In this installment I
want to discuss one of the biggest reenactor urban legends regarding F&I Highland troops, that is that Highlanders
never used knapsacks! Nothing could be further from the truth, but
somehow, somewhere back in the 1980's someone came up with the idea that all of
the normal requisite gear and equipment that every other British soldier
carried, somehow that Highlanders carried this in the back pocket of their
plaid. Now never mind that carrying all
that equipment in that manner would not be secure, but also would rip the
connection between plaid and coat, it is simply an unsupportable idea. Something that is almost as interesting to me
as historical research is the “Anthropology of Reenacting” where I try and
figure out how we as a hobby made certain choices, especially wrong ones so as
to craft better arguments as to why we should change. In that vein I think the no knapsacks idea
comes from 2 places. The first being
that in the 42nd Orderly Book extract, there is no talk of
knapsacks, only tumplines, and then the following quote from a Revolutionary
War OB from the 84th Regiment.
"Some men in the Battalion have been observed carrying provisions
and other baggage in their plaids. This un-soldier like practice is positively
forbidden." Halifax, November 13th, 1777, Murdock MacLaine's Papers.
So with these two bits
of information, the no knapsacks idea perhaps sprang?
We have military
logistics documents showing knapsacks were issued to both battalions of the
42nd and the 78th, and we have other official military documents showing that
members of the 77th lost knapsacks at Bushy Run. Then we even have a soldiers memoir where he
speaks of seeing a fellow member of the 78th wearing a knapsack. Ample proof of Knapsacks being used here in
the F&I period.
But first, let’s look at what a soldier was expected to carry. This comes from a list of the equipment carried by members of the 60th Grenadiers while on campaign here in North America. Compiled by LT Baillie, it is most often simply referred to as Baillie's List.
But first, let’s look at what a soldier was expected to carry. This comes from a list of the equipment carried by members of the 60th Grenadiers while on campaign here in North America. Compiled by LT Baillie, it is most often simply referred to as Baillie's List.
A knapsack with strap
and buckle Containing:
2 shirts, 2 stocks, 2
pairs of stockings
A pair summer breeches
A pair shoes
A clothes brush, pair
shoe brushes, blackball
A pair leggings &
garters, a handkerchief
2 combs, a knife &
spoon
This document can be
found in the Bouquet Papers: Lieutenant
Alexander Baillie to Colonel Henry Bouquet, 28 August 1762, Bouquet Papers,
series 21648, part 2, 77-78.
The Regiments
knapsacks:
42nd
Regiment
An
Account book of COL Murray, Commander of the Royal Highland Regiment, found in
the Murray Papers, Bagshawe Muniments, John Ryland's Library, University of
Manchester;NRA 10462 Bagshawe we have a
list of equipment issued to the Highland Regiment in 1756 on the eve of their
departure to North America. That list
includes an entry for 1060 knapsacks.
A
second account, that being the 1758 Quartermaster Record Book of CPT Stewart (Record
of Issues of Clothing by Quartermaster Adam Stewart, Account of Clothing, BWRA
0253.) of the newly raised 2d Battalion has 700 knapsacks being delivered for
issue to the newly raised unit. NB: The 42nd had in 1757 received authorization
to raise 3 Additional companies, these companies became the basis for the 2d
Battalion. That is why it would appear
that the 2d Battalion was 300+ knapsacks short compared to the 1st Battalion.
From
1762 this document, part of a number of loose papers from CPT Stewart, that did
not end up in the Black Watch Regimental museum, but rather in another
collection on the other side of Perth, that being Blair Castle, we have
this: NRA 11000 Stewart-Murray Account
of the Particulars sold belonging to the Deceased William Tait, Drummer RH
Regt, 19 May 1762:
Fhilebeag
2 pair shoes
4 pair hose
Silk vest
One Shirt
One Knapsack
It should be noted here
that knapsacks, paid for by off reckonings were considered the personal
property of the soldiers and would leave the service with them, or be sold in a
Vendu after their death.
One last document relating to this issue is the request for reimbursement for lost equipment at Bushy Run, which Maj Allan Campbell submitted, and COL Bouquet endorsed, listed 59 knapsacks lost by the 42nd.
I’m purposely not addressing the use of tumplines by the 42nd. That will be for a later installment.
One last document relating to this issue is the request for reimbursement for lost equipment at Bushy Run, which Maj Allan Campbell submitted, and COL Bouquet endorsed, listed 59 knapsacks lost by the 42nd.
I’m purposely not addressing the use of tumplines by the 42nd. That will be for a later installment.
77th
Regiment
Surviving documentation
for both clothing and equipment for the Montgomery’s Regiment is scanty, but we do have Captain Robert Grant’s 12 Aug
1763 request for reimbursement for equipment the77th lost at Bushy Run, which
lists The following:
12 Sergeants Plaids, 23
Privates Plaids, 100 shirts, 47 pairs of shoes, 93 pair of hose, 21 stocks, 8
rollers, 8 jackets, 23 Knapsacks, 17 Haversacks, 8 Camp kettles, 23 tumplines,
1 bonnet, 3 pair of leggings, 6 wooden kegs, 1 shoulder belt and 1 kilt
belt.
78th
Regiment
Regarding the 78th Jeff
Campbell has been going thru the surviving documents in the Clephane papers and
has posted many of the pages of this Company level account book showing
knapsacks as being issued the 78th prior to departing Scotland. Check out Jeff’s blog entry at:
http://frasers78th.blogspot.com/2017/07/accoutrements-worn-by-78th-regiment-of.html
In some cases soldiers were issued 2 knapsacks. This might be because as the 78th was marching to their departure point, a barn that many of them were lodged in caught fire and possibly some members lost their possessions. This incident was related by Vol Sgt Thompson of the 78th, as seen in “A Bard of Wolfe’s Army” Another bit of documentation from that same source relates to a dismissed drummer from the 78th walking away from the regiment with a knapsack on his back.
In some cases soldiers were issued 2 knapsacks. This might be because as the 78th was marching to their departure point, a barn that many of them were lodged in caught fire and possibly some members lost their possessions. This incident was related by Vol Sgt Thompson of the 78th, as seen in “A Bard of Wolfe’s Army” Another bit of documentation from that same source relates to a dismissed drummer from the 78th walking away from the regiment with a knapsack on his back.
“The Poor devil, with his knapsack, went away
on his business!” Thompson, J.,
McCulloch, I. M., Chapman, E. J., David M. Stewart Museum., & 78th Fraser
Highlanders. (2010). A bard of Wolfe's army: James Thompson, gentleman
volunteer, 1733-1830. Montreal: R. Brass Studio.
With all this
information, we can say without a doubt that the Highland Regiments used
knapsacks. Of course the next question
is what did they look like. For that I
direct you to the following links:
Thanks for reading.
