US or Confederate kilted units? Ever?

[davidlpope]

Wrong. No kilts were worn in combat during the Amer. Civil War, and that includes the 79th NY. Why won't this notion die...?

Because there are legions of Americans who want to wear a kilt with reproduction Civil War uniform parts. This would give them an excuse....

[haukehaien]

I am not aware of any kilted Confederate forces, I vaguely remember a Highland type regiment wearing on for parade. There was a story floating around about a unit wanting to go be kilted in combat and were refusing to serve till McClellan threatened to shoot them. Not sure if there is any validity to that story.

There may be a grain of truth, although it appears that kilts had nothing to do with the story. Bruce Catton tells this story about the 79th NY:

"The 79th New york was a former militia regiment; called itself the 'Highlanders,' came to Washington in the bare-kneed glory of kilts, and had a crusty Scottish colonel named Cameron. It had been at Bull Run, where its colonel had been killed; it had long since abandoned kilts for the regulation sky-blue pants, and it was fed up with military life. Also, it was brigaded under William Tecumseh Sherman, who was a hard man and who at that time seems to have had something to learn about the way to handle volunteer troops. So one morning the 79th refused to do duty and demanded an adjustment of its grievances. McClellan rounded up a battalion of regular infantry, plus a squadron of regular cavalry and a battery of regular artillery - hard-boiled Indian fighters from the plains, filled with strong disdain for volunteer soldiers - and lined them up facing the 79th, firearms loaded and ready for use; whereupon the 79th was invited to stop being mutinous and return to duty."

Catton goes on to say that the 79th (which had not intended mutiny, but only to express their grievances as free citizens) returned to duty without anyone being shot. McClellan confiscated the regiment's colors and kept them in his office, returning them a month later with the comment that the Highlanders had redeemed themselves by good conduct. Annoyingly, Catton does not cite a source for this story, although it is generally corroborated by William Todd's regimental history.

[Taygrd]

There may be a grain of truth, although it appears that kilts had nothing to do with the story. Bruce Catton tells this story about the 79th NY:

"The 79th New york was a former militia regiment; called itself the 'Highlanders,' came to Washington in the bare-kneed glory of kilts, and had a crusty Scottish colonel named Cameron. It had been at Bull Run, where its colonel had been killed; it had long since abandoned kilts for the regulation sky-blue pants, and it was fed up with military life. Also, it was brigaded under William Tecumseh Sherman, who was a hard man and who at that time seems to have had something to learn about the way to handle volunteer troops. So one morning the 79th refused to do duty and demanded an adjustment of its grievances. McClellan rounded up a battalion of regular infantry, plus a squadron of regular cavalry and a battery of regular artillery - hard-boiled Indian fighters from the plains, filled with strong disdain for volunteer soldiers - and lined them up facing the 79th, firearms loaded and ready for use; whereupon the 79th was invited to stop being mutinous and return to duty."

Catton goes on to say that the 79th (which had not intended mutiny, but only to express their grievances as free citizens) returned to duty without anyone being shot. McClellan confiscated the regiment's colors and kept them in his office, returning them a month later with the comment that the Highlanders had redeemed themselves by good conduct. Annoyingly, Catton does not cite a source for this story, although it is generally corroborated by William Todd's regimental history.

Thank you for finding that, I think that story is what I recalled. My memory is very much like my bookshelfs-Cluttered, without much organization, and dependent on other things to support it. Without a source tends to lend itself to folklore or some soldiers vague recollection which makes it hard to verify

[Slag101]

No! There is no known evidence to support any regiment, person, anyone, wearing a kilt at any battle of the american civil war. There is also no evidence to support the playing of bagpipes at any battle. The closer we get to the reenacting season, the more this question seems to pop up.. Don't look for and excuse to act like a FARB/Streamer. If your going to FARB it up, as the Nike ads say, "Just Do it." Otherwise, would people stop looking for the one example, excuse, etc. to justify them wearing the kilt to funnel cake row. Sorry to gripe and rant here, but I am just sick of this question and people fishing to justify what they want to do. Do it, and be historically in correct, or don't do it and be accurate. I don't care either way, just stop looking for a way to justify your inaccurate portrayal to other reenactors around the campfire at night, while you chug back on a few tall boys, and tell the story of the one guy, in the battle of 7 1/4 Pines, on the 25th day of the battle at the 7th hour who wore a kilt and played the pipe fr 32 1/2 seconds, until someone from his own unit shot him in the head for not accurately portraying a soldier of the 25 5/8 Virginia Half Quart Low Volunteer Mounted Infantry Naval Fleet.

Sorry, my rant is over. It just needed to be said.

[Hocfutue]

For those interested, William Todd's "The Seventy-ninth Highlanders, New York Volunteers in the War of Rebellion" is available in its entirety on Google Books.

Google books is an incredible resource/time sink!

[Bigkahuna]

Wasn't there a Colonel of the Coldstream Guards attached to General Pickett's Staff as an observer???

[Woodsheal]

Wasn't there a Colonel of the Coldstream Guards attached to General Pickett's Staff as an observer???

To Longstreet's staff, actually. And some Prussian officer was on hand as well.

Not that any of that relates to the fact of "non-kiltedness" during the War...!

[macwilkin]

To Longstreet's staff, actually. And some Prussian officer was on hand as well.

Not that any of that relates to the fact of "non-kiltedness" during the War...!

And contrary to the movie, Col. Fremantle never wore his uniform on his travels.

T.

[Mike M.]

Stick your tongue firmly in cheek, don your full British Highland regiment uniform, and go as a member of the British Expeditionary Force dispatched to reinforce the Confederate Army.

After all, the Confederates were trying to make it happen...and you would at least have an interesting story to tell about the CSA's attempt to draw the UK and France into the Great Unpleasantness.

[auld argonian]

No! There is no known evidence to support any regiment, person, anyone, wearing a kilt at any battle of the american civil war. There is also no evidence to support the playing of bagpipes at any battle. The closer we get to the reenacting season, the more this question seems to pop up.. Don't look for and excuse to act like a FARB/Streamer. If your going to FARB it up, as the Nike ads say, "Just Do it." Otherwise, would people stop looking for the one example, excuse, etc. to justify them wearing the kilt to funnel cake row. Sorry to gripe and rant here, but I am just sick of this question and people fishing to justify what they want to do. Do it, and be historically in correct, or don't do it and be accurate. I don't care either way, just stop looking for a way to justify your inaccurate portrayal to other reenactors around the campfire at night, while you chug back on a few tall boys, and tell the story of the one guy, in the battle of 7 1/4 Pines, on the 25th day of the battle at the 7th hour who wore a kilt and played the pipe fr 32 1/2 seconds, until someone from his own unit shot him in the head for not accurately portraying a soldier of the 25 5/8 Virginia Half Quart Low Volunteer Mounted Infantry Naval Fleet.

Sorry, my rant is over. It just needed to be said.

Seriously, I have to agree with you. Seems like several people are just BEGGING for an excuse to re-write history with this and somebody has finally said "NO"...'bout time.

Best

AA