Highlanders in the French and Indian Wars

[puddlemuddle]

At Fort Frederica (the fort in which the Highlanders and General Oglethorpe's Regiment of Foot were posted) they have documents which state that (and I can't remember the amount as it was stated before) the tartan was to be of non discript tartan to be made into kilts and jackets with matching hose. In other words, a kilt of one tartan, and Jacket and hose of matching tartan (but different from that of the kilt) for his "highland independent company of foot". He also ordered muskets, broadswords, and targes so that they could implement their own highland style of fighting. The highlanders then spent the entire ship ride over drilling themselves in the British drill of the time. While the muskets, the broadswords, and targes were of lower quality, and so the highlanders also implented their own weapons if they had them. Of coarse being the relentless highlanders they were, they reworked what muskets they could and got them into firing order. So, at the Battle of Gully Hole Creek on St. Simons Island, the first skirmish against the Spanish invaders, the first Highland Charge in North America took place!!

[puddlemuddle]

Another thing to remember is that Oglethorpe (along with the trustees) promised anyone who offered their services and fought for the Colony of Ga would be given a certain amount of land after their service ended. When Oglethorpe's Regiment was disbanded in 1747 ( I think) A lot of the members stayed in the area and settled Saint SImons Island while the rest were sent to Fort Loudon in Tennessee as a new Independent Company. Fort Frederica suffered a second devastating fire that destroyed a good part of the town (which had been know as the town of Frederica) and so was abandoned as peace had been made with Spain, and there was no longer an need for a military buffer colony. Also, I think that the Officers of the Highland Company were paid, as were all soldiers of the regular regiment.
Cheers,
Chad

[MacBean]

That sounds convincing. So when and where did kilts appear? Why would the highlanders not wear them casually?

[puddlemuddle]

As far as the uniforms go, mainly because even though they were "issued them" if they got destroyed or were deemed unfit for wear while on duty, then any replacement would be taken out of their pay, just like the regular regiment. HOWEVER......

It is not being said they kilts weren't worn by the Darien scots when they arrived, only that the only DOCUMENTED proof was that of the Highland Independent Company. Seeing as haow the majority of the settlers came from the Inverness area, one could assume, and I would agree to a point, that the majority of them had some kind of simple kilt to their name, as at this time Highland wear had not been outlawed (1733), so looking at what people wore in Inverness at that time could be carried over to the Darien Settlement. However, you would have to take into consideration the long travel time at sea, what that would do to a kilt, how uncomfortable it would become, and how easy it would have been to just start wearing regular britches and such, and keeping the kilts for special occasions, as seems to have happened later during the French and Indian war.

Cheers,
Chad