79th New York Veterans

[macwilkin]

I would guess that these Confederate units mentioned above contained mostly people of Scottish descent who were born in the US, while the original companies of the 79th NY contained a large proportion of men born and raised in Scotland who were recent immigrants to the US. That's the strange thing about the Union Army during the Civil War: it had a vast number of recent immigrants in it, and many couldn't speak a word of English.

It's hard to say, Richard. There just isn't a lot of information out there on the Confederate Scottish units, although I do remember reading somewhere about a militia company from Mobile, Alabama that was largely made up of British expatriates. Others, like Sgt. William Watson of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry, originally from Glasgow, simply enlisted in his local hometown unit.

One group that hardly ever gets mentioned is the fairly large number of Canadians that crossed the border and enlisted:

http://suvcw.org/CanadianMonument/CanadianMonument.htm

T.

[Mike M.]

Others, like Sgt. William Watson of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry, originally from Glasgow, simply enlisted in his local hometown unit.

True. There were truckloads of Scots and Scottish Americans on both sides spread among the regiments.

And the Canadian participation is not as appreciated as it should be - certainly not as well as the Canadians would remember Americans who served with their forces in the First and Second World Wars.

[79thReproductions]

@ OC. Shane, Dewey, and I have been digging into the bonnet thing for a few months....

We think those vets are wearing new bonnets ....made in the late 1880. Of the 5 79th bonnets known to exsist, 4 have very late "warranted indigo dye / glengarry" stamps with the royal seal. They are all shorter, and have different more modern manufacture techniques. This hurts to say, but most of the 79th bonnets are GAR items.

In the images posted, you can see some of the guys have backwards dicing. All of the hat brass is the same, same hackle.

As for Scots in the war, there were a handful of kilted American militias before the war and dozens is plaid.wearing, scotch named militias. The 2nd NYSM had no less the 5independant scottish companies in 1851 with names like the Highland Guard, Scottish Rifles, Caledonian Fusiliers.

The Charleston Highlanders as well as the Chicago Highlanders both wore kilts till 1861. The Chicago Highlanders drilled against Ellsworth in kilts before his tour. There is an unknown Scottish American hidtory in our country, and it needs to he told.