Name : 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot Started : 1864 Ended : 1872 Previous Regiment Lineage(s) : ---------------------------------------- 98th (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot (1794 - 1796) 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot (1796 - 1809) 91st Regiment of Foot (1809 - 1820) 91st (Argyllshire) Regiment of Foot (1820 - 1864)
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Subsequent Regiment Lineage : ---------------------------------------- 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot (1872 - 1881) Princess Louise's (Sutherland and Argyll Highlanders) (1881 - 1882) Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) (1882 - 2006) Royal Regiment of Scotland (2006 - Present)
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The 1st battalion was the late 91st of the Line, or Argylshire raised in 1794 as a kilted regiment, with the Campbell tartan; white epaulettes and yellow facings were worn; and it was first numbered the 98th, but in 1798 this was altered to its recent designation, the 91st. Its first service was at the capture of Cape Town by Sir Alured Clarke, in 1795, when it does not appear to have worn either kilt or tartan, but the national costume was partly resumed on its return to England in 1803. It was during the voyage home that one of the regimental heirlooms was acquired. For a narwhal having charged the transport, and left its bony snout in the ship's side, this was eventually removed, and converted into the sergeant-major's official walking stick, decorated with a series of gold plates, eight in number, bearing the names of the principal Peninsular battles in which the regiment served. A second battalion, formed in 1804, served at Bergen-op-Zoom in 1813, but was shortly afterwards disbanded.
The other battalion shared in the Peninsula campaign from 1807 to 1809, being present at Obidos and Vimiera under Wellesley, and at Corunna under Moore, while detachments served at Oporto and Talavera. The bulk of the regiment joined the Walcheren expedition, at which period the standard for recruits was first fixed at 5 feet 4 inches; and after losing many men by sickness it returned to England, to be transferred again to the Peninsula, where it remained till 1814, taking part in the battles of Vittoria, Saurauren, Nivelles, Nive, Bayonne, Orthes, and Toulouse. Though it landed in Belgium for the Waterloo campaign, it took no part in the great fight, as it was detailed to guard the lines of communication.
In 1822 the coatee took the place of the regimental jacket, and this lasted until the introduction of the tunic; but in 1864 its original Highland title was restored, and it became a trewed regiment, the costume being added to a little later by the blue patrol jacket for the officers, and a red serge frock of the Stewart pattern for the men. Finally it was reconverted into a kilted regiment, and received its present title.
Meanwhile it had seen its most prolonged and arduous service at the Cape, where, with a "Reserve Battalion", raised in 1842 and incorporated with the first in 1857, the regiment served for twenty years. It was unfortunate in its sea voyages. The "Reserve Battalion" went ashore in the Abercrombie Robinson, and a detachment of the 91st was wrecked on board the Birkenhead in 1852. In both cases the superb discipline of the regiment was evidenced; and, in the latter case, the noble bravery of the men in preferring to go down with the ship rather than endanger the safety of the boats, already over laden with women and children, sheds a lustre not only the history of the regiment, but that of the whole army of the State. Out of 631 souls only 193 were saved.
Among the interesting if unwarlike duties it has had to undertake during this time may be mentioned that some of its companies were present at the exhumation of the remains of Napoleon I at St Helena in 1840.
It was mixed up in the disturbances between Boers and Griquas as far back as 1843, and then shared during the first Kaffir War in the dangerous operation in the Amatolas and the Waterkloof. In one of these small campaigns alone it marched 1,200 miles. For these services it bears the names of "South Africa, 1846-47", as well as of "South Africa, 1851-52-53", on its colours, to which it added later "South Africa, 1879", for its work during the Zulu campaign, where it took part in the actions of Ghinghilovo and Ekowe. Its only other foreign service before this last was in the operations against the Rohillas in 1859.
