History of the Scottish Regiments in the British ArmyMurray, Archibald K.
History
History of the Scottish Regiments in the British Army
Murray, Archibald K.
Great Britain. Army -- History
the help of the Lord against the mighty. The orators on the other side
thundered against sinful associations. There were malignants in
William’s army: Mackay’s own orthodoxy was problematical: to take
military service with such comrades, and under such a general, would be
a sinful association. At length, after much wrangling, and amidst great
confusion, a vote was taken; and the majority pronounced that to take
military service would be a sinful association. There was, however, a
large minority; and, from among the members of this minority, the Earl
of Angus was able to raise a body of infantry, which is still, after the
lapse of more than a hundred and sixty years, known by the name of the
Cameronian Regiment. The first Lieut.-Colonel was Cleland, that
implacable avenger of blood who had driven Dundee from the Convention.
There was no small difficulty in filling the ranks, for many west
country Whigs, who did not think it absolutely sinful to enlist, stood
out for terms subversive of all military discipline. Some would not
serve under any colonel, major, captain, serjeant, or corporal who was
not ready to sign the Covenant. Others insisted that, if it should be
found absolutely necessary to appoint any officer who had taken the
tests imposed in the late reign, he should at least qualify himself for
command by publicly confessing his sin at the head of the regiment. Most
of the enthusiasts who had proposed these conditions were induced by
dexterous management to abate much of their demands. Yet the new
regiment had a very peculiar character. The soldiers were all rigid
Puritans. One of their first acts was to petition the Parliament that
all drunkenness, licentiousness, and profaneness might be severely
punished. Their own conduct must have been exemplary: for the worst
crime which the most austere bigotry could impute to them was that of
huzzaing on the King’s birth-day. It was originally intended that with
the military organisation of the corps should be interwoven the
organisation of a Presbyterian congregation. Each company was to furnish
an elder; and the elders were, with the chaplain, to form an
ecclesiastical court for the suppression of immorality and heresy.
Elders, however, were not appointed; but a noted hill preacher,
Alexander Shields, was called to the office of chaplain. It is not easy
to conceive that fanaticism can be heated to a higher temperature than
that which is indicated by the writings of Shields. According to him, it
should seem to be the first duty of a Christian ruler to persecute to
the death every heterodox subject, and the first duty of a Christian
subject to poinard a heterodox ruler. Yet there was then in Scotland an
enthusiasm compared with which the enthusiasm even of this man was
lukewarm. The extreme Covenanters protested against his defection as
vehemently as he had protested against the Black Indulgence and the oath
of supremacy, and pronounced every man who entered Angus’s regiment
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account