Scottish Cameronians: Marching out of the Army List and into history

Believe me, that is a fascinating story. I will also relate the often untold story of Scotland’s fighting ships and sailors, both in the Scottish Navy – yes, we had one – and the Royal Navy.

There were many regiments raised in Scotland that have long been forgotten. In 1692, for instance, almost half of the army of William and Mary were Scots and included such famous names as Argyll’s Regiment – or should that be infamous, as they carried out the Massacre of Glencoe in that year.

After 1713, however, just five Scottish regiments were left on the army establishment – the Royal Scots, Scots Guards, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Edinburgh Regiment that became the King’s Own Scottish Borders and the Cameronians. I have seen them referred to as the Famous Five.

READ MORE: The day that class war ignited in Scotland: The Battle of George Square

Other regiments found fame in their day, notably the 78th Fraser Highlanders founded in 1757 who fought valiantly in Canada, in particular during the Seven Years’ War, but who were disbanded at Quebec in 1763 – the same year that Montgomery’s Highlanders were also disbanded. Keith’s Highlanders were also disbanded in 1763 having fought valiantly on the Continent against France.

The Scotch Lowlanders raised in Paisley lasted just two years before they, too, were disbanded in that same year of 1763. Numerous other regiments came and went in the 18th and 19th centuries, with some being re-named as English battalions and others simply disbanding when one war or other finished – the British Government was often ruthless in stripping back the army to its bare minimum after a conflict. They are all gone, but not completely forgotten, and now we have just the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Having dealt with the others of the Famous Five in previous columns, I now turn to the Cameronians – who lasted almost three centuries as one of the most renowned regiments ever to come out of Scotland. I am going to dwell somewhat on their fascinating early history as within a few months of their foundation, they really did change the course of events for the whole of Britain.

THEIR illustrious history dates back to 1688 when William and Mary usurped the throne of James II in what is often called the Glorious or Bloodless Revolution. It was hardly “glorious”, as the English aristocracy conspired to replace the Catholic James with the very Protestant William of Orange and his wife, James’s daughter Mary Stuart, also a Protestant. It certainly was not bloodless either, because English historians tend to forget the battles fought in Scotland and Ireland in which thousands died on either side.

The Jacobite Rising in Scotland followed the decision of the Convention of Estates to offer the crown of Scotland to William and Mary in early 1689. The guard for that Convention, whose members’ main aim was the establishment of Presbyterianism as the state religion, were drawn from the ranks of Covenanters who had been followers of Richard Cameron, leader of the Covenanters who was killed in a skirmish with government forces in July 1680. They were known as the Cameronian Guard but disbanded after three regiments of regular troops arrived in Edinburgh.

With many of them hailing from Lanarkshire and the south west of Scotland, it was no surprise that they rallied quickly when James Douglas, the Earl of Angus, raised his own regiment for the service of William and Mary. On May 14, 1689, the new Earl of Angus’s regiment held its first muster near the Douglas Water.

The Earl being just a teenager led to a professional soldier, Colonel William Cleland, being given command of the regiment of around 1200 men, which was divided into 20 companies of 60. Legend has it the recruits were so fanatical for the cause against the Catholic James Stuart that they didn’t need any monetary persuasion. Each company elected a kirk elder and the regimental chaplain, unusually in those days, was a Presbyterian.

Cleland had been a follower of Richard Cameron and had fought on the Covenanting side. The son of a gamekeeper on the Douglas estates, he had been educated at St Andrews University with his fees paid for by the Douglases. He had seen active service fighting for William of Orange and was the perfect choice to command the Cameronians, a blend of hard-headed soldier, religious fanatic and a warrior poet who once wrote “to die obscure must be a dismal fate”.

Cleland was prepared to give his life if necessary and he was soon given the chance after the Jacobites rose under John Graham, Viscount “Bonnie” Dundee, and fought the Battle of Killiecrankie on July 27, 1689, in which government forces under General Hugh Mackay were routed. Dundee was killed, however, and though the road lay open for the Jacobites to march south to Perth and Edinburgh, the loss of Dundee had all but ended the uprising.

An Irish Colonel (or General) Alexander Cannon had taken charge, but Mackay brilliantly re-formed his army, especially his mounted troops, and harried the Jacobites across the north and east.

Engraving of William & Mary (King William and Queen Mary) based on a painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller. (Photo by Michael Nicholson/Corbis via Getty Images).

Cannon eventually decided to have one last attempt at thrusting south. Mackay was taken by surprise, and was unaware that the Highland army had turned south again, heading once again for the strategic stronghold of Blair Castle.

Only one government regiment remained in their path. The Earl of Angus’s Regiment had been ordered to occupy Dunkeld and remove any rebels, and then march north from the town and occupy Blair Castle.

They were already known as the Cameronians and had quickly gained a reputation as tough soldiers with the best musketry in the army and also troublemakers – they had petitioned the Privy Council earlier in the summer, seeking ejection of Episcopalians from the army and the prosecution of officers who had attacked Covenanters.

Cannon’s decision to come south meant the Cameronians were totally exposed to the fury of their sworn enemies, the much larger Jacobite force. Cannon had at least 3500 superb light infantry and perhaps 500 cavalry.

Cleland had his orders, however, and to him and his men it was a holy mission – they would hold Dunkeld against Cannon’s force, or die in the attempt.

By August 18, 1689, the Cameronians had taken complete possession of Dunkeld. They dug basic defences and then promptly held a Presbyterian regimental prayer service in the grounds of the town’s cathedral. Most of the population locked themselves away until Cleland ordered the townsfolk to take refuge in the cathedral.

At 7am on the morning of August 21, 1689, the Jacobites moved into Dunkeld. The narrow streets stopped them making their usual Highland charge and the battle soon became a siege, the Jacobites taking the town house-by-house, but being made to pay a heavy price in dead and wounded men as they were beaten back by Cleland’s disciplined volley fire.

Cleland was shot in the liver and head and died, crawling away to hide his death from his men, and his deputy, a Major Henderson, was also killed. The Cameronians were running out of ammunition and were taking the lead off the Cathedral roof to make bullets when the sun began to sink and the Jacobites also began to run out of ammunition.

Shortly before 11pm, Cannon ordered the retreat, though many Highlanders had already left the scene. Some 40 of the Cameronians were dead, compared to nearly 300 of the Jacobite army. In the town, having caught fire during the battle, just the Cathedral and three houses remained intact.

By any standards it was an extraordinary victory by the Cameronians and it made their name throughout Britain and Europe. Had they not won, the Jacobites might well have battled on and taken Perth and Edinburgh with who knows what consequences for the United Kingdom. The Highlanders went home, however, and the Jacobite Rising fizzled out the following year.

King William showed his admiration for their feats when he took the regiment onto the Dutch Army establishment when many other regiments were disbanded in 1697. The English Parliament took them back in 1700, just in time for War of the Spanish Succession, during which the Cameronians fought in nearly all the major battles such as Blenheim, Oudenarde, Ramillies, and Malplaquet, for each of which the regiment was accorded battle honours.

After that war, the Cameronians were stationed mainly in Ireland though they fought again – and won – against the Jacobites in the 1715 Rising. They were made the 26th Regiment of Foot in 1751 and fought in the American War of Independence. In 1786, the name Cameronian was formalised and attached to the regiment.

Often used as garrison forces, the Cameronians went back into battle in the Peninsular War against the French forces of the Emperor Napoleon, though they missed Waterloo as they had been sent to garrison Gibraltar. The Cameronians were then sent to the Far East to play a part in the Fist Opium War – their battle honours include China.

In the latter part of the 19th century after garrison and occupation service across the Empire, the Cameronians had become renowned as the best rifle shooters in the army, and in the 1881 Childers Reforms the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of foot amalgamated with the 90th Regiment of Foot (Perthshire Volunteers) becoming the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Scotland’s rifle regiment. The 1st battalion chose to be called the Cameronians and the 2nd battalion became the Scottish Rifles – it was the latter battalion which took part in the Battle of Spion Kop during the Boer War.

READ MORE: The history behind the sealing of Scotland's Union with England

The 90th regiment had been raised in 1794, and had produced many distinguished officers and no fewer than 10 winners of the Victoria Cross. Their VCs and battle honours, in line with army tradition, were claimed by the new Cameronians regiment, which would last for 87 years.

The First World War saw extraordinary service by the Cameronians. Numerous battalions were raised for the fighting on the Western Front and at Galliopoli, in Egypt and Palestine. In the Second World War, 10 battalions served in numerous theatres of war. The 1st fought in the Far East throughout the war, while the 2nd battalion was evacuated at Dunkirk and returned to fight in North Africa and Italy.

After post-war service in Malaysia and Aden, the Labour government of Harold Wilson were intending to amalgamate the regiment into some other part of the army. The officers and men of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) decided that they would rather disband and at a ceremony in Douglas, in the form of a Conventicle as per the regiment’s foundation, the Cameronians went out of existence. In his sermon the Reverend Donald MacDonald, a much loved former Chaplain to both regular battalions, said: “So put pride in your step Cameronians! As you march out of the Army List, you are marching into history, and from your proud place there, no man can remove your name, and no man can snatch a rose from the chaplet of your honour.”

There are so many other stories that I could tell you about the Scottish military, and at some stage I will return to history of the militias, volunteers and the Territorials, one of whose number was Sir Billy Connolly, no less. That is for the future, however, and next week I will return to the series on clans, as promised, with the history of Lowland clans.