The history of the wars of Gustavus Adolphus and the
Imperialists gave celebrity and distinction to the regiments raised at
different periods by the family of Mackay, Lords Reay, in consequence of
the estimation in which these corps were held by the greatest Captain of
his age. For many centuries an intimate connexion and correspondence had
subsisted between Scotland and several of the Continental nations. The
long and friendly intercourse with France, first established by the
Ancient League,
[In the Introduction to Beague's History of the
Campaigns in Scotland in the years 1548 and 1519, printed in Paris in
1556, the author states, that, in consequence of the alliance between
France and Scotland, unlimited confidence was placed in the Scots by the
kings of France, who had always a strong body guard of that nation. He
adds, " This guard alone continued to attend the French kings till the
reign of Charles the Seventh, who joined some French companies with them
in the honourable employment; yet, so as to give the Scots the place and
pre-eminence in all things;—for example, the Captain of the Scots
Guards, so called to this day, (1556,) is always designed the first
Captain of His Majesty's Guards. He begins to attend the first day of
the year, and, when others are on duty, he may take the first rank, and
officiate accordingly. When the king is anointed, the Captain of the
Scots Guards stands by him, and when the ceremony is over, he takes his
robes as his due. When the keys of any town or fortress were presented
to his Majesty, he returned them that minute to the Captain of the Scots
Guards. Twenty-five of this guard wear always, in testimony of unspotted
fidelity, white coats, overlaid with silver lace, and six of them in
their turns stand next to the Royal Person at all times, and all
seasons,—in the church, at the reception of ambassadors, in the courts
of justice, and generally on all public and solemn occasions whatever.
It is the privilege of twenty-five of these gentlemen to carry the
corpse of the French kings from Paris to their burial-place at St
Dennis. In a word, that guard has ever been in possession of all the
honour and confidence the King of France can bestow upon his nearest and
dearest friends. "
The above was written by a French author,
consequently there can be no doubt either of its authenticity or
impartiality.
The recollection of this friendly alliance is not
lost in France, particularly in the southern provinces, where ancient
manners and feelings have been less changed by the Revolution. The
appearance of the Highland regiments revived these recollections, and
when travelling through Gascony, Languedoc, and Provence, in 1814, I
generally found the mention of my name met with a desire to know if I
was descended of the Royal Family of Scotland, accompanied by a number
of observations on the friendly connexion which had so long subsisted
between France and Scotland, and with more knowledge of circumstances
and more of anecdotes on the part of the people, than could have been
expected; concluding always with an expression of regret on account of
the interruption of the ancient intimacy and long-continued friendship
and alliance.]
as it was called in the days of Robert the First of
the Stewarts, nearly five hundred years ago, was so well preserved,
that, in the year 1629, when English officers travelled through France,
they "found it very convenient to call themselves Scotch instead of
English ; for nothing was so much caressed as the Scotch-and a man had
no more to do in France, if he would be well received there, than to say
he was a Scotchman. " [Memoirs of an English Cavalier.—It may perhaps be
proper to mention, that this English Cavalier was a fictitious person.
The real author was Daniel De Foe; and although he was not
present at what he describes, his authority is no more to be doubted
than that of other historians, who relate what they never saw.] In the
North of Europe the case was nearly the same. The Highlanders had their
share of the beneficial consequences of this friendly feeling. After the
year 1624, and early in the Thirty Years' War, Lord Reay, the Laird of
Fowlis, and other gentlemen of the Highlands, passed over to Germany
with 3000 followers, of whom one regiment of 1000 men-consisted of Lord
Reay's own immediate clansmen. [An eve-witness of the conduct, and a
sharer in the campaigns of this regiment, speaks in the following terms:
"And thus exercised they were, that their enemies in all rencounters
could not but duly praise them, calling them the invincible old
regiment, which always rencountered with them on all occasions, so that
Mackay's name was most frequent through the glorious fame of their
never-dying fame and regiment, never wronged by fortune in their fame,
though divers times by their enemies' valour they sustained great loss ;
but would to God they had always met man to man, or that our army
consisted of such men, and such officers, of which I was the most
unworthiest!"—Colonel Munro's Expedition. London, printed 1641.] These
served in Count Mansfeldt's army, and were so frequently opposed to the
enemy, that, in two years, more than half their number had fallen in
battle. Reinforced, however, to their original strength, they joined the
army of Gustavus Adolphus in 1629. "They were his right hand in battle,
brought forward in all dangerous enterprises; and they may, like
himself, be said to have fallen in the field, and to have been buried
with the honours of war." [Jackson's Characteristics of the Highland
Soldiers.] In confirmation of these allegations, the author of the
Military History of Gustavus Adolphus gives several instances. At the
battle of Leipzig, on the 7th September 1631, between the Swedes, under
Gustavus, and the Imperialists, commanded by the celebrated General
Count Tilly, when the battle had continued for some time, the Saxon
troops, auxiliaries of the Swedes, had been driven from the field, and
other corps much pressed; "in short, all that wing was shattered, and in
an ill condition. At this juncture came the King, and, having seen what
havock the enemy had made of Cullenbach's troops, he came riding along
the front of our three brigades, and himself led us on to the charge;
when the Scots advanced, seconded by some regiments of horse, which the
King had also sent to the charge, the bloodiest fight began that ever
man beheld; for the Scots brigade, giving fire, three
ranks at a time, over one another's heads, poured in their shot so
thick, that the enemy were cut down like grass before a scythe; and,
following into the thickest of their foot, made a most dreadful
slaughter, and yet there was no flying. Tilly's men might be killed, but
no man turned his back, nor would give an inch of ground, but as they
were wheeled, or marched, or retreated, by their officers; and, though
they knew all was lost, would take no quarter, but fought it out to the
last; the men being found dead, next day, in rank and file as they were
drawn up." [Memoirs of an English Cavalier.] There
is honour in overcoming an enemy, but it must be enhanced, beyond all
comparison, when the victory is gained over such a steel-hearted enemy
as these brave Germans. The same author states, that, "when the King was
before the strong castle of Marienburgh, which was thought impregnable,
the enemy, defying the Swedes to do their worst, it was well provided
with all things necessary, and a strong garrison in it. The castle stood
on a high rock, and on the steep of the rock was a bastion, which
defended the only passage up the hill into the castle. The Scots were
chosen to make this attack, and the King was an eye-witness of their
gallantry. I observed that most of the Scots officers, who were not
called upon this duty, prepared to serve as volunteers, for the honour
of their country. I was determined to see this piece of service, and
join myself to the volunteers. It was a piece of service that seemed
perfectly desperate,— the advantage of the hill,—the precipice we were
to mount,— the height of the bastion,—the resolute courage and number of
the garrison, who, from a complete covert, made a terrible fire upon
us,—all joined to make the action hopeless ; but the fury of the Scots
was not to be abated by any difficulties. They mounted the hill, scaled
the works like madmen, running upon the enemy's pikes; and, after two
hours' desperate fight, took it by storm, and put all the garrison to
the sword. The volunteer officers also had their share, and of the loss
too. Fourteen officers were killed out of thirty, and almost all were
wounded. The King received us as we drew off at the bottom of the hill,
calling the soldiers his brave Scots, and commending the officers by
name." [Memoirs of an English Cavalier.]
By repetition of such services as these, the King
quickly diminished the number of "his brave Scots;" and, at the battle
of Lutzen, on the 16th of November 1633, where this great and true
soldier, "the saviour of Germany, the soul of the war," was killed, the
brigade was reduced to a perfect skeleton, nine-tenths of the men having
preceded or accompanied the King in his honourable death. The
destruction of the Mackays in particular was accelerated by a separate
piece of service, the storming of New Brandenburg. On this occasion,
although successful, "half of Lord Reay's regiment was here cut to
pieces, almost without a single exception." Such, immediately before and
after the year 1630, was the military service of the clan Mackay. To be
the favourite troops of such a consummate judge of military merit as
Gustavus Adolphus, and in an army composed of veteran troops, who had
fought and gained so many battles,—to maintain a character of such
pre-eminence as to be employed on occasions of the greatest difficulty,
was certainly an honourable distinction.
[In 1629, Colonel Munro
of Fowlis raised 700 men on his own and the neighbouring estates, as a
reinforcement to those sent to Germany in 1626. They embarked at
Cromarty, but meeting with very bad weather, were shipwrecked near
Rugenwall, between Staten and Dantzic. All their stores and arms were
lost, with the exception of their swords, and a few muskets which were
thrown into one of the boats. No ammunition was saved. In this state,
Colonel Munro determined to attempt Rugenwall by assault, although
defended by a strong garrison of Imperialists. The enemy had troops
quartered all round the country; therefore no time was to be lost. He
pushed forward after it was dark, scaled the walls at midnight, and,
entering the place sword in hand, killed all that resisted, and made the
rest prisoners. He immediately supplied his men with arms and ammunition
from the garrison stores, in which was included an ample stock of
provisions. He fortified and obstructed all the passages into the place,
and maintained this post for nine weeks, repulsing
every attempt to retake it, till he was
relieved by a Scotch regiment under Colonel Hepburn, and a body of
Swedish troops. Although this instance of courage and military talent is
foreign to the service of the Reay Fencibles, it is given here as an
example to the countrymen and descendants of those men, and as an
incentive to maintain the honour of their hereditary name. Such a
stimulus as this would have been more appropriate to, and effective on,
the Highlanders of other times, than of the present, seeing that in
those districts where Colonel Munro raised his men, examples of heroism
and loyalty are unnecessary, as few of the descendants of these brave
men are left to benefit by them.]
This being the character of the Mackays of the
seventeenth century, it is to be regretted that their descendants, of
the eighteenth, had not a more enlarged field than the limited service
of a Fencible regiment, to show how far the character of their ancestors
had descended with their blood.
At the commencement of the late war with France, the
then Lord Reay being incapable, through mental weakness, of managing his
own affairs, and Government wishing to form a regiment from those
districts which had formerly sent forth so many brave soldiers, directed
that a Fencible corps should be raised in "Lord Reay's country," (as
that district is called), and gave instructions to select as officers a
few respectable gentlemen of this clan, whose influence might, in the
absence of their Chief, be effectual, and whom, it was supposed, the men
would readily follow. For this purpose no man was better qualified, by
respectability of character and personal influence, than the late George
Mac-kay of Bighouse, who was appointed lieutenant-colonel; and Mackay
Hugh Baillie of Rosehall, colonel.
The expectations formed of the dispositions of the
people were quickly realized, and a few weeks only were necessary for
assembling 800 Highlanders, of whom more than 700 men had the word
Mac prefixed to their names. But these men had a better claim to
notice than their names. They were brave, moral, and humane. Happily the
opportunities they had of evincing their courage and humanity were few,
but sufficient to show what might have been expected from • a severer
trial. Their moral conduct was coexistent with their military career,
and, as it was excellent at the beginning, so it continued praiseworthy
to the last.
The regiment was inspected by Sir Hector Munro,
embodied at Fort George in March 1795, and immediately removed to
Ireland, where it remained till the end of the war. During the
Rebellion, this corps acquired the confidence of the Generals
commanding, in a very remarkable manner; and, as Gustavus Adolphus
employed Lord Reay's regiment in all dangerous enterprises, so did
Generals Lake and Nugent place a firm dependence on the service of the
Reay Fencibles. General Lake had always his own guard formed of these
men, to whom he became so much attached, that he seldom passed any guard
or post when they were on duty, without alighting from his horse, going
among them, and holding conversation with them. At the defeat of
Cas-tlebar he frequently exclaimed, "If I had my brave and honest Reays
here, this would not have happened." The unfortunate service in which
they were engaged affordedl little opportunity of showing their
firmness. At Tarra Hill, on the 26th of May 1798, three companies of the
Reays, under a spirited and judicious veteran, Captain Hector Maclean,
who had served nearly thirty years in the 42d regiment, supported by two
troops of Lord Fingal's and the Tower Hill Yeomanry, drove back and
scattered a body of rebels who were "in great force on this strong and
elevated position." But it was not in driving back an unfortunate and
misguided multitude that General Lake, and other officers of judgment,
formed their opinion of this corps; it was on their uniform,
well-regulated, and well-principled conduct.
I have already stated, that in every case where I
have had occasion to state facts and circumstances, from the necessity
of abridgment I have seldom given more than one or two of a great number
of instances. On the present occasion, I shall mention only one of the
many traits of character which impressed the commanders of that time in
Ireland with a favourable opinion of these men. When quartered in
Belfast, a regiment of militia, 1100 strong, were in the same barracks.
Several soldiers of this corps had been tried and executed as united
Irishmen, and strong suspicions were entertained of the whole regiment.
The Reay Fencibles had the duty of the main guard on the night previous
to the execution. A report had gone abroad that the militia regiment was
to rush out at midnight, overpower and murder the guard, which was under
the command of Captain Maclean, and set their condemned comrades at
liberty. At 10 o'clock that night, a party of the Reays, sufficient to
fill the guardhouse, slipped silently out of their barracks, with their
arms under their plaids, and sat up with the guard, while those who
remained in the barracks put out all lights, and continued in arms on
the watch till day-light, ready to start out on the smallest alarm. All
this was done without any order or hint from their officers, and with
such prudent caution, that the circumstance was not known to the other
corps, and no ill will or jealousy existed, in consequence, between the
soldiers of either regiment. But this was not always the case, for a
dispute which took place between them and another militia regiment,
might have ended very seriously, had it not been checked by the prompt
interference of Generals Lake and Mackay Baillie. But here, instead of
taking their arms, as on the occasion just mentioned, they laid them
aside, and supplied themselves with sticks and cudgels. Notwithstanding
this instance of improper feeling, and bad blood between this and one of
the Native corps, with the people they were so conciliating, and on such
a friendly footing, that it was remarked in those parts of the country
where they were cantoned, that "the inhabitants were quiet, apparently
less disaffected, and more regular in their habits," than elsewhere.
Thus, while their manners and habits were such as to render the exertion
of strict military discipline unnecessary, so far as regarded any
coercive measure, other traits of character attracted particular notice.
For instance, a practice prevailed, as in other corps of the same
country and character, of remitting to their relations at home sums of
money, small in themselves, but large in proportion to the means of
supply, from the savings of a soldier's daily subsistence, (at that
period only sixpence per day.) But, while these soldiers indulged their
naturally affectionate disposition in assisting their relatives by acts
of liberality, they retained enough of money to enable them to pursue
their social amusements; and it was a frequent practice to subscribe
among themselves, and give dances to their acquaintances, not only in
the barracks, but frequently in public rooms and places allotted for the
purpose, which they hired. On these occasions the officers attended, as
also many respectable inhabitants of the different towns in which they
were at the time quartered, attracted by curiosity, and a feeling of
satisfaction from seeing men conduct themselves in such a manner as to
reflect credit on the profession to which they belonged. Among these men
crimes which require severe punishments had no existence. "Indeed, the
men would have considered it a banishment for ever from their native
country, where they could not show themselves in day-light, if degraded
by disgraceful punishments." Several men however deserted, and several
received corporal punishment, during the seven years the regiment was
stationed in Ireland, but these were individuals not originally enlisted
in the corps; they were a party by themselves, and the "standard and
original men of the regiment would not associate with them." Perhaps
many military men will be of opinion, that in such cases the addition of
numbers is attained at the expense of too great a sacrifice, and that,
whether a regiment be one hundred men, more or less, is an object of
secondary importance, compared with the disgrace which even a few bad
men bring on a corps, and the baneful influence of their example. Six or
eight men, by their crimes, tarnished the good name, and brought a slur
on the character of this most respectable regiment. Was the value of
their service equal to the sacrifice?
It is said, that men of bad character will fight as
well as men of good; but will their courage be uniform and steady? Will
it not fail perhaps in the day of the greatest need; or will a man of
dissolute and depraved habits be able to withstand continued fatigue?
Or, can a man, without the fear of God, and without religion, be
intrusted with a duty beyond the observation and unremitting control of
superiors?
[On this subject I have
had much personal experience while serving with, and commanding, men of
the best character in the 42d and 78th regiments; and in the Royal West
India Rangers, where I had charge of men who exhibited a perfect
contrast to the well regulated habits of the ether corps. The difference
in the principles which guided the men of these regiments was striking,
and afforded many remarkable traits of character, a detail of which
might be both interesting and instructive., Three-fourths of the Rangers
were men of reprobate habits, who had served in other regiments, and
whom it was impossible to reclaim; they were in consequence sent to the
West Indies, and banished there as incurables, or to avoid severer
punishments.
I intended to have put together some notices on this
interesting subject, (for no subject can be more interesting than
comparing the conduct of men in a primitive unadulterated state, with
that of men debased and void of principle,) and also on the different
modes of discipline I found necessary to adopt in carrying on military
duty with men of such opposite characters; but I gave up the idea, for
the same reason that made me suppress many anecdotes and incidents which
occurred in the course of my military duties, because I was myself often
a party concerned, and unwilling to introduce my name, I found that, by
stating facts in the third person, much of the stamp of authenticity was
lost.
]
It has been said by very able officers, that if they
had men, they would soon model them to good soldiers, supposing the
machine to be fit for work; or, in other words, the physical
constitution and capability to be equal to the necessary duties.
Certainly the discipline of zealous judicious officers has done much;
but while men of proper habits and good feelings can be recruited in the
Highlands, let not the character and goad name of 800 or 1000 men be
injured by the misconduct of a few strangers, as in the case of the
Reays; who, but for such an intrusion, would have had the satisfaction
of returning to their native glens without a man of their number having
been disgraced. But, as it was, those degraded men were not of their
country or of their kindred.
The Reay Fencibles were removed to Scotland, and
reduced in 1802.
