Major-General David Stewart of Garth | |
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| Nickname | Davie |
| Born | (1772-04-12)12 April 1772 Drumcharry House or Kynachan,Fortingall, Perthshire |
| Died | 18 December 1829(1829-12-18) (aged 57) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Scotland |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1783 to 1815 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | 42nd Regiment of Foot,Black Watch |
| Commands | Battle of San Juan (1797) Capture of Minorca (1798) Battle of Alexandria French Revolutionary Wars |
David Stewart of GarthCB FSA Scot FRSE FLS (12 April 1772 – 18 December 1829) was a Scottish soldier and later author and antiquarian, whose book,Sketches of the Character, Manners, and Present State of the Highlanders of Scotland[1][2] published in two volumes byArchibald Constable and Co inEdinburgh in 1822, was responsible for largely creating the modern image of theHighlander, theclans andScottish regiments and is considered the foundation for all subsequent work on Highlanders, clans and Scottish regiments system.[3]
He held commissions in several Highland regiments, notably the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, (The ‘Black Watch’) from 1787-1804. Ultimately he rose to the rank ofMajor General.[4] In 1819, he was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers wereLord Gray, SirGeorge Steuart Mackenzie and SirDavid Brewster.[5]
Stewart was born at Drumcharry House in the Parish of Fortingall or at Kynachan in the Parish of Dull on 12 April 1772, the second son of Robert Stewart of Garth,Perthshire, and was descended from James Stewart (grandson ofRobert II) who builtGarth Castle, north-west ofAberfeldy, as a home for the chieftain ofClan Stewart of Atholl at the end of the fourteenth century. His mother was Janet Stewart of Kynachan, who died when he was 13.[6] In July 1822, after publishing his book, he succeeded to the heavily indebted estates of Garth, Drumcharry, Kynachan and Inchgarth by the death of his elder brother William.[7] WhenGeorge IV visitedEdinburgh in August 1822, Stewart helped SirWalter Scott in the reception arrangements, headed the Celtic club in the procession, adjusted the royal plaid for the levée, and pronounced the king ‘a very pretty man’ (Lockhart). He was promoted tomajor-general on 27 May 1825, and in 1829 he was appointed governor ofSaint Lucia. On 18 December 1829 he died of fever on St Lucia.[8]
His father purchased for him a commission as ensign in the 77th, (Atholl Highlanders) on 21 April 1783, but that regiment was disbanded soon afterwards. He joined the42nd highlanders (laterBlack Watch) on 10 August 1787, and became lieutenant on 8 August 1792, andcaptain-lieutenant on 24 June 1796. He served with the 42nd inFlanders in 1794 during theFrench Revolutionary Wars under the Duke of York, and went with it to the West Indies in October 1795. As part of the Napoleonic wars, he took part in the capture of the French colonies ofSt. Lucia andSt. Vincent. He was also in the unsuccessful expedition against Porto Rico (Battle of San Juan) in 1797.[3]
Stewart returned to Europe with his regiment, and garrison atGibraltar. Stewart embarked there with the expedition which resulted in thecapture of Minorca in November 1798. But he was taken prisoner at sea, and was detained for a total of five months in Spain before he was exchanged. He went to Egypt withAbercromby's expedition, and was severely wounded at thebattle of Alexandria on 21 March 1801. Three months before this, on 15 December 1800, he had obtained a company in the 90th (Perthshire volunteers), but he returned to the 42nd on 23 July 1802.[3]
He obtained a majority in the 78th Highlanders, on 17 April 1804, by raising recruits for the second battalion which was then being formed, a thing which his popularity in the Highlands made easy to him. His men were so much attached to him that when he was atShorncliffe army barracks, in the following year,Sir John Moore interposed to prevent his being sent to India to join the 1st battalion. He went with the 2nd battalion to theMediterranean in September 1805, and shared in the descent onCalabria. AtMaida, on 4 July 1806, under GeneralJohn Stuart, he commanded a battalion of light companies and ensuring the defeat of the French underJean Reynier outside the town. He was again severely wounded. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the West India rangers on 21 April 1808, and took part in the capture ofGuadaloupe in 1810. He received a medal with one clasp for this and the operation at Maida, and in 1815 he was awardedCompanion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath He was promoted colonel in the army on 4 June 1814, and in the following year he was placed onhalf-pay.[3]
In 1817, the officer commanding the42nd, applied to Stewart for information regarding the history of the regiment, as its records had been lost. The inquiries which were undertaken by the request gradually developed into theSketches of the Character ... book, which was published in two volumes at Edinburgh in 1822.John Stuart Blackie stated of the book: "whose excellence shines forth on every page", has been the foundation of all subsequent works on the clans. The first two parts of it, dealing with the country and the people, occupy about half of the first volume; the remainder is devoted the annals of Scottish regiments.
Remarks on Colonel Stewart's Sketches of the Highlanders were published at Edinburgh in 1823, admitting its merits, but objecting to itsJacobite sympathies. Stewart had thoughts of writing a history of therebellion of 1745, but gave it up.[3]
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