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91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot

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Active
  
1759 - 1881

Branch
  
British Army

Engagements
  
Peninsular War

Country
  
United Kingdom

Type
  
Line Infantry

Motto(s)
  
Ne Obliviscaris (Do not forget)

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. The No.1 Dress uniform of the regiment was both characteristic and recognisable. A green coatee had a short skirt (kilt) and turn-backs with regimental facings of yellow. A feathered highland bonnet, the soldier carried a dirk in a gold-laced belt. The elaborate sporrans were dispensed with by 1960 but the bagpipers had much of the traditional finery. They had the nickname "Queen of Battles", referring to the kilts, told a lie to the regiment's fierce reputation in battle for bravery and valour.

Contents

Early formations

The 91st Regiment of Foot was raised four times. First raised in 1759 but disbanded in 1763. It was raised again in Shropshire 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.

John Fletcher Campbell's Regiment

In 1793 Campbell's regiment was raised in Scotland. It was redesignated as the 1sr Battalion 91st Foot in 1794 and sent to the Cape of Good Hope in 1795; and the personnel again in 1806. 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 Argyll. In 1794 the 98th was sent to the Cape of Good Hope where in 1796 it was redesignated 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot. A second battalion was raised in 1800 from the 93rd regiment.

Napoleonic Wars

The 91st Highlanders were in the retreat that ended at the Battle of Corunna with Sir John Moore's Army in 1808. This was the beginning of the long Peninsular War. In 1809 the regiment was sent to the Kingdom of Holland on the less auspicious and ill-fated Walcheren Campaign. In 1812 the 91st were sent back to Spain to fight in the Peninsular War under Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington). 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.

1815

After a brief period in Ireland 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 Lieutenant Colonel 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 were one of the columns that stormed the fortress town of Cambrai.

Princess Louise

On 21 March 1871 the 91st Argyllshire formed the honor guard for the wedding of Princess Louise 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.

Amalgamation

In 1881 during the Childers Reforms the 91st were amalgamated with the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot becoming the 1st Battalion, Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were:

  • Peninsular War: Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Pyrenees, Nive, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula
  • Colonels of the Regiment

    Colonels of the Regiment were:

    91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot

  • 1796–1837: Gen. Duncan Campbell of Lochnell
  • 91st (Argyllshire) Regiment of Foot - (1820)

  • 1837–1855: Gen. Gabriel Gordon
  • 1855–1861: Gen. Hon. Sir Charles Stephen Gore, GCB, KH
  • 1861-1864: Lt-Gen. Charles Murray Hay
  • 91st (the Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot - (1864)

  • 1864–1870: Gen. Charles George James Arbuthnot
  • 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot - (1872)

  • 1870–1881: Gen. James Robertson Craufurd
  • References

    91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot Wikipedia