The 93rd Sutherland Highland Regiment of Foot
1800 - 1881
Concise History by Year and Month

 

 

Guideposts

Parade Ground

The Chart Room (Links)

Officers' Mess

Sergeants' Mess

Other Ranks barracks.

Duty Roster (Schedule of events)

The Library (93rd History)

Recruiting Sergeant (JOIN)

Portrait Gallery (Photos)

Quartermaster's (Reproduced kit)

The Trophy Hall (Web Awards)

Records Vault (A&E TV Documentary Film)

Command Offices:

Crown Forces North America.

British Division (Napoleonic Association).

World Wide Highland Brigade-1815

 

1759: 1st Sutherland Fencibles raised by Lord Reay. Disbanded 1763.
1779: 2nd Sutherland Fencibles raised by Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland (done in practice by Lt. Col. William Wemyss of Wemyss).
1793: 3rd Sutherland Fencibles raised by Wemyss. Served in 1798 Irish Rebellion. Disbanded April 1799 at Ft. George.
April 1799 : 93rd Regiment of Foot raised by Maj-Gen. Wm. Wemyss of Wemyss. 259 from Sutherland Fencibles. Others from disbanding Reay Fencibles (mostly MacKays), the Rothesay & Caithness Fencibles, Scots Militia & the tenantry of Sutherland & the lands of Ross-shire. Mostly native Gaelic-speaking men. Also 3 Englishmen (2 with Scots names) all later discharged as unfit for service.
Sept. 1800: Dispatched from Ft. George, via Aberdeen, to Guernsey Island.
Oct. 1800: Formally gazetted into the Army.
Feb. 1803: Dublin. Assist in quelling insurrection. Become very popular with the Irish people. "Kind & steady, yet decided conduct."
July 1805: After fortnight aboard ship, orders to Jamaica canceled.
Aug: Sail for Cape of Good Hope, Africa.
4 Jan. 1806: Arrive at Table Bay. Form Highland Brigade with 71st & 72nd regiments. Other Brigade consists of 24th, 38th & 83rd. Objective: Recapture Cape Colony from the Dutch.
6 Jan: Highland Brigade lands in Lospard Bay, little opposition. 37 men of th 93rd lost as boat capsizes, all still cheering madly as it does so.
7 Jan: Battle of Blauwberg Hills. Highlanders advance, fire one volley & charge. 3000 Dutch withdraw leaving 400 killed & wounded. British losses:16 killed,191 wounded (93rd: 2 killed, 58 wounded; 42 later die of wounds.) Cape Town surrenders.
18 Jan: Cape Colony surrenders. 93rd moves into garrison at Cape Castle.
1806-1814: At Cape. Regimental traditions take form. Soldiers earn extra pay as schoolteachers. Build & equip their own church, appoint elders, pay for Church of Scotland chaplain, buy silver communion service, and send home large sums for relief of poor & relations: Oct. 1813 - April 1814, collect �1400 "for books, societies & support of the gospel".
(1813): 2nd Battalion raised. Exists for 16 months. Garrisoned in Newfoundland.
April 1814: Embark for Britain. (Contribute �78 to Gaelic School Society.)
15 Aug: Arrive at Plymouth, England. Send over �500 home for relief of their families, evicted & ruined by the Highland clearances. (*note: a private's pay, after deductions, averaged 1 shilling, 7 1/2 pence a week.)
Of 1,018 NCO's & men, 977 are Scottish.
17 Sept: Embark on H.M.S. Alceste, Bedford & Belle Poule for the American campaign. General Officer Commanding, Plymouth, orders 93rd to wear trews & hummel bonnets for the campaign.
12 Oct: Belle Poule escapes burning at sea.
4 Nov: Arrive Barbados. Sail again on 12 November.
23 Nov: Arrive Nigril Bay, Jamaica. Join with the forces that captured Washington City.
26 Nov: Fleet of 50 ships sails.
8 Dec: Anchor off Ship Island in the Gulf of Mexico.
14 Dec: 5 American gunboats captured.
24 Dec: Treaty of Ghent signed in Europe.
23 Dec: 93rd lands; spends 6 days & nights in open boats with inadequate rations, exposed to continuous rain, sleet & bitter wind. Arrive in time to help turn flank of American surprise night attack.
25 Dec: Gen. Sir Edward Packenham, British commander, arrives.
28 Dec. 1814: British advance up left bank of Mississippi towards New Orleans. Come under fire 750 yards from Andrew Jackson's parapet & a schooner on the river. Lie for 5 hours under rain, sleet & bombardment. British pull back. 93rd loses 2 killed, 5 wounded.
1 Jan. 1815: British attempt assault. Torrential rain bogs down artillery & troops. US left flank actually routed and in flight but unperceived by British until too late to take advantage.
8 Jan: Final British assault. Mistakes & bad luck add up. American position on right bank of river overrun & captured, including a British cannon taken at Yorktown. Left bank; American advance redoubt taken. British right flank falters. 93rd aborts support to captured redoubt & crosses field to help faltering right flank assault. Halts 100 yards from parapet. Lt. Col. Dale killed. No orders to advance or withdraw. 93rd stands fast & is mown down. Packenham killed. Orders finally received & after futile attempt to advance, 93rd marches off field.
British losses: 2000. 93rd contributes 300 to 550 killed, wounded & prisoner.
18-30 Jan: British withdraw downriver to ships, embark.
5 Feb: Fleet sails.
11 Feb: British capture Ft. Bowyer outside Mobile, Alabama. 93rd & others landed on Dauphin Island outside Mobile Bay.
13 Feb: Sloop-of-War brings news of preliminaries of peace at Ghent. Women & children of 93rd put ashore.
26 Feb: Most of the 93rd's pow's rejoin Regiment.
20 Mar: Embark.
28 May: Disembark at Cork, Ireland. Proceed to Birr Barracks. Helped back to strength with men from disbanded 2nd Battalion.
June 1818: Dublin, having moved about from Birr to Athlone, Nenagh & Limerick.
May 1819: Again detached to southern counties.

 

 

3-8 Nov.1823: Embark at Cove of Cork for the West Indies. (In 8 years in Ireland, not one desertion.)
Dec: Land at Barbados. Garrison.
Feb. 1826: Antigua & St. Christopher, one detachment to Montserrat.
Feb. 1830: To St. Lucia & Dominica.
Jan. 1832: Barbados.
3 April 1834: Embark for England. Deaths in West Indies considerably below other regiments.
8 May: Sent to Canterbury.
7 Oct: New Colours presented to 93rd by the Duke of Wellington.
Oct: To Weedon, in Northhamptonshire.
May 1835: HQ to Blackburn, detachments at Bolton, Rochdale, Burnley, & Nottingham.
Sept: HQ to Liverpool. Companies to Haydock Lodge, Wigan, Chester Castle.
27-29 Oct: Embark at Liverpool for Dublin.
Oct.1836: Moved to Newry.
Dec. 1837: To Cork.
6 & 23 Jan 1838: Sail in 2 divisions from Cork.
29 Jan & 5 Mar: Arrive Halifax, Nova Scotia. Move about Canada. No.4 company thru entire rebellion attached to 71st H.L.I. in lower provinces.
16 Nov: 93rd present at capture of the Windmill, held by brigands & rebels.
28 Nov: Regiment reunited at Toronto.
13 Dec: Women, children, & baggage arrive.
May '40-1841: At Drummondsville, Falls of Niagra.
May 1845: To Montreal.
July 1846: To Quebec. Receive first supply of percussion muskets.
1 Aug. 1848: Embark for Britain.
30 Aug. 1848: Arrive Leith, Scotland. Disembark, proceed to Stirling Castle.
Summer 1849: Guard of Honour for Queen Victoria.
5 April 1850: To Edinburgh.
15 April1851: To Glasgow.
23 Feb. 1852: Weedon.
11 Aug. 1852: Anglesea Barracks at Portsmouth.
14 June 1853: Chobham Common. Maneuvers with Army.
15 July: To Devonport, Dartmoor Prison, & Millbay Plymouth.
12 Feb. 1854: Orders received for embarkation.
27 Feb: Embark at Plymouth, to Malta, then Gallipoli.
6 May: To Scutari.
13 June: To Varna. Lose 22 to cholera.
31 Aug: On transports to Crimea. Form Highland Brigade with 42nd & 79th under Sir Colin Campbell.
20 Sept: Battle of the Alma. Guards & Highland Brigade advance in echelon.
Russian forces pushed from defences above river. 93rd loses 6 killed, 42 wounded.
26 Sept: Reach Balaclava. 93rd posted before the village of Kadikoi at entrance of gorge leading to Balaclava & the British supply depot.
13 Oct: Detachment sent to strengthen position on eastward heights.
25 Oct: Battle of Balaclava. 25,000 Russians attack, take artillery emplacements along gorge. Massed cavalry pushes down road to Balaclava. Proceed to encounter 500 of the 93rd drawn up in line across the road with 2 Turkish battalions on either side. Turks fire once ineffectively. 93rd fires 3 volleys, Russians veer off & retreat, "hardly a man who was not either hit or his horse hit under him". "The Thin Red Line" is born. Charge of the Heavy Brigade takes out some of Russian cavalry which had split off. Charge of the Light Brigade. Most British positions retaken.
Oct.-March : Entrenchments at Sevastopol. 100 die from disease.
14 Nov: Hurricane hits Crimea.
18 June 1855: First assault on Sevastopol begins, thru 22 August. Fighting in trenches. 93rd loses 6 killed, 57 wounded.
8 Sept: 2nd attack on Sevastopol. 93rd: 2 killed, 7 wounded.
9 Sept: Return to Kamara.
Sept: First issue to 93rd of '53 Enfield rifle-musket.
16 June 1856: Leave the Crimea.
15 July: Arrive Portsmouth, proceed to Aldershot.
16 July: Inspected by Queen Victoria & Prince Albert.
18 July: Queen visits the huts of the Regiment. Samples food, talks to men.
23 July: To Dover.
31 Jan. 1857: Orders received for India. 201 volunteers from the 42nd, 72nd, 79th & 92nd join Regiment. (Interesting note: almost immediately after this infusion from other regiments, floggings are noted as having taken place in the 93rd, corporal punishment being almost un-heard of in the 93rd until this time!)
6 Mar: Orders for China.
22 May: New colours presented to 93rd by H.R.H the Duke of Cambridge.
1 June: Nos. 3, 7 & 8 companies embark at Plymouth on HMS Belleisle for China.
4 June: Rest of Regiment under Lt. Col. Leith Hay proceed to Clarence Dockyard at Gosport & receive the Queen on Her landing from Isle of Wight. Royal inspection.
16 June: Board SS Mauritius for China. Join Belleisle in Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope. News of mutiny of Bengal native army in India.
20 Sept: Mauritius anchors in the Hooghly opposite Ft. William, Calcutta. Welcomed by Sir Colin Campbell.
31 Oct. 1857: Reach Cawnpore. See remains of slaughter done by mutineers on women & children. Cross Ganges. Arrive Oude, join column assembling for Lucknow.
1 Nov: One company engaged in battle at Futtehpoor with large force of rebels. Lose 3 killed, 16 wounded.
2 Nov: Grenadier & nos. 1, 3 & 4 companies engaged in attack on fortified village in Oude, Buntara. Drive enemy out. 93rd: 1 killed, 3 wounded.
11 Nov: Brigaded with HQ of the 53rd, & the 84th, 90th, 1st Madras Fusiliers & 4th Punjab Rifles, brigade commanded by Lt. Col. Adrian hope of the 93rd.
14 Nov: 2nd relief of Lucknow begins. 93rd: 1 killed, 11 wounded.
15 Nov: Lose 1 killed, 2 wounded.
16 Nov: Storming & taking of Secunder Baugh (a walled garden fortification). 93rd rushes a breach & the gates. Among first to enter is Lt. Col. Ewart. Fierce hand to hand fighting for hours within the enclosure. By 3pm, 2000 Sepoy mutineers lie dead inside. Sir Colin calls upon the 93rd once more, to take the Shah Nujeef fortification. Under heavy fire a breach is discovered & entered, the gate opened. Sepoys dash away at last minute. Casualties thru the day: 25 killed, 68 wounded, many of whom die later. 6 Victoria Crosses awarded to the 93rd for their actions on this day.
17 Nov: At daybreak the Regimental colour is uncased atop a tower as a signal to the beleaguered garrison in the Residency.
18-22 Nov: Evacuation of Residency garrison, women, children, 1000 wounded, the King of Oude, & �250,000 of government money. 93rd covers the retreat. 1 killed, 6 wounded.
24-28 Nov: March to Cawnpore.
29 Nov.-6 Dec: Battle for Cawnpore. Rebels routed. 93rd loss: 12 wounded. Next days spent clearing district around Lucknow.
1 Feb. 1858: Advance again on Lucknow.
1 March: Battle for Lucknow begins.
9 March: 93rd & brigade storm the Martiniere. Bivouac in Secunder Baugh.
11 March: Storm Kaiser Baugh. 5000 Sepoy rebels vs. 800 of the 93rd. Fierce hand to hand combat for 4 hours. 93rd: 15 killed, 47 wounded. Mutineers: over 860 dead. Victoria Cross awarded to Lt. Wm McBean for killing 11 enemy in succession with his sword at the gate.
21 March: After severe skirmishing & street fighting, Lucknow cleared & in possession of the British. 93rd: 11 wounded. 93rd proceeds to camp at Dilkoosha.
7 April: Join 42nd, 79th, artillery, 9th Lancers, & some native units all under Brig-Gen. Walpole. "Old Highland Brigade" under command of Brig. the Hon. Adrian Hope, of the 93rd. Proceed toward Rohilcund.
16 April: Encounter rebel mud fort, which opens fire. Highlanders & Punjab Rifles push forward, return fire. Adrian Hope killed. 93rd: 6 wounded. Force withdraws at sunset. Enemy escapes during night. 93rd blames Walpole for mismanaging the affair. Col. Hay, CB of the 93rd, takes command of Highland Brigade.
20 April: Battle at village of Allahgunge. Enemy dispersed. Bt. Lt. Col. Ross takes command of 93rd.
30 April: Arrive Bareilly. Army reinforced.
5 May: Battle on plains east of Bareilly. Heat tremendous. Enemy retires. 93rd the only regiment not losing men from the heat; no casualties.
7 May: City of Bareilly taken. 93rd: 3 wounded. Over next 5 months 93rd suffers from fever, several die from sunstroke.
17 Oct: To Shajehanpore. Form brigade with 60th Royal Rifles & 66th Gurkhas.
19 Oct: Army encounters rebels entrenched at village of Poosgawah & expell them. The column breaks up to pursue. Rebel cavalry appears in the rear, attacking baggage column & cutting up campfollowers.12 sick of the 93rd turn out of their dhoolies & open fire, holding the rebels in check until arrival of Mooltanee cavalry which disperses enemy. 93rd loses 1 killed.
26 Oct: Battle at Russellpore. Enemy driven from position & put to flight.
27 Oct: To Noorungabad.
8 Nov: Royal proclamation read, transferring the government of India from the East India Company to the Queen.
Thru Feb 1859: Constantly employed under Gen. Troup hunting out rebels.
Between 30 Sept. 1857 & 31 Dec. 1859, 93rd lost 180 killed, wounded, accidents, disease & missing. 58 invalided to England.
13 Apr. 1859: Arrive at new quarters in Subhatoo.
Nov: To Umballah for drill & musketry instruction.
9 Mar. 1860: To Rawul Pindee.
22 Nov. 1861: To Peshawur.
7 July 1862: First attack of Cholera, thru November. 60 men die, 4 officers, 13 women,12 children. Col. MacDonald dies. Command taken by Major Burroughs until arrival of Col. Stisted. Surgeon Munro continues at his post even though racked by cholera.
30 Dec: To Sealkote.
9-20 Dec.1863: Duty in Umballah pass during campaign against Mussulmen.
23 Dec: To Durband.
27 Feb.1864: To Sealkote.
18 Jan. 1867: To Jhansi.
March: Surgeon-Major Wm Munro, M.D., C.B. made Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals. He had been with the 93rd since 1854.
Aug. 1869: Cholera. 11 die.
14 Feb. 1870: To Bombay. Board S.S. Jumna. Leave India after 12 1/2 years.
21 Mar: Arrive Portsmouth.
28 Mar: Disembark at Leith, Scotland. Welcomed home with unbounded enthusiasm after 19 years away To Aberdeen.
15 June 1871: To Edinburgh. One company left at Ballater as Guard of Honour to the Queen. Another at Aberdeen, at Ft. George, & at Greenlaw.
4 Aug. 1871: Presented new colours by the Duchess of Sutherland.
April 1872: At direction of the Queen, NCO'S & men issued "soft" tartan kilts & plaids, as the old "hard" tartan cut their knees.
11 May 1873: City of Edinburgh gives public farewell festivities for the 93rd.
12 May: March thru crowds of admirers & pass 91st Argyllshire Highlanders on their way to replace the 93rd.
15 April: At Aldershot.
July, Aug: "Autumn maneuvers" at Dartmoor
28 Sept: Lt. Col. Wm. McBean, V.C. takes command.
2 July 1874: To Cambridge Barracks, Woolwich.
1877: Curragh camp near Dublin.
1879: Part of garrison at Gibraltor.
1 July 1881: Amalgamation with 91st. Become 2nd Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's).
1947: Merged with 1st Battalion.
To the present: The traditions of the 93rd continue on & their trophies & honours are on display for all to see at Regimental HQ in Stirling Castle, the home of the one and only THIN RED LINE.