79th New York Veterans

[79thReproductions]

A large civil war reunion took place in Knoxville, TN on Oct. 7-9, 1890. Next to the remains of Ft. sanders, they constructed a 15,000 person tent nicknamed "The Monster". The few veterans of the Highlanders that attended took tours of the area. During their tour of the Bleak house, these pictures were taken. Confederate sharpshooters shot and wounded a few Highlanders from this house when the pickets in front of Ft. sanders rotated.





The Monster next to the remains of Ft. Sanders:



Returning to the city of their finest hour, they proudly wore their bonnets and medals.

[warrior]

Not to take away honor which I grudgingly give but there were other Scots in that theatre of war. Specifically the 32nd Alabama of the Army of Tennessee CSA. Companies D and E were raised in Clarke county Alabama and the muster rolls show the names MacLeod, Calhoun, McVay, Mathews, Creagh, Megginson, Robinson and Pugh. As was often the case on both sides and in times past these companies were raised in communities of extended blood ties. All of these are my kinsmen and to this day there descendants still reside in Clarke county.
One hundred and forty eight years ago this month the 32nd was dug in atop Missionary Ridge and took the brunt of the union assault upon their works. That one engagement still stands as the greatest loss of manhood Clarke county has ever experienced. In company D Captain Daniel McLeod, my ggg grandfather by way of his daughter, would lose his brother Cpl Malcolm McLeod, also my ggg grandfather (yes a first cousin marriage) and both a son and son in law plus thirteen cousins.

Cpt Daniel McLeod survived the war and would return home and devote the rest of his life to supporting the widows and children of his kinsmen that did not. Upon his death was buried at the old union campground cemetary, which at that time was the gathering spot for CSA veterans, next to his father Neal MacLeod who was born on the Isle of Skye.

All of this is documented in both Ball's and Mathews' histories of Clarke county.

BTW David Chapman Mathews is not only a cousin but also a former president of the University of Alabama.

[macwilkin]

Not to take away honor which I grudgingly give but there were other Scots in that theatre of war. Specifically the 32nd Alabama of the Army of Tennessee CSA. Companies D and E were raised in Clarke county Alabama and the muster rolls show the names MacLeod, Calhoun, McVay, Mathews, Creagh, Megginson, Robinson and Pugh. As was often the case on both sides and in times past these companies were raised in communities of extended blood ties. All of these are my kinsmen and to this day there descendants still reside in Clarke county.
One hundred and forty eight years ago this month the 32nd was dug in atop Missionary Ridge and took the brunt of the union assault upon their works. That one engagement still stands as the greatest loss of manhood Clarke county has ever experienced. In company D Captain Daniel McLeod, my ggg grandfather by way of his daughter, would lose his brother Cpl Malcolm McLeod, also my ggg grandfather (yes a first cousin marriage) and both a son and son in law plus thirteen cousins.

Cpt Daniel McLeod survived the war and would return home and devote the rest of his life to supporting the widows and children of his kinsmen that did not. Upon his death was buried at the old union campground cemetary, which at that time was the gathering spot for CSA veterans, next to his father Neal MacLeod who was born on the Isle of Skye.

All of this is documented in both Ball's and Mathews' histories of Clarke county.

BTW David Chapman Mathews is not only a cousin but also a former president of the University of Alabama.

There were also Highland units in Louisiana and South Carolina. The 12th Illinois Infantry reportedly wore some sort of bonnet as its headgear, befitting it's other name, the "1st Scotch Regiment", and even California had a "Wallace Guard" in its pre-war militia (circa the 1850s) -- I would daresay though, that the majority of Scots who did serve did not with enthic units such as the 79th, but with ordinary line units -- my own great-great grandfather served with Crocker's Iowa Brigade (11th IA Infantry) and only carried a book of Burns with him, as family legend states.

T.

[OC Richard]

Thanks so much for posting those!

What's so nice about that upper photo of 79th NY veterans is that you can see that they're wearing the pre-war/wartime two-row diced Glengarries.

It makes me wonder if all those Glengarries were indeed made pre-1865, or if someone was making that style in the postwar period.

Here are some members of the 79th NY in 1872. Note that half are wearing the distinctive unique 79th NY two-row diced prewar/wartime Glengarries, half the postwar 93rd Highlanders glengarries.

Only the fellow on the far right is wearing the prewar 1858-1861 style sporran.

None are wearing the prewar/early war jackets, or the prewar footwear.



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.

[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.