The Ghillie Shirt

[CollinMacD]

First of all, I will say thank you for this information.

Second of all, it's not all fantasy. I do know history too, I know Scotland's history to a satisfactory level from ancient Caledonia to the Highland Romanticism period of the 19th Century. I think you misunderstood me, I love romanticism as well as history. I have been researching into the history of Scotland since 2016, two full years so I'm familiar with the different parts of it. I'm aware that living conditions were terrible and there was a lot of disease, terrible I know. I even said to myself a long time ago in my head "Okay, you can have a pan-Scottish identity and romanticize all you want, as long as you know the reality and history.", and this is how I view it. I know Scotland to a certain extent is a creation of the Highland Romanticism of the 19th Century, Walter Scott played a part in this. I watch Braveheart knowing it isn't true, I know both the romantic fictional Scottish Wars of Independence and the real Scottish Wars of Independence.

Patrick, with all due respect, I have been an Historian and archival researcher for over 45 years, not just 2 years. I worked for lived and researched History mainly in the US and but was in Oxford, England for four years, specifically researching on your English Civil War, "War of the Roses" . I have wrote many factual historical accounts for Ken Burns, James McPherson, Lawrence Kohl, Don Trioni, Dale Gallows, Ken Zwick (Hollywood Director) and so many others. I have lectured, researched and written historical accounts base on facts and authenticated first person accounts of the times. I have interviews people who lived through major historical events, documenting there experiences. I know my craft. I am so happy, as a young person, you are taking a very deep interest in history, but I think you need to have a more open mind, many more years of experience, understand real archival research methods, and know how to separate real history for history based on historic facts, or as we say, History used as a backdrop for fictional situations. History is much more complex then just dates, times and places. I am not ringing my own bell, I am just offering you advice from a person who has walked this walk before you were born. Trust me, Walter Scott is not an Historian, but a author of Historical Novels, Sir Walter Scott is history himself because of the affect his works had on his readers and revitalized Highland Romance, not the History. He used history to tell a fictional story of romance, adventure and intrigue, he did not record or document actual historical events. Big difference. Also, if I may be so frank, as a person who went to war in Viet Nam, no war is romantic. I hope you take this helping you understand. Thank you for reading my post and I am signing off.