BY FREDERICK B. RICHARDS, A. M., Glens Falls, N. Y.
A residence of ten years in Ticonderoga inspired me with an
appreciation of the history of that most historic spot in America,
and when as secretary of the Ticonderoga Historical Society I was
instrumental in securing the erection of the Black Watch Memorial
in that village, I became particularly interested in the record of
that famous Highland Regiment which this building commemorates.
It has for several years been my wish to write so complete an
account of the Black Watch at Ticonderoga that one would need look
in no other place for any detail in the history of that regiment
from the time it left Scotland in 1756 until after the capture of
Ticonderoga by Amherst in 1759. As a meeting of the New York State
Historical Association on Lake Champlain seemed an appropriate time
to present such a paper and the printed histories of that period
give only meagre accounts on this subject, Mrs. Richards and I made
this an excuse for a trip to the British Isles and a large part of
August and September, 1910, was spent on a Black Watch pilgrimage.
We had a very enjoyable trip and gained many interesting facts but
I am sorry to say that the story is still far from complete.
The reason for the lack of more detailed information about the
Regiment in the Ticonderoga period is found in the following which
is copied from the preface of Stewart of Garth’s first edition:
“The origin of these Sketches and Military Details was simply
this: When the Forty-second regiment was removed from Dublin
to Donaghadee in the year 1771, the baggage was sent round by
sea. The vessel having it on board was unfortunately driven on
shore by a gale of wind, and wrecked; the greater part of the
cargo and baggage was lost, and the portion saved, especially
the regimental books and records, was much injured. A misfortune
somewhat similar occurred, when the army, under the Earl of
Moira, landed at Ostend in June, 1794. The transports were
ordered round to Helvoetsluys, with orders to wait the further
movements of the troops. But the vessels had not been long there,
when the enemy invaded Holland in great force, and, entering
Helvoetsluys, seized on the transports in the harbour. Among
the number of vessels taken were those which had conveyed the
Forty-second to Flanders, having on board every article of
regimental baggage, except the knapsacks with which the officers
and soldiers had landed at Ostend in light marching order. Along
with the baggage, a well-selected library, and, what was more to
be regretted, all that remained of the historical records of the
regiment, from the period of its formation till the year 1793,
fell into the hands of the enemy.
“After the conclusion of the late war, his Royal Highness, the
Commander-in-Chief, directed that the Forty-second should draw up
a record of its services and enter it in the regimental books,
for the information of those who should afterwards belong to
the corps. As none of the officers who had served previously to
the loss of the records in 1794 were then in the regiment, some
difficulty arose in drawing up the required statement of service;
indeed, to do so correctly was found impossible, as, for a period
of fifty-four years previous to 1793, the materials were very
defective. In this situation, the commanding officer, in the
year 1817, requested me to supply him with a few notices on the
subject.”
It seemed to have been the custom in the British army of that
period for a Regiment to carry its entire belongings with it
from place to place and this unfortunate practice has swept from
existence every trace of the Regimental records of the Black Watch
of Ticonderoga.
It may be readily seen that if Colonel Stewart who had all the
information in 1817 which the British government was able to supply
and who was also fortunate in having had an intimate acquaintance
during his service in the Regiment with officers who have served
almost from its formation, was unable to write a complete record,
the task nearly one hundred years later might be considered well
nigh hopeless. There was the hope, however, that some record which
was then lost might have been discovered since Colonel Stewart’s
time or that interesting matter might be found in the archives of
the families who had sons in the Black Watch of 1758. It is a fact
that only recently the regimental records of the Black Watch of
two decades later were found in an old second-hand book store in
Portsmouth and it is still possible that the regimental records of
1758-9, which are now lost, may yet come to light.
We find that nearly all the histories of the Highland Regiments
follow Stewart of Garth nearly word for word in their accounts of
the early history of the Black Watch. A notable exception, however,
is “A Military History of Perthshire,” which has much that is new.
There are also many interesting letters and other records in “The
Chronicles of the Atholl and Tullibardine Families,” relating to
the service of those of the Black Watch who came from the Atholl
Family or estate, and at London we found some dispatches in the
Public Record Office in the War Department which I have not seen
published. The chief merit, however, if any, which I can claim
for this address is that while it does not add much that is new,
it does, I think, collect in one article nearly all that is known
about the Black Watch of the Ticonderoga period.
I might say here, also, that whatever was lacking in information
was more than made up by the cordiality of our reception, as we
found nearly every Scotsman interested in the oldest Highland
Regiment of the British Army and glad to help us in any way
possible. We are under special obligation, which I here wish to
acknowledge, to Lt. Col. Hugh Rose, the present commander of the
First Battalion of the Black Watch; Major D. L. Wilson Farquharson,
D. S. O., who represented the Regiment at the unveiling of the
memorial tablet at Ticonderoga, July 4, 1906, now retired and
living in Allargue in Aberdeenshire, the home of the Farquharson’s
for many generations; W. Skeoch Cumming of Edinburgh, artist and
authority on Scottish costumes and tartans of the 18th century;
Mrs. Campbell of Dunstaffnage, present owner of old Inverawe House;
the Marchioness of Tullibardine, editor of “A Military History
of Perthshire,” and the Duke of Atholl, present head of the Clan
Murray, Honorary Colonel of the Third Battalion of the Black Watch
and compiler of the “Chronicles of the Atholl and Tullibardine
Families.”
Before proceeding to the Black Watch of Ticonderoga, it would
perhaps be well to give a brief history of the Regiment. There is
considerable difference of opinion as to just when the independent
companies which were afterwards to become the present regiment of
the line were raised. The earliest record I have seen is that on
the 3rd of August, 1667, King Charles II issued a commission under
the Great Seal to John, second Earl of Atholl “to raise and keep
such a number of men as he should think fit to be a constant guard
for securing the peace in the Highlands” and “to watch upon the
braes.”[1]
From this time until 1739 the Black Watch was in various stages of
formation.[2]
It was at the period of the independent companies that the name
Black Watch was given--Black from the sombre tartan in contrast to
the regular soldiers who at that time had coats, waistcoats and
breeches of scarlet cloth, and Watch because their duties were to
watch or keep order in the Highlands. The character of the rank and
file of the Black Watch of this period was exceedingly high, many
gentlemen with servants serving as privates, and in addition to the
enlistment being from the best families it was also possible to
select only “men of full height, well proportioned and of handsome
appearance.” There were several reasons for this, the principal one
being probably the fact that at that period the carrying of arms
was prohibited by penalties and it became an “object of ambition
with all the young men of spirit to be admitted even as privates
into a service which gave them the privilege of wearing arms.”
Our interest in the Black Watch, however, is principally in the
Regiment of the line as such and this dates from the commission
given by George II, October 25, 1739, as follows:
“GEORGE R.--Whereas we have thought fit, that a regiment of
foot be forthwith formed under your command, and to consist of
ten companies, each to contain one captain, one lieutenant, one
ensign, three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and one
hundred effective private men; which said regiment shall be
partly formed out of six Independent Companies of Foot in the
Highlands of North Britain, three of which are now commanded by
captains, and three by captain-lieutenants. Our will and pleasure
therefore is, that one serjeant, one corporal, and fifty private
men, be forthwith taken out of the three companies commanded
by captains, and ten private men from the three commanded by
captain-lieutenants, making one hundred and eighty men, who are
to be equally distributed into the four companies hereby to be
raised; and the three serjeants and three corporals, draughted
as aforesaid, to be placed to such of the four companies as you
shall judge proper; and the remainder of the non-commissioned
officers and private men, wanting to complete them to the above
number, to be raised in the Highlands with all possible speed;
the men to be natives of that country, and none other to be taken.
This regiment shall commence and take place according to the
establishment thereof. And of these our orders and commands, you,
and the said three captains, and the three captain-lieutenants
commanding at present the six Independent Highland Companies, and
all others concerned, are to take notice, and to yield obedience
thereunto accordingly.
Given at our Court at St. James’s, this 25th day of October,
1739, and in the 13th year of our reign.
By His Majesty’s Command,
(Signed): Wm. Yonge.
To our Right Trusty and Right Well-Beloved
Cousin, John Earl of
Craufurd and Lindsay.”
[Illustration: GRENADIER, 42^{ND} REG^T 1751.
PW REYNOLDS
1909.
(_From a painting at Windsor Castle._)
The tallest men of the Regiment of that period were formed into a
Grenadier Company and wore the Grenadier bearskin. The rest of the
uniform as above and the substitution of the blue bonnet for the
bearskin was the uniform for the rest of the Regiment.]
May, 1740, these ten companies were mustered in a field between
Taybridge and Aberfeldy and in the army list of that year were
known as “Earl of Crawford’s Regiment of Foot in the Highlands.”[3]
There have been several changes of the official name of the
Regiment but the “Black Watch” was always the familiar one in the
country where it has drawn its recruits and since 1881 has been the
official name in the British Army List.[4]
The uniform of this period was a “scarlet jacket and waistcoat,
with buff facings and white lace, tartan plaid of twelve yards
plaited round the middle of the body, the upper part being fixed
on the left shoulder, ready to be thrown loose and wrapped over
both shoulders and firelock in rainy weather. At night, the plaid
served the purpose of a blanket, and was a sufficient covering
for the Highlanders. These were called belted plaids, from being
kept tight to the body by a belt, and were worn on guards,
reviews, and on all occasions when the men were in full dress. On
this belt hung the pistols and dirk when worn. In the barracks,
and when not on duty, the little kilt or philibeg was worn, a
blue bonnet with a border of white, red, and green, arranged
in small squares to resemble, as is said, the fess cheque in
the arms of the different branches of the Stewart family, and
a tuft of feathers, or sometimes, from economy or necessity, a
small piece of black bearskin. The arms were a musket, a bayonet,
and a large basket-hilted broadsword. These were furnished by
Government; such of the men as chose to supply themselves with
pistols and dirks were allowed to carry them, and targets after
the fashion of the country. The sword-belt was of black leather,
and the cartouch-box was carried in front, supported by a narrow
belt round the middle.”[5]
“While the companies acted independently, each commander assumed
the tartan of his own Clan. When embodied, no clan having a
superior claim to offer an uniform plaid to the whole, and Lord
Crawford, the colonel, being a Lowlander, a new pattern was
assumed, and which has ever since been known as the 42d, or Black
Watch tartan, being distinct from all others.[6] Lord John Murray
gave the Athole tartan for the philibeg. The difference was only
a stripe of scarlet, to distinguish it from that of the belted
plaid. The pipers wore a red tartan of very bright colours, (of
the pattern known by the name of the Stewart or Royal Tartan), so
that they could be more clearly seen at a distance. When a band
of music was added, plaids of the pipers’ pattern were given to
them.”[7]
Having given briefly the origin of the Regiment, we will pass to
the period which is the subject of our article.
May, 1756, war having been formally declared between France and
England, a body of troops, the Highlanders forming a part, were
embarked under the command of Lieut. General James Abercrombie
and landed at New York, June, 1756. These were soon followed
by more troops under the Earl of Loudon who was appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the Army of America.
The official name of the Regiment at this time was the 42d Regiment
of Foot, but they are often spoken of in dispatches simply as the
Highlanders, because they were the only Highland Regiment then
in this section, or as Lord John Murray’s Highlanders from the
custom of the times of calling a Regiment by the name of its
Honorary Colonel. The commander of the Black Watch at this time
was Lieut. Col. Francis Grant, son of the Laird of Grant, who had
served in the Regiment from the time he had received his commission
as Ensign, October 25, 1739. He was made Lieutenant Colonel
December 17, 1755 and was in command of the Regiment all through
the American campaign. The only other officer who had served
continuously from the formation of the Regiment in 1739 was Gordon
Graham of Drainie, who in 1756 was senior captain.
The record of the Regiment from the landing in June, 1756, until
the battle of July, 1758, is exceedingly meagre. In fact nothing
of importance was done by the whole army. As one author puts it
“Loudon was so engrossed in schemes for improving the condition of
his men that he seemed to have no time for employing them against
the enemy.” The following extract from a letter from the Earl of
Loudon to William Pitt dated New York, March 10th, 1757, will
illustrate the method of quartering troops of that period.
“In the end of your letter you have acquainted me, that words
shall be inserted, in the mutiny act to take away every doubt
about the Right of Quartering extending to America.
When I writ on that subject, I was but just arrived, and the
troops were mostly encamped. Since that I have had disputes to
settle, all over this Continent, in settling the winter quarters
for the Troops from whence I find, that the manner of quartering
in England, as in time of peace, on Publick Houses only, will in
no shape answer the intent in this country, for there are few
Publick Houses and most of them sell nothing but spirits, where
they possess only one room in which they sell the liquor, where
men cannot be quartered.
Whilst the war lasts, necessity will justify exceeding that
rule, as Troops must be under cover, in the places where it is
necessary to post them, for the security of the country and
carrying on the service, but as soon as a peace comes, it will,
by the English rule, be impossible to quarter any number of
Troops, in this country, without a new regulation, and the only
remedy that occurs to me at present, is adopting the method of
quartering in Scotland, where for the same reason of there not
being Publick Houses sufficient for the reception of Troops they
are by law quartered on private houses.
I must beg leave to give you one instance of the situation of
quarters here. When I arrived at Albany, I do not believe it
was possible to have quartered Fifty men on that town, on all
the Publick Houses in it, and taking a full survey of it, I
found that by quartering on the Private Houses, I can, without
incommoding them, in the parts of their houses, in which they
live, quarter Fourteen Hundred men, and for a short time, in case
of necessity, I could quarter Two thousand. I have mentioned this
to show you what the situation of all the Frontier Places, in
this country that are liable to attacks, must be, if quartering
is likely to be kept to, on Publick Houses only.
On the 10th instant arrived the Harriet Packet which brought me
the duplicates of your letters of the 9th and 11th of January,
and the next day came in here His Majesty’s ship the Hampshire
commanded by Captain Norbury, having under his convoy the nine
additional companies of the Highlanders,[8] who had a passage
of twelve weeks from Cork, and met with very bad weather; of
this convoy there were missing on his arrival in this Port,
the Arundal and Salisbury Transports. The last we have, since,
accounts of her getting into Rhode Island.
The Troops being sickly, I have cantooned them in villages
adjacent to this Port, for the sake of fresh provisions and
vegetables.”