In a message dated 18/05/00 2:55:48 PM Central Daylight Time, vanderven@stsi.net writes: << Hi Dave, Thank you for responding to my inquiry so quickly. Much of my information (i.e., the Scots Guards from Inverness) has been collected from various genealogical sites on the internet, so there is definitely a margin for error! One such site states they have "researched the Scot military units who fought for the Royalists at both Dunbar (1650) and Worcester (1661) and found that only one Scot unit was in bith: The Scots Guards (The Foote Regiment), and this unit was from Inverness-Shire." One of the differences of the armed forces in Europe and those of the New World is that ours have hundreds of more years to screw up the system and loose documents in triplicate. Names of regiments have changed all through history as they were imalgimated, reduced, regrouped etc. Since WW II the Highland division has lost many of it's regiments for cost cutting reasons etc. Royal is a title often added to a British, or Scootish Regiment as an honour or by who raised the regiment. Below I have listed some of the web pages. Please note that I am not saying your particular regiment, existed or did not under this name. What I am saying is it is a very interesting search topic. <A HREF="http://www.du.edu/~tomills/military/uk/bargxref.htm">British Army Index of Regimental Web Sites</A> <A HREF="http://regiments.org/milhist/uk/uk.htm#pro">United Kingdom (British Empire & Commonwealth Land Forces)</A> <A HREF="http://www-saw.arts.ed.ac.uk/">The Scots at War Title Page</A> <A HREF="http://regiments.org/milhist/">Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth</A> <A HREF="http://regiments.org/_vti_bin/shtml.dll/milhist/search.htm">Land Forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth: Search</A> <A HREF="http://regiments.org/milhist/uk/bargxref.htm">list of regimental web sites</A> <A HREF="http://www.army.mod.uk/army/organise/infan/highland/main.htm">The Highlanders - Home page</A> I have read the Scots Guards (a variant of the Star of the Order of the Garter?) were formed in 1642 and intended by the King to be his Royal Guard (referred to as the Raising of Argyll's Regiment, when King Charles I commissioned Archibald, marquis of Argyll, to command and send a regiment to Ireland). in 1649 they merged with other regiments to form the "Irish Companies". In 1650 they were renamed the "Lyfe Guard of Foot". They ceased to exist in 1651 after the Battle of Worcester, but were reraised in 1662 after the Restoration of Charles II and formed into the Scottish Regiment of Foot Guards. <A HREF="http://www.virtual-pc.com/journal/royal1st.htm">Royal Scots</A> http://www.virtual-pc.com/journal/royal1st.htm BINGO here is the history of the Royal Scots from 1633 onward. I am so happy to appologise for my lack of knowledge. You were absolutely right in naming the OLDEST Scottish regiment,and here is their web page. They also had a French name. Well Argyle was definitely in the Inverness area, Clan Campbell Archibald and the house of Argyll was an enemy of King Charles I, while his neighbor, The King's loyal servant, James Graham, marquis of Montrose, who was a brilliant "Captain-Genral, fought for King Charles I. (Montrose is also in the area of Inverness.) **By the way just as a trivial matter these were the two Characters played in the movie Rob Roy.** Montrose sped his army north to the Highlands to quell the rebellion and opposition to Charles by Argyle. (Note that Argyle and his line had always had a close association to the House of Stewart and the King as well as his father.) Montrose had in fact signed the National Covenant and the copy bearing his signature is displayed to this day in the Free Church College in Edinburgh. (Are you getting mixed up enough yet?) But when it there came a chance of advancement fighting for the King he (Montrose), broke the faith. Montrose raised a force of Highlanders, Irish, assorted mercenaries and vicious freebooters and by 1644 he was the Kings defender against the Covenanters. Montrose was a brilliant General and his grasp of the situation was quite realistic. He realized that for King Charles to regain control the Campbell's must be driven from their land. So in 1645 he took his force and laid the country to waste. They then began to proceed up the Great Glen to sack Inverness. (Remember the Great Glen was also the sight of Glencoe and the MacDonald massacre.) Montrose and his Royalist force of about 1,500 reached Kilcumin, now called Ft. Augustus, (NOTE NAME CHANGE TO THOSE RESEARCHING FORT AUSTUSTUS AROUND 1600 to 1700) they were advised that The Marquise of Argyll himself was after them with a force of lowland recruits and about 3,000 very angry Campbell's. ( See the song <A HREF="http://www.electricscotland.com/music/campbell.htm">Th e Campbells Are Coming</A> http://www.electricscotland.com/music/campbell.htm ) Montrose marched to Strathherrick where they were advised by Old Lochiel, Chief of the Cameron Clan that Argyll and his men were at Inverlochy. (Tradition sates that the messages were brought by Iain Lom MacDonald a very well known and celebrated Gaelic Bard) Lochiel, a very old man at the time, was a Royal sympathizer, but he had to watch his step because his wife was a Campbell and his Grandson Ewen, his heir had been sent to Argyll for his education. ( Ah ha the plot thickens) Montrose turned in what has been called "one of the most auditious feats in the history of British arms," in a forced march that would sap even the most hardened troops of the time, or for that matter today, through rain and hail they marched down the Great Glen over flooded rivers and streams. The Royalists left Kilcumin/Ft. Augustus, early on the morning of January 31 and reached their destination of at the mouth of Glen Nevis on the dusk of February first. The next morning they fell upon the army of Argyll, (the Covenanting forces of Cromwell under Argyll), Although a superior force who were quite well rested, they broke under the attack. Montrose wrote, " The Rebels could not stand it. But after some resistance at first began to run, whom we pursued for nine miles, altogether making a great slaughter." The Irishmen in Montrose's force were "half-savages, the Royalist Clansmen had a hereditary hate for the Campbell's. Some western clans joined Montrose less from love of the King than there hatred of the sons of Dermid. There was no quarter. What had started as a rout, soon became a bloody massacre. It is said that the Rivers Lochy and Eil were dyed crimson by the bleeding Campbell's as they plied frantically through in their flight for life. Montrose lost an estimates 24 men, the Covenanters, (Argyll), over 1,500 including their commander, Sir Duncan Campbell of Auchinbreck. Montrose's lieutenant, Sir Alexander MacDonal - Alasdair Mac Colla was Auchinbreck's own nephew. Even though related, there was no chance for the Covenanter general. He was dragged bleeding and bound before MacDonald and offer only 2 alternatives, Death by rope or Death by sword. "Da dhui gun aon roghainn" was the grim reply from Auchinbreck. "Two bad choices, one result. He was beheaded by his nephews hand. (TRIVIA) = Inverlochy while a brilliant military maneuver was probably the most shameful slaughter in Highland history, and that is saying a lot. The Marquis of Argyll himself ran and was on his galley on Loch Linnhe when battle broke out. Once defeat was eminent he gave orders to set sail. It may seem hard to understand, but he did have a moral obligation to survive, but it probably did dishearten his troops to see the ship float away. Iain Lom, when confronted by Montrose as to why he did not fight answered," If I were to die who would sing of the great victory." Charles II was crowned at Scone in 1649, the battle of Worcester fought and lost by the King and Montrose and eventually Montrose was captured after the battle of Corbisdale, where he had been betrayed and was taken to Edinburgh and executed. Argyll's tomb lies at the High Kirk of St. Giles across the nave from the bones of Montrose. If you are interested in more let me know and we can look at the men, women, and children slaughtered in the Highlands by the King for practicing other religions than Episcopalian. men were shot, burned at the stake, in front of their wives and children, women were staked to the beach until the tide would roll in and slowly drown them. Knees were broken with chains and hands with thumb screws and other tortures. "What a friend we have in Jesus," was not a song often heard in the Highlands. Well, now you have proof that the armies on both sides of the conflict were recruited in and around the Inverness area, If they fought with Argyll then they were with and not against Cromwell, and if they fought with Montrose then they were with the King. Montrose finally lost at the battle at Corbisdale. By the way, King Charles was still to this day the only King to this very day to have a Gaelic Poet Laureate, Iain Lom of Keppoch. The MacGowen's were, I believe, a Sept of the McPhearson Clann in Inverness which had received lands in Strathdearn, but I have been unable to find any trace of land during that time belonging to the MacGowen's. I have read that the promise of land was used by the King as an incentive for loyalty - have you heard this also? Yes, it was and there is still to this day "Crown Land" available in many of the old colonies such as Canada. This practice was also used to populate many areas of the New World. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the American Colonies, etc., many soldiers who served in America were given land grants of "Crown Land," considering all the land was owned by the crown they had a lot to give away. How does this compare with information you have? You are (obviously!) very knowledgeable on this subject, so I would appreciate any corrections to the information I have collected. Thank you for the compliment, but I assure you it is most undeserved I have a minimal knowledge, little more than the average school boy. I am sure Mark and others on the list have a much greater knowledge of the era and the issues. Thank you, again! Joy dave M. ----------------------- Headers ------------- >>