The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, raised in 1777. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion,

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fus ...

in 1881.

History

Formation

The regiment was raised at Elgin by Major-General

John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod John Mackenzie, Lord MacLeod (17272 April 1789) was a Scottish Jacobite politician and soldier of fortune. Life Born at Castle Leod near Strathpeffer, Scotland, he was the eldest son of George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie and Isabel Gor ...

as the 73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot (McLeod's Highlanders) from Highland clans in December 1777.Cannon, p. 2 A second battalion was formed in September 1778.Cannon, p. 3 The 1st battalion embarked for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in January 1779Cannon, p. 5 and, having landed some troops at

Gorée (; "Gorée Island"; Wolof: Beer Dun) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trad ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

on the way, reached Madras in January 1780.Cannon, p. 7 The flank companies were captured at Conjeveram in September 1780 during the

Second Anglo-Mysore War The Second Anglo-Mysore War was a conflict between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company from 1780 to 1784. At the time, Mysore was a key French ally in India, and the conflict between Britain against the French and Dutch in ...

.Cannon, p. 9 The battalion went on to take part in the

Battle of Porto Novo The Battle of Porto Novo was fought on 1 July 1781 between forces of the Kingdom of Mysore and British East India Company in the place called Porto Novo (now known as Parangipettai) on the Indian subcontinent, during the Second Anglo-Mysore Wa ...

in July 1781,Cannon, p. 14 the

Battle of Pollilur The Battle of Pollilur (a.k.a. Pullalur), also known as the Battle of Polilore or Battle of Perambakam, took place on 10 September 1780 at Pollilur near Conjeevaram, the city of Kanchipuram in present-day Tamil Nadu state, India, as part of the ...

in August 1781Cannon, p. 15 and the Battle of Sholinghur in September 1781.Cannon, p. 17 After that the battalion took part in the siege of Cuddalore in June 1783.Cannon, p. 30 Meanwhile, the 2nd battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Mackenzie, embarked for the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

and served as

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in January 1780 before being landed at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

later that month and then taking part in the Great Siege of Gibraltar; the battalion was disbanded in 1783. The regiment was redesignated as the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot (MacLeod's Highlanders) in 1786 and saw action at the siege of Seringapatam in February 1792 during the

Third Anglo-Mysore War The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the third of four Angl ...

.Cannon, p. 49

Napoleonic Wars

71st Highland Light Infantry memorial, Glasgow Cathedral

Remaining in India, the regiment fought at the siege of Pondicherry in August 1793Cannon, p. 52 during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

before transferring to Ceylon in August 1795 and returning to Scotland in August 1798.Cannon, p. 54 A second battalion was again raised in October 1804 but remained in Scotland throughout the War. The 1st battalion embarked for the Cape of Good Hope in August 1805 and took part in the

Battle of Blaauwberg The Battle of Blaauwberg, also known as the Battle of Cape Town, fought near Cape Town on Wednesday 8 January 1806, was a small but significant military engagement. After a British victory, peace was made under the Treaty Tree in Woodstock. ...

in January 1806.Cannon, p. 58 The battalion then sailed for

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

and took part in the disastrous expedition against

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

under Sir Home Popham. The battalion was taken prisoner and the

Regimental Colours In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some ...

were captured.Cannon, p. 63 New colours were presented to the regiment by Lieutenant-General Sir John Floyd in April 1808. The 1st battalion was reformed and embarked for

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

in June 1808 for service in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

.Cannon, p. 67 Renamed the 71st (Glasgow Highland) Regiment of Foot later that month, it saw action at the Battle of Roliça in August 1808,Cannon, p. 68 the

Battle of Vimeiro In the Battle of Vimeiro (sometimes shown as "Vimiera" or "Vimeira" in contemporary British texts) on 21 August 1808, the British under General Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington) defeated the French under Major-Gene ...

later that monthCannon, p. 69 and

Battle of Corunna The Battle of Corunna (or ''A Coruña'', ''La Corunna'', ''La Coruña'' or ''La Corogne''), in Spain known as Battle of Elviña, took place on 16 January 1809, when a French corps under Marshal of the Empire Jean de Dieu Soult attacked a Bri ...

in January 1809Cannon, p. 73 before being evacuated from the Peninsula.Cannon, p. 74 In March 1809 it became a light infantry regiment, and the regiment next took part in the disastrous

Walcheren Campaign The Walcheren Campaign ( ) was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Sir John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chath ...

in autumn 1809Cannon, p. 78 before returning home and being renamed the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) in spring 1810. The regiment returned to the Peninsular in September 1810Cannon, p. 81 and saw action at the

Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro (3–5 May 1811), the British–Portuguese Army under Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida. A bloody stalema ...

in May 1811,Cannon, p. 84 the Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos in October 1811Cannon, p. 87 and the Battle of Almaraz in May 1812Cannon, p. 90 as well as the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813) a British, Portuguese and Spanish army under the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, eventually leadin ...

in June 1813.Cannon, p. 94 It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the

Battle of the Pyrenees The Battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive (the author David Chandler recognises the 'battle' as an offensive) launched on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult from the Pyrénées region on Emperor Napoleon’s or ...

in July 1813,Cannon, p. 97 the

Battle of Nivelle The Battle of Nivelle (10 November 1813) took place in front of the river Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War (1808–1814). After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops (20, ...

in November 1813Cannon, p. 102 and the

Battle of the Nive The Battles of the Nive (9–13 December 1813) were fought towards the end of the Peninsular War. Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army defeated Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army on French soil ...

in December 1813 as well as the

Battle of Orthez The Battle of Orthez (27 February 1814) saw the Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington attack an Imperial French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France. The outnumbered Fr ...

in February 1814Cannon, p. 104 and the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814. The battalion returned home in July 1814 and then embarked for

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

in April 1815: it saw action as part of the 3rd Brigade at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

in June 1815.Cannon, p. 108

The Victorian era

The regiment embarked for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in May 1824 and then moved on to

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

in October 1831Cannon, p. 118 before returning to England in September 1834.Cannon, p. 119 It returned to Canada in April 1838 and then moved to Antigua in December 1844Cannon, p. 121 before returning home in January 1847. The regiment embarked for Corfu in 1853 and then landed in the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

for service in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

: it saw action at the siege of Sevastopol in winter 1854. The regiment went on to India to help suppress the Indian Rebellion in 1857 and remained there for the Ambela Campaign in 1863. The regiment returned home in 1865 and then embarked for Gibraltar in 1868 before returning home again in 1880. As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 71st was linked with the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 55 at

Cameron Barracks Cameron Barracks stands on Knockentinnel Hill on the eastern outskirts of Inverness in Scotland. History The barracks were built by the Royal Engineers' Office between 1880 and 1886. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties had bee ...

in Inverness. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions,

Battle honours

Battle honours awarded to the regiment were: * Hindoostan * Cape of Good Hope 1806 * Peninsular War: Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Fuentes d'Onor, Almaraz, Vittoria,

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

Nive The Nive (; eu, Errobi; oc, Niva) is a French river that flows through the French Basque Country. It is a left tributary of the river Adour. It is long. The river's source in the Pyrenees in Lower Navarre. The river Nive was made famous by t ...

, Orthes, Peninsula *Napoleonic Wars: Waterloo * Crimean War:

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

* Central India

Colonels

Colonels of the regiment were:

73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot (MacLeod's Highlanders)

*1777–1789: Maj-Gen.

71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot (MacLeod's Highlanders) – 1786

*1789–1803: Gen. Hon. William Gordon of Fyvie *1803–1809: Gen. Rt. Hon. Sir

John Cradock, 1st Baron Howden General John Francis Cradock, 1st Baron Howden (11 August 175926 July 1839) was a British peer, politician and soldier. Life He was son of John Cradock, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin. In 1775 he was admitted to St John's College, Ca ...

71st (Glasgow Highland Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot – 1809

*1809–1824: Gen.

Francis Dundas General Francis Dundas (c. 1759 – 15 January 1824) was a British general and acting governor of the British Cape Colony, Cape Colony between 1798 and 1803. Francis Dundas was the second son of Robert Dundas of Arniston and Jean Grant, and ...

71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) – 1810

*1824–1829: Gen. Sir

Gordon Drummond General Sir Gordon Drummond, GCB (27 September 1772 – 10 October 1854) was a Canadian-born British Army officer and the first official to command the military and the civil government of Canada. As Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Dr ...

, GCB *1829–1838: Gen. Sir

Colin Halkett General Sir Colin Halkett (7 September 1774 – 24 September 1856) was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. Family Halkett came from a military family. His father was Major General Frederick Godar Halkett and his yo ...

, KCB, KCH *1838–1841: Lt-Gen. Sir

Samuel Ford Whittingham Lieutenant General Sir Samuel Ford Whittingham (29 January 1772 – 19 January 1841), whose Christian names were contracted by himself and his friends into "Samford", was a British and Spanish army officer during the Napoleonic Wars. Following th ...

, KCB, KCH *1841–1848: Lt-Gen. Sir Thomas Reynell, 6th Baronet, KCB *1848–1849: Lt-Gen. Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, KCB *1849–1857: Gen. Sir James Macdonell, GCB, KCH *1857–1863: Gen. Sir Thomas Erskine Napier, KCB *1863–1870: Gen. Hon. Charles Grey *1870–1874: Lt-Gen. Robert Law, KCB *1874–1880: Gen. Hon. Sir George Cadogan, KCB *1880–1881: Gen.

John Hamilton Elphinstone Dalrymple General John Hamilton Elphinstone Dalrymple, (5 January 1819 – 28 June 1888) was a senior British Army officer. He was born the son of Sir Robert Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone of Horn and Westhall, 1st Baronet. He joined the Scots Fusilier ...

, CB (to

) *''1881: Regiment amalgamated the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to form the

References

Sources

External links

Clan Fraser Society of Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot Infantry regiments of the British Army Highland regiments Highland Light Infantry Regiment of Foot, 71st Military units and formations established in 1758 Military units and formations disestablished in 1881