91st Regiment of Foot
Encyclopedia
The 91st Regiment of Foot was a Line Regiment of the British Army
. It was first formed in 1759 and in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
.
as the 91st (Shropshire Voluntiers) in 1779. It was sent to the West Indies in 1780 serving as a garrison force on St Lucia and Barbados
. In 1784 it was disbanded in England
.
. It was redesignated as the 91st Foot in 1794 and sent to the Cape
of Good Hope in 1795. It was disbanded a year later and its personnel scattered among other regiments.
. In 1794 the 98th was sent to the Cape of Good Hope
where in 1796 it was redesignated 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot.
with Sir John Moore's
Army in 1808. This was the beginning of the long Peninsular War
. In 1809 the regiment was sent to Holland on the less auspicious Walcheren Campaign
. In 1812 the 91st were sent back to Spain to fight in the Peninsular War
in the Duke of Wellington's
Army. They fought at the Battles of Vittoria in June 1813, Sorauren
in July, Nivelle
in November and Bayonne
in December. In 1814 the 91st were heavily involved in the fighting in Southern France
that led to the Battle of Toulouse
in April which finally saw the end of the Peninsular War.
the 91st were shipped off to Belgium
in early 1815, where they were stationed when Napoleon escaped and raised his Army and headed toward the Allied armies in Flanders
.
The 91st, under the command of Lt.Col. Sir William Douglas, were based in Major General George Johnstone's 6th Brigade in Sir Charles Colville's
4th Division. They distinguished themselves at the battle of Quatre Bras and then did not fight at the Battle of Waterloo
but were based at Halle
guarding the right flank of Wellington's Army. On 25 June they took the town of Cambrai
.
to John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Marquis of Lorne and later 9th Duke of Argyll
, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
. For this service the regiment was renamed 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot in 1872.
the 91st were amalgamated with the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot becoming the 1st Battalion, Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. It was first formed in 1759 and in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
.
Early formations
The 91st Regiment of Foot was raised four times. First raised in 1759 but disbanded in 1763. It was raised again in ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
as the 91st (Shropshire Voluntiers) in 1779. It was sent to the West Indies in 1780 serving as a garrison force on St Lucia and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. In 1784 it was disbanded in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
John Fletcher Campbell's Regiment
In 1793 Campbell's regiment was raised in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was redesignated as the 91st Foot in 1794 and sent to the Cape
of Good Hope in 1795. It was disbanded a year later and its personnel scattered among other regiments.
Argyllshire Highlanders
The last raising of the 91st Foot started back in 1794 when the 98th (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was recruited, mainly in Argyllshire by Duncan Campbell for the Duke of ArgyllDuke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll is a title, created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, noble family in Scotland...
. In 1794 the 98th was sent to the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
where in 1796 it was redesignated 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot.
Napoleonic War
The 91st Highlanders were in the retreat that ended at the Battle of CorunnaBattle of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
with Sir John Moore's
John Moore (British soldier)
Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, KB was a British soldier and General. He is best known for his military training reforms and for his death at the Battle of Corunna, in which his force was defeated but gained a tactical advantage over a French army under Marshal Soult during the Peninsular...
Army in 1808. This was the beginning of the long Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. In 1809 the regiment was sent to Holland on the less auspicious Walcheren Campaign
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. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
. In 1812 the 91st were sent back to Spain to fight in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
in the Duke of Wellington's
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
Army. They fought at the Battles of Vittoria in June 1813, Sorauren
Battle of Sorauren
The Battle of Sorauren was part of a series of engagements in late July 1813 called the Battle of the Pyrenees in which a combined British and Portuguese force under Sir Arthur Wellesley held off Marshal Soult's French forces attempting to relieve San Sebastián.With sizable Anglo-Portuguese forces...
in July, Nivelle
Battle of Nivelle
The Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
in November and Bayonne
Battle of Bayonne
In the Battle of Bayonne on April 14, 1814, General of Division Thouvenot's French garrison attacked the Allied besieging force under Lieutenant General John Hope...
in December. In 1814 the 91st were heavily involved in the fighting in Southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
that led to the Battle of Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (1814)
The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
in April which finally saw the end of the Peninsular War.
1815
After a brief period in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
the 91st were shipped off to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in early 1815, where they were stationed when Napoleon escaped and raised his Army and headed toward the Allied armies in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
.
The 91st, under the command of Lt.Col. Sir William Douglas, were based in Major General George Johnstone's 6th Brigade in Sir Charles Colville's
Charles Colville
Sir Charles Colville was a British military leader who fought in the Peninsular War and in action near the Battle of Waterloo, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. He was the son of John Colville, 8th Lord Colville of CulrossAmong other battles, Colville led the 2nd Brigade in Picton's 3rd...
4th Division. They distinguished themselves at the battle of Quatre Bras and then did not fight at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
but were based at Halle
Halle, Belgium
Halle , is a Belgian city and municipality in the district Halle-Vilvoorde of the province Flemish Brabant. The city is located on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal and on the Flemish side of the language border that separates Flanders and Wallonia...
guarding the right flank of Wellington's Army. On 25 June they took the town of Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
.
Princess Louise
On 21 March 1871 the 91st Argyllshire formed the honor guard for the wedding of Princess LouisePrincess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
The Princess Louise was a member of the British Royal Family, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, Prince Consort.Louise's early life was spent moving between the various royal residences in the...
to John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Marquis of Lorne and later 9th Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll is a title, created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, noble family in Scotland...
, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
. For this service the regiment was renamed 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot in 1872.
Amalgamation
In 1881 during the Childers ReformsChilders Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
the 91st were amalgamated with the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot becoming the 1st Battalion, Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
.