Historical record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry from its formation in 1777, under the title of the 73rd, or McLeod's Highlanders, up to the year 1876

This volume offers a meticulous, document‑based chronicle of a Scottish regiment that first assembled in 1777 under the banner of McLeod’s Highlanders. Compiled by a former officer, the text weaves together transcribed service records, footnotes, and contemporary notes, giving listeners a clear picture of how the unit was raised from Highland clans, Lowland volunteers, and a handful of English and Irish recruits. The opening pages detail the regiment’s early organization, its first commanding officers, and the practical challenges of forming a fighting force during the American War of Independence.

Beyond its birth, the narrative follows the regiment’s early deployments, tracing its presence in India, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Peninsular campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars. A concise roll of colonels and a roll‑call of battle honours—such as Corunna, Vittoria, and Waterloo—illustrates the unit’s growing reputation on the world stage. Listeners gain a vivid sense of the soldiers’ daily life, the pride of their colours, and the evolving identity of a regiment that would serve the Crown for a century.