| 91st Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1794–1881 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Great Britain (1794–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Size | One battalion (two battalions 1804–1815) |
| Motto | Ne Obliviscaris (Do not forget) |
| Engagements | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars |
The91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a Line Regiment of theBritish Army, raised in 1794. Under theChilders Reforms it amalgamated with the93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot to form theArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1881.
The regiment was raised inArgyll by GeneralDuncan Campbell of Lochnell forJohn Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll as the98th (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by theFrench Revolution, on 10 February 1794.[1] The regiment took part in theinvasion of the Cape Colony in June 1795[2][3] and witnessed the surrender of the colony by Dutch Forces in September 1795.[4] The regiment was re-ranked as the91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot in May 1796[1] before embarking for England in January 1803.[5]
A second battalion was raised inPerth in August 1804.[1] The 1st Battalion embarked as part of theHanover Expedition in December 1805 and, after service inGermany, returned to England in February 1806.[6] The battalion embarked forPortugal in June 1808 for service in thePeninsular War.[7] It took part in theBattle of Roliça in August 1808[8] and theBattle of Vimeiro later that month[9] before fighting under Lieutenant-GeneralSir John Moore at theBattle of Corunna in January 1809[10] and then taking part in the subsequent evacuation from the Peninsula.[11] The regiment lost its territorial designation being renamed the91st Regiment of Foot in April 1809.[1] The 1st Battalion then took part in the disastrousWalcheren Campaign in autumn 1809.[12]
The 1st Battalion returned to the Peninsula in September 1812[13] and saw action at theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813[14] and theBattle of Sorauren in July 1813.[15] It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at theBattle of the Nive in November 1813,[16] theBattle of Nivelle in December 1813[17] and theBattle of Orthez in February 1814[18] as well as theBattle of Toulouse in April 1814.[19]
The 1st Battalion embarked forOstend in April 1815[20] and, under the command of Lieutenant ColonelWilliam Douglas, undertook the important task of covering the road to Brussels while theBattle of Waterloo was taking place in June 1815.[21] The battalion formed part of the 6th Brigade under Major General George Johnstone which in turn formed part of the 4th Division underSir Charles Colville's.[22] The battalion also formed one of the columns that stormed the fortress town ofCambrai later that month.[23] It returned to England in November 1818.[24]
Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion embarked for Germany in July 1813[25] and took part in the unsuccessfulattack on Bergen op Zoom in March 1814[26] before returning home in September 1814.[27] It was disbanded atPerth in December 1815.[1]
The regiment regained its territorial designation being renamed the91st (or Argyllshire) Regiment of Foot in November 1820.[1] It embarked for theWest Indies in June 1821[28] and was garrisoned inJamaica before returning to England in 1831.[29] Three companies were deployed toSaint Helena in November 1835[30] and with the exception of one detachment, then sailed on toSouth Africa in June 1839.[31] The detachment that remained in Saint Helena was tasked with disinterring the body of the lateEmperor Napoleon and taking it toParis.[32]
In April 1842 the regiment formed a reserve battalion.[33] The 1st Battalion took part in various actions in the7th Xhosa War during 1846[34] and left South Africa for home in January 1848.[34] Meanwhile, the Reserve Battalion also took part in the 7th Xhosa War during 1846,[35] then saw action against theBoers at theBattle of Boomplaats in August 1848[36] and went on to fight in the8th Xhosa War during 1850.[37] The Reserve Battalion left South Africa in July 1855[38] and continued life in the form of a series of depot companies until being formally disbanded in March 1857.[39]
The 1st Battalion embarked forMalta in December 1854[40] and forGreece in February 1855[41] before travelling on to theIonian Islands in February 1857.[42] It embarked forAlexandria in September 1858[43] and took the overground route toIndia to help suppress theIndian Rebellion.[44] It was renamed the91st (the Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot in May 1864[1] and embarked for England in October 1868.[45] Following the marriage betweenPrincess Louise andJohn Campbell, Marquis of Lorne atSt George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in March 1871, at which the regiment formed a guard of honour, the regiment was renamed the91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot in August 1872.[1] It was then dispatched to South Africa in February 1879[46] for service in theAnglo-Zulu war and fought at theBattle of Gingindlovu in April 1879 before lifting theSiege of Eshowe later that month.[47]
As part of theCardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 91st was linked with the72nd Regiment, Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders, and assigned to district no. 58 atStirling Castle.[48] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot to form theArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders.[1]
Battle honours won by the regiment were:[1]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[1]
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