiers were not of
such a size as those of some German regiments, the General replied, “I
saw the day that they looked taller than any of your grenadiers.”
[Illustration: OFFICER OF PIKEMEN, 1650.]
In the defence of Bergen-op-Zoom, two of the Scotch battalions,
supported by a Dutch battalion of infantry, made a most determined
stand, refusing for a long time to yield ground to the enemy, until
superior numbers compelled them to retire. Some idea of the severity
of the struggle may be formed from the fact that Colyear’s battalion,
which had gone into action 660 strong, could only muster 156 men
afterwards. It is thus described by an old writer:—“Overpowered by
numbers, deserted, and alone, the Scotch assembled in the market-place
and attacked the French with such vigour that they drove them from
street to street, till fresh reinforcements pouring in compelled them
to retreat in their turn, disputing every inch as they retired, and
fighting till two-thirds of their number fell on the spot, valiantly
bringing their colours with them, which the grenadiers twice recovered
from the midst of the French at the point of the bayonet. ‘Gentlemen,’
said the conquering General to two officers who had been taken
prisoners—Lieutenants Travers and Allan Maclean—‘had all conducted
themselves as you and your brave corps have done, I should not now be
master of Bergen-op-Zoom.’”
Succeeding the sunshine of victory, there arose a cloud upon its history
which we wish, for the credit of our Government, we could omit to
record. Denied the privilege of further recruiting at home, the States
of Holland insisted upon the admission of foreigners into its ranks, and
thus to a great extent its Scottish character was destroyed. When war
broke out and our country needed troops, our Scotsmen repeated the
petition that their brigade should be recalled for the service of their
own land. The request was refused, whilst regiments were raised in
Scotland, and even German auxiliaries enrolled upon the British
establishment, rather than do what appears only an act of justice to the
soldiers of the Old Scots Brigade. As if further to exasperate the
Scots, when war was declared between Britain and Holland, and our
brigade thus placed in a cruel dilemma, unheeded, it was surrendered to
the enemy, who, almost as prisoners of war, sent it to garrison distant
fortresses on the inland frontier. At length recalled by George III. in
1793, it was, in 1795, sent to reinforce the garrison of Gibraltar, and
in the following year was removed to the Cape of Good Hope. In 1798 it
was transferred to India, where it shared with the Highland regiments
the glory of “Seringapatam” in 1799, and the battle of “Argaum” in 1803;
the former being afterwards authorised for the colours and appointments.
Returning home in 1808 as the Ninety-fourth regiment, it was actively
and creditably engaged in the various actions of Spain and the South of
France, and received permission to bear on its colours the words—“Ciudad
Rodrigo,” “Badajoz,” “Salamanca,” “Vittoria,” “Nivelle,” “Orthes,” and
“Toulouse,” and also the inscription of “Peninsula.” In the defence of
Cadiz it suffered very severely, and amongst its brave was found a
heroine—a sergeant’s wife, who on this occasion displayed a remarkable
degree of cool courage, which is fitly described in Mr Carter’s
admirable work, “Curiosities of War.” The regiment was disbanded at
Belfast in 1818. A new regiment, raised six years afterwards, now bears
the number of the Ninety-fourth, but as yet has had no opportunity to
distinguish itself. We only hope it may emulate, nay, if possible excel,
the deeds of the Old Scots Brigade, which so worthily sustained the
characteristic valour of the Scot.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE NINETY-NINTH FOOT;
OR,
LANARKSHIRE.
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