The Scottish soldier and Empire, 1854-1902 - Reenactor.ru

12 The Scottish Soldier and Empire
second battalion of the regiment was raised in 1897 it was given the
whole of Scotland as its recruiting area. 47
Scottish military participation, nonetheless, extended beyond the
regular army with a significant number of Scots serving in the auxiliary
forces from the mid-century onwards. Some served in the
mounted Yeomanry, a predominantly rural body, which had survived
since the Napoleonic Wars (with the Kilsyth troop of the Stirlingshire
Yeomanry helping to maintain public order at Bonnymuir near
Falkirk in April 1820). Others joined the voluntary Militia, reconstituted
after the invasion scare of 1852, and had to complete twentyone
days’ training each year. Even more enrolled in the Volunteer
movement reconstituted after the invasion panic of 1859, joining the
uniformed rifle clubs (and some artillery units) that flourished throughout
Scotland. The Volunteers had considerable appeal in the cities
and industrial Lowland areas like Lanarkshire, but even Lowland
units often contained ‘Highland companies’, wearing full Highland
military costume, or a group of Highland Volunteers. Under the
amalgamations of 1881, Militia and Volunteer battalions were
attached to the double-battalion infantry regiments in their respective
territorial districts. 48
Another legacy of the Mutiny was the special bond between
Sir Colin Campbell and his Highlanders. Campbell, wrote Munro,
‘was of their own warlike race, of their own kith and kin, understood
their character and feelings . . .’ Leading from the front, he had a
capacity to rouse or quieten his men ‘with a few words, sometimes
spoken kindly, but at other times sharply and emphatically’. He lived
among his men, knew many of them individually, often addressing
them by name, and visited the sick and wounded in hospital frequently.
The men of the Highland Brigade had ‘such confidence in and
affection for him’ that ‘they would have stood by or followed him
though any danger.’ 49 Apart from his leadership qualities, the popular
version of Campbell’s life-story had considerable appeal in contemporary
Scotland, chiming with the predominantly meritocratic and
anti-aristocratic sentiments. The son of a Glaswegian carpenter,
Campbell was relatively poor and cared for his father and unmarried
sister for much of his life. His military career advanced slowly despite
his bravery as a subaltern in the Peninsular War and distinguished
service in China and the Second Anglo-Sikh War. After forty-six years
of military service he was only a half-pay colonel when the Crimean
War erupted. Within four years he became a full general and a peer
of the realm (Baron Clyde of Clydesdale), and four years later a field