| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| richfed |
Posted - November 20 2005 : 09:21:45 AM
Dear Rich and Elaine
Noticed you had Gary Zaboly's new book up on your site. My last book was Through So Many Dangers with Tim Todish, "Griff" Griffing and Steve Brumwell and British Light Infantry in the Seven Years War. With Tim Todish again and Steve Noon.
Thought you would like advance knowledge of this book which will be launched at Fort Ticonderoga's 2006 Seven Year's War College this Spring marking the 250th Anniversary of the arrival of the Black Watch in North America.This one is the real McCoy (ten years in the making) and features artwork by Griff, Gary Z., John Buxton, Peter Rindisbacher, Charles Stolz and Steve Noon.
Yours aye
Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Macpherson McCulloch, CD
Commanding Officer (1993-96)
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
Images of infuriated Black Watch soldiers cutting their way through fallen timbers and branches with broadswords at Fort Ticonderoga in 1758, Fraser Highlanders throwing away their muskets and roaring forward with swords held aloft on the Plains of Abraham in 1759, and the light companies of the 77th and 42nd grappling in desperate hand-to-hand combat with Mingo, Shawnee and Delaware Indians at Bushy Run, loom large in any French and Indian War history, and rightly so.
Three proud Highland regiments fought in North America during the Seven Year’s War - the 77th Foot (Montgomery’s Highlanders), the 78th Foot (Fraser’s Highlanders), and the famous Black Watch, more correctly known at the time as the Royal Highland Regiment. Undoubtedly, the exploits of the 42nd, 77th and 78th Highlanders in some of the most bloody and desperate battles on the North American continent were a critical factor in transforming the overall image of Highlanders from Jacobite rebels to Imperial heroes in the latter half of the 18th century. But the everyday story of these regiments - how they trained, worked, played, fought and died from their own point of view - has never been seriously told.
Sons of the Mountains: A History of the Highland regiments in North America during the French & Indian War, 1756-1767, is a two-volume set due to be published Spring 2006 by Purple Mountain Press and chronicles the Highland regiments’ fighting performance and experiences from the time they were raised in the Highlands and stepped ashore in North America, to their disbandment in 1763; or, as in the case of the 42nd, reduced in establishment and left on lonely garrison duty in the American wilderness until their recall and return to Ireland in 1767.
Volume One of Sons of the Mountains follows all three regiments on their various campaigns in the different theatres of war, ranging from the wilderness of the Ohio Forks to the wind-swept crags of Signal Hill in Newfoundland, and from the waters of the Great Lakes to the torrid swamps and cane fields of the “Sugar Islands”, the reader will be exposed to all the major conflicts and actions of the “Great War for Empire” as seen though the eyes of the Highland soldier.
Volume Two of Sons of the Mountains includes detailed essays on Highland uniforms, Highland weapons, specialist officers and men, 18th century bagpiping, as well as featuring a comprehensive biographical index of all regimental officers (over 350 entries) who served in all three regiments. Including muster rolls and land petitions of discharged Highlanders, this book will appeal to any family of Scottish descent as well as genealogists, military historians, “living history” enthusiasts and general readers alike.
Lavishly illustrated with artwork by Robert Griffing, Steve Noon, Peter Rindisbacher and John Buxton, as well as with contemporary prints and portraits from the collections of the Black Watch Museums of Scotland and Canada, the Fort Ticonderoga Museum, the Fort Ligonier Museum, the William L. Clements Library, the Na |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| blueotter |
Posted - October 06 2006 : 2:21:00 PM
Just wanted to commend you, Sarge, on your scholarly and gentlemanly approach to critiqueing LTC McCulloch's latest publication. I thought your observations were well cited, and his correction gracefully accepted. I'm just so glad to see that people can be so elegant and refined when most of the world is full of chaos and conflict. Does my heart good!
~Rose |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - October 05 2006 : 06:23:47 AM
Update...Update...Update...
...Just in case you have been wondering, the Sarge managed to get answers to the above questions. Last night, LTC. McCulloch contacted me here at Fort Pitt, and after an hour on the telephone (Of which I apologize for the long-distance charges), several points were clarified:
1) The Colonel answered the question concerning the Cherokee Campaign of 1761; to wit: MacKenzie's Company did make it as far as Monks Corner (SC), before being recalled by order of General Amherst. This was revealed by some unpublished letters of General Ameherst (Which will hopefully soon be published), so on that count, I do stand corrected.
2) LTC. McCulloch also explained that it was due to a request for economy of space, that many of the interesting vignettes (Including the 'Last Stand Highlander' near Ft. Ligonier), had to be omitted.
3) Ian did tell me that the date noted for the execution was incorrect, as published, and complimented me on my research of it.
Well, I do believe that thanks to LTC. McCulloch is in order, for helping me with my inquiries. Once again, I do say, "Good show, Colonel Sir!"
Your Most Humble Servant,
The Sarge |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - August 27 2006 : 2:09:05 PM
Additional Note:
While perusing my copy of Amherst Papers, 1756-1763: The Southern Sector (Edited by Edith Mays and published by Heritage Books), I found several letters which document Captain MacKenzie, and his company of the 77th, as arriving in Charleston (SC), prior to LTC. Grant's raid on the Cherokee Middle Towns in June of 1761 (Including one from MacKenzie himself, addressed to Amherst, and posted from Charles Town on 25 March 1761). Whether he and his men, were ordered to stay put in Charleston, assigned with the other Independent Companies (As part of a composite batallion, or regimental combat team) for the campaign, or put to sea under his own decision, is still up to debate. I will continue to check into this, but I for one believe that his men would have joined the other Independent Companies on Grant's Campaign.
More to follow...
YMH&OS,
The Sarge |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - August 25 2006 : 09:18:31 AM
Well folks, I know that you've been waiting for my unofficial, uneducated, and completely biased review of the above mentioned works
Overall, I give LTC McCulloch an A+ for his tremendous offering to us 'Highland Historians'. His Volume Two of SOTM, should be required reading for anyone planning on starting an F&IW Highland Soldier reenacting unit. Not only does it include the most complete biographies of officers serving in the 42nd, 77th & 78th Regiments, but the section covering uniforms, weapons & equipment and specialty troops makes it worth more than the modest retail price.
Volume One of SOTM should be read by any aspiring, or novice highland reenactor, since it does give a good overview of the service histories of the three regiments in question. I even managed to find the name of the ship, which transported Captain Graham's Company to North America in 1756, the transport Wilmington, which was one of the missing links to the handout I am creating for new members to my unit, which includes the service timeline of our company from 1756-1767. Overall, I say "Good show, Colonel Sir!" (Saluting with my halberd, at the 'recover')
There were, however, some things missing, or incorrect (Obviously due to his editor); and I have tried repeatedly to contact LTC. McCulloch, but with no response at the present time. Of the things that were missing, only one was of any importance, and that was the complete omission of the Cherokee Campaign of 1761. Now why cover, in detail, Montgomery's Campaign of 1760 without including Grant's Campaign of 1761 as well? Even though the 77th Regiment did not take part as a whole, Captain MacKenzie and his detachment of the 77th did take part under Grant's command, as found in a letter from Grant to General Amherst, dated March 15th of 1761, from Charles Town (There is also speculation that the 77th Light Company was one of four Light Companies, which were assigned to the '61 campaign, but I have no evidence to prove this). I feel that not mentioning the '61 Campaign, with the Second Battle of Etchoe (Grant's raids on the Cherokee Middle Towns), and subsequent peace negotiations between Little Carpenter (Attakullakulla) and Lieutenant-Colonel James Grant (Who managed to clean up the mess started by Lyttelton & Atkin), is like watching the movie 'Gettysburg', and realizing that you are missing the second VHS tape! This loose end could have been tied up in about five or six paragraphs, and it would have once again demonstrated the unique respect found between Native and Highland Scot.
The other item missing, which would have been a nice add-on in the chapter covering the Forbes Expedition, was the incident that happended near Fort Ligonier on September 11th of 1758. In a letter to General Forbes, Colonel Bouquet relates an incident where three soldiers (Two from the Pennsylvania Regiment, and one from the 77th Regiment) went hunting without their officers leave, when they were ambushed by four Indians (National affiliation unknown). The two Pennsylvanians bolted toward the fort, but the brae young highlander of Montgomery's held his ground. He got off three rounds before being overtaken, and killed by the war party. Those of you who have seen George Washington's First War, will remember that we covered that incident. Reference:Papers of Henry Bouquet, Volume Two; Bouquet To Forbes Dated: 9-11-1758
The one item which I noted that the date was wrong, concerned the execution of two deserters at the base of Grant's Hill. The men in question, one Pte. Francis Steedwell (60th RAR) and one Pte. William Anderson (42nd RHR), were both repeat deserters, whose death sentence, according to SOTM, was carried out on September 26th, 1763. Now, the old Sarge has the complete set of the Bouquet Papers, and the only such order for execution is found in Volume 6, in a letter titled, Bouquet: Order To Execute Deserters, dated Septembe |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - May 18 2006 : 08:00:02 AM
Volume #1 is $29 and Volume #2 is $19; add to that $3.50 for shipping and handling, and the very low total is $51.50 for both volumes shipped together.
YMH&OS,
The Sarge |
| Highlander |
Posted - May 17 2006 : 9:22:54 PM
What's it run? |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - May 17 2006 : 3:22:13 PM
Huzzah!!!!
The long-awaited for masterpiece of LTC McCulloch has finally reached distribution, and I have just ordered my own copies of volumes 1 & 2 today from Purple Mountain Press!!!
YMH&OS,
The Sarge |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - December 20 2005 : 10:14:01 AM
Aye Sachem,
I am well familiar with LTC McCulloch's 'Magnum Opus', and it will be well recieved by all who have a love for history in general, and Highlanders in particular. I had a chance to talk with the good colonel at this years' St. Andrew Festival, held at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church (Fox Chapel, PA). He is truly a library of knowledge on 18th Century military science, and is very accomadating to amateur historians like myself. He is also known to peruse the Mohicanland Board, and has admitted to being a fan of my on-going historical fiction. That really humbled me, for here is a man who will forget more about the history of the 42nd, then I will ever learn, and he not only approves of, but enjoys my writtings.
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Lieutenant MacMillan and I with Lieutenant-Colonel McCulloch
YMH&OS,
The Sarge |
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![The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]](images/wwwboard.gif "The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]")
