Although seperately numbered this was effectively a single corps of two batallions. It began modestly enough with the appointment of Robert Murray Keith to be "major commandant of a corps of highlanders to be forthwith formed" on the 20th August 1759. According to Keith the nucleus of the corps was a draft of 300 supernumaries of the 42nd then lying at Newcastle. Formed into three companies under Captain Archibald Campbell, Captain Alexander Mclean and Captain-lieutenant James Fraser they were shipped over to Emden as the Highland Volunteers in November, joining the Allied army at Krondorf about the 14th. T'heir first real action was at Eibelshausen on the 5th January 1760 when, part of a mixed force led by Colonel Luckner, they surprised de Beauffremonte's Dragoons in their quarters, capturing eighty men and 120 horses.

The Highland Volunteers had four killed and seven wounded in this encounter and according to Stewart of Garth, who refers to the village as "Eybach" and rather inflates their success, Ferdinand of Brunswick was so impressed by their spirited behaviour that he at once requested that more highlanders should be sent out to Germany. In actual fact, Ferdinand had been pressing for re-inforcements for some time which was probably why Keith had been sent over with only three companies in November. Indeed on the 1st January 1760 John Campbell of Dunoon was appointed major of a highland corps and took over at least two of the companies then being raised for Keith's battalion. It is probably at this point that the two battalions were formally entitled the 87th and 88th Foot.

At any rate the two battalions must have been substantially up to their establishment by May for Keith was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on the 10th. In April though five of his eight companies had still been in Scotland. A return of the regiment for the loth April shows that two of the companies led by the Hon. William Boyd and Captain John Murray were raising in Aberdeenshire, Captain John Gunn's company was in Caithness and the two others under Finlay Farquharson and John Gorry were in Glasgow and Ross-shire.

As for the 88th, Stewart of Garth states that a company raised on Skye was assigned to Captain Fotheringham of Powrie and that a number of officers including Major Archibald McNab were nominated for commissions through the interest of the Earl of Breadalbane. Garth is indeed at some pains to emphasise that the Highland Volunteers were raised only within the shires of Argyll, Perth, Inverness, Ross and Sutherland. 11is may perhaps have been the case with the 88th but at least a quarter of the 87th was raised in the lowlands of Aberdeenhire and others (no doubt including some highlanders) were enlisted in Glasgow. They were by no means unique in this. Montgomerie's (77th) Highlanders also had recruits drawn from Aberdeenshire, Glasgow and even Edinburgh, Frasees (78th) appear to have substantially raised in Inverness-shire but at least one company may have come from Aberdeenshire while Morris's (89th) was raised in Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.

The 97th were ordered to concentrate at Aberdeen and the official inspection report is of some interest:

"Non Commissioned Officers - In appearance fit for service, young and tall. Men - Front ranks mostly young and good men. The centre and rear ranks in general very good - some few old men and boys not fit to be objected at this time when men are very difficult to get"

To Germany

From Aberdeen they were marched to Burntisland in Fife and there embarked for Germany on the 9th May, 154 men and 18 horses on the Desire and 183 men on the Charming Polly.

By July 1760 both battalions were in Germany; up to their authorised establishment of eight companies apiece and brigaded with two provisional grenadier battalions (Dalhautt's and Maxwell's) under the overall command of Colonel John Beckwith. A company of the 87th was captured in Viesebeck, on the night of the 24th/25th but both battalions fought at Warburg on the 31st in the Erbprinz's column. It is unlikely though that they were heavily engaged, most of the casualties were incurred by Maxwell's grenadiers and the highlanders had only Lieutenant William Ogilvie of the 87th and two rank and file were returned as wounded. On the 5th September 150 highlanders took part in a successful raid on a French outpost at Zierenberg. They would appear to have led the assault for they accounted for three out of the four Allied dead and six of the nine wounded.

The Highland Volunteers were next engaged at Kloster Camp early on the morning of the 16th October 1760. Major John Pollock of the 87th was sent with a party comprising 150 highlanders to seize the convent, held by the Chasseurs de Fischer while the remainder were attached to the advance guard under Elliot. Unfortunately Pollock was killed while grappling with a sentry and although Fischees men were quickly routed the highlanders were badly knocked about.

The hand to hand fighting around the convent must have been vicious for according to Stewart of Garth the two battalions lost 37 rank and file and four sergeants killed, but only 10 wounded. Besides Major Pollock, Lieutenants William Ogilvie of the 87th and Alexander McLeod of the 88th were killed, while Captain Archibald Campbell, Lieutenants Walter Barland, Angus Mackintosh and Gordon Clunes of the 87th and Lieutenant Archibald Stewart of the 88th were wounded. Savory however evidences 77 casualties exclusive of those killed and wounded with Pollock. It may be therefore that the 51 claimed by Garth belonged to Pollock's detachment alone. Captain Campbell cannot have been too badly hurt however for he was gazetted Major vice Pollock on the 20th December.

For some time after Kloster Camp the highlanders were engaged in petit guerre operations. On the evening of the 15th July 1761 they were heavily engaged at Vellinghausen. Initially driven back, they recovered, counter-attacked and stabilised their position until morning.

Next day they and the rest of Granby's infantry were ordered forward when another French assault fell into confusion and the Highland Volunteers succeeded in cutting off and capturing the Regiment de Rouge. In so doing though they suffered fairly heavy losses, most of them as usual failing upon the 87th; Major Archibald Campbell, Lieutenant James Grant, Lieutenant Angus Mackintosh and Lieutenant William Ross together with a sergeant and 31 men were killed. As for the wounded they included Major Archibald McNab and Lieutenant Patrick Campbell of the 88th, Captain James Fraser and Lieutenant Archibald McArthur of the 87th, two sergeants and 70 Men.

Lieutenant MacArthur, a veteran of the Dutch service, probably did not return to the regiment for he received a Captaincy in the 105th Highlanders in October. Major Campbell was succeeded by Captain Alexander Mclean of the 88th.

At Wilhelmstal on the 24th June 1762 the Highland Volunteers were involved in Granbys attack, the 87th having 9 killed, 10 wounded and 15 missing while the 88th as usual escaped more lightly with 5 dead, 10 wounded and 12 missing. According to Garth one of the dead was a sergeant but no officers were among the casualties. Ile final action of the war was the firefight at the Brucke-Muhle in which the 87th has 33 killed and wounded and the 88th 53. Only one officer, Major Alexander Mclean - who had transferred back into the 88th - was killed, while the wounded included Captain Patrick Campbell of the 88th and Lieutenant Barland of the 87th.

Marched home by way of Holland the 87th were disbanded at Perth and the 88th at Linlithgow in 1763.

It is clear from the Succession Books that a considerable amount of cross-posting took place between the two battalions, which together with the fact that they had a common origin would also suggest that the Highland Volunteers had a common uniform.

Uniforms

Lawson, perhaps unwisely relying on the Schmidhammer prints gives them yellow or buff facings but in fact portraits of two officers of the 87th show green facings.

The more important of the two paintings depicts Captain John Gorry. His short red cost has the usual french cuffs and 2 square-cut turn down collar. Although there are no lapels on the cost it is decorated on both sides with large gold lace loops at the buttons and buttonholes. Most unusually the loops are alternately round ended and bastion shaped. Presumably the rank and file had similar loops of white worsted tape. The buttons of course bore no number at this date but are instead decorated by a star-burst device. Captain Gorry's waistcoat is cream-Coloured but probably conforms more closely to prevailing military fashion rather than the regulations and the rank and role will have had the usual red ones.

Little can be seen of Gorry's plaid which appears to be made up of various shades of green, no blues or blacks are visible and it is certainly not as dark as the government or Black Watch sett.

The second portrait, of Lieutenant Colonel Keith, was painted about ten years later, after the regiment had been disbanded but nevertheless shows much the same uniform. The loops of gold lace on the front however are replaced by plain green lapels edged with gold lace. These lapels have been taken as evidence that Keith had a complete new uniform made up in contemporary style for the portrait (he certainly had his plaid sent out to him in Vienna where he was then the British ambassador) but in fact it would seem more likely that lapels were worn by field officers in highland regiments. Certainly the Earl of Loudon, depicted as Colonel of the 64th Highlanders has lapels as does Lieutenant Colonel William Gordon of the 105th.

Weapons and equipment will have been the same as that carried in America, viz; government issue broadsword, a 42" barrel carbine with wooden ramrod, bayonet, pistol and a cartouche box worn on the waistbelt. Officers of course bought their own swords, Keith has a Stirling hilted one which looks as though it might have been made by Walter Allan, while Gorry has one of the "military" pattern popular with highland officers.

SOURCES

This article is based primarily upon J.M. Bulloch's chapter on the regiment in TERRITORIAL SOLDIERING IN NORTH-RAST SCOTLAND 1759-1814 published by the Spalding Club.

Additional information, chiefly as to casualties are taken from the relevant chapter in Stewart of Garth's SKETCHES OF THE HIGHLANDERS OF SCOTLAND. Garth however is frequently inaccurate as to dates and other details and ought to be used with caution.

The regimenes career is largely based upon references in Savory's excellent HIS BRITTANIC MAJESTY'S ARMY IN GERMANY DURING THE SEVEN YEARS WAR

Details of the regiment's uniform are taken from a discussion (accompanied by a reproduction) of the portrait of captain John Gorry in JSAHR Vol. 40 (1962) pp85