The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-07
forty.sscond Royal hlshlanders
Formed in 1858 to Help
the Stuarts.
FAMOUS SCOTCH REGIMENT.
~ More Than Two Hundred Years Noted
Among TIE Best Soldiesy Of England
-plsturssque Uniform Displaced
by Khaki IN South Africa


liant regiment known as THE
l Black watch" which suffered 30
severely in the recent battles in
south Africa. The regiment. consisting Of
six battalions. carries on its standard a.
evidence OF its service In the various
place. the inscriptions .Esypt." Cor !,
s.Niye." 'Orthcs,'. Toulouse" water
loo" "Alma." .sebastopoi." Lucknow"
''Ashantee," Egypt. iss2-Sl" ''Tel-El-
Kebir," mile, isSl-s5'' and .'Kirbekan."
tn members have worn heavy service
coast In Russia and the khaki skeleton
blouses In India, and whenever they have
been IA active service they attracted atten-
tion by their bravery and sturdy soidierly
qualities.
The history Of the regiment II given In
i recent issue OF the New York Tribune.
The regiment was formed under peculiar
circumstances. After the revolution OF
IN. in which nearly all the Highland
elans took part with the house OF Stuart.
many measures were adopted to improve
the CLANS. A few Highlanders were arm
"a and admitted to the service Of the
CROWN, and in 172s Highland organizations
were formed. There were six independent
companies, three of one hundred men
each. commanded respectively by Lord
Lieut.. Sir Duncan Campbell and Col.
Grant. and three companies Of seventy
beIl, John Campbell, OF Carrick, and Geo.
Munro.
why They Were NicIxnamed.
These companies wore the clan tartan,
consisting mostly Of black, blue and green,
% their respective commanders, and from
their eombre appearance were called Am
! Freicedan Dubh," or BLACK Watch" to
distinguish them from the regular troops,
who were called ''saighdearan Dearg" or
s'fed soldiers" on account Of the prevail
Ing color Of their uniforms.
Tho enlisted men carried, besides the
muskets and bayonets provided by the
government, broadsword, target, pistol
and dirk and the sergeants carried the
tuAgh, or battleaxe. The men came from
the higher walks of life. and were we'll
selected a. to physical qualifications, to
such degree that even in the early days
Of the organization the Black Watch was
known for it, well proportional and hand
some men.
The special duties or the original six
companies were to enforce the obnoxious
ssdisarming act" to watch the movements
Of the disaffected clans and to check
depredatlons. In order to DO this work the
six companies were distributed in various
parts Of the country. For/n years the
Highfanders performed their duties to the
satisfaction Of the crown, and then, in
! appreciation Of their soldierly qualities,
George III. had four additional companies
raised. and then formed the ten companies
into regiment Of the line.
The uniform Of the Highland regiment
consisted Of scarlet Jacket and waist
coat. with bum facings and white lace:
tartan plaid of twelve yards plated
around the middle OF the body. the up
per part being fixed on the left shoulder,
ready to be thrown loose and wrapped
over both shoulders and musket in wet
No. fvAI -
plaid" and was worn on full dress pa
rades and duties. The headdress was
blue bonnet, with white, red and green
arranged In small squares to resemble
tbs ''fess chequey" In the arms Of the
Stuart families, tuft of feathers or
sometimes bit of black bearskin. Tar
tan hose, with buckled shoes, were worn,
and the purse was made of badger skin.
the colonel, the Early Of Crawford and
Lindsay, was Lowlander and had no
family tartan. so a special pattern was
designed for the regiment, which has
been known ever since as the 'sTorty-sec-
ond tartan"
The First Open Revolt.
In the spring Of l74s the regiment was
ordered to assemble at Perth. and there
they We're told that they were to march
to England, and 1t became known that the
government intended to send the High
landers to Flanders to support the house
Of Austria against the king of France and
the elector of Bavaria. The Highlanders
demonstrated; they said that they had
enlisted with the understanding that they
would not be ordered out of their own
country. but despite the objection the
government persisted. In order to pre-
vent dissatisfaction the Highlanders were
told that the real object of the trip was
to satisfy the curiosity of the king. who
wanted to see Highland corps. They
arrival at T.ondnn "a ri iy, Nav opd ~,
regiment was reviewed by Gen. Wade;
but the king, whom the men hoped to
see, was not present-he had gone to
Hanover that day The Black Watch con-
sidered themselves deceived, and when
after the review the regiment was ordered
10 embark at Gravesend for Flanders,
Jacobite agents circulated the rumor that
the regiment would be taken to the West
Indies, and that "after being used AS
rods to scourge their own countrymen,
the Forty-second was to be thrown into
the fire."
The spark kindled. and on the night
after the review the men assembled, un-
known to the officers, on a common near
Htghgate. and began their march back to
Scotland under command of Corps. Mall
colin and Samuel Mcpherson and Private
FarQuhar Shaw. The deserters were
ovsrtaken by squadron of wade's horse
on May 20. and, having received pardon,
the men did not resist. and there was no
bloodshed They were escorted back to
London. where the three leaders, the two
McPhersons and Shaw--were tried and
shot at the Tower. An account of the ex-
ecution published a few years later said:
THE rest of the Highlanders were drawn
out to see the execution, and Joined in
their prayers with great earnestness. They
behaved with perfect resolution and pro-
priety. Their bodies were put into three
collins by three of the prisoners, their
clansmen amid namesakes and buried In
one grave near the place of execution"
Gen. Stewart, commenting on this execu-
ton, says; There must have been some
thing more than common In the case and
character of these unfortunate men, as
Lord John Murray, who was afterward
colonel Of the regiment. had portraits of
them hung in his dining ROOM"
Service All Over the World.
Two hundred OF the men were drafted to
do corps service at Gibraltar and Minorea.