The Highland Regiments
and the Wars with France

1789-1815

78th Ross-Shire Buffs Higlanders

by Robert A. Mosher

When war with France broke out in 1793, Francis flumberstone MacKenzie of Seaforth, lineal descendant of the old earls, offered for the third time to raise a Highland regiment on his estates in Ross-shire and the Hebrides. This offer was at last accepted and recruits poured in rapidly. On July 10, 1793 the 78th Ross-shire Highlanders were embodied at Fort George.

    September, 1793 - September, 1794 Guernsey
    February, 1794 2nd battalion authorised and embodied in June.
    July, 1794 King George III authorises the regimental title, "The Ross-shire Buffs."
    August, 1794 - April, 1795 2nd battalion in England.
    September, 1794 - April, 1795 1st battalion in Flanders.
    April, 1795 - January, 1796 1st battalion returns to England, then joins the abortive expedition to La Vendee region of France.
    April, 1795 - June, 1796 2nd battalion in South Africa.
    June, 1796 - February, 1797 lst battalion to South Africa. The two are consolidated and the excess personnel return to England. The 1st battalion is now 1,113 strong (970 Highlanders, 129 Lowlanders, and 14 English and Irish).
    February, 1797 - April, 1811 1st battalion in India: Assaye - September 23, 1803.
    December, 1804 New 2nd battalion authorised, 850 men raised.
    September, 1805 - March, 1807 2nd battalion campaigns in Sicily and southern Italy: Maids, Sicily.
    March - September, 1807 2nd battalion in Egypt.
    September, 1807 - 1808 2nd battalion in Sicily.
    Spring, 1808 - December, 1813 2nd battalion in England. 370 men join the Walcheren expedition.
    April - September, 1811 1st battalion in Java with 1,027 men (835 Highlanders, 184 Lowlanders, 8 English, and 9 Irish).
    September, 1811 1st battalion in India.
    December, 1813 2nd battalion in Holland, 400 men.

to be continued next issue

More Highland Regiments

Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 48
Back to EEL List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1980 by Jean Lochet

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com