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Old 09-21-2006, 11:06 AM   #78 (permalink)
PubFather
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Location: Glasgow
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rifleman View Post
I think it was around 1600 that your good King James I initated a little social experiment with lowland Scots called the Ulster Plantation. A little over a hundred years later some of their decendents decided that they weren't Scottish enough to be Scottish, Irish enough to be Irish, or British enough to be British. They decided to become Americans.

When they hit the Atlantic coast they headed inland to the Appalachians, since most of the good lands along the Atlantic seaboard were already claimed. They became very good with a German invention called the jager and modified it into the American longrifle.

On October 8, 1780, they killed a highland regular named Patrick Ferguson, and much of the loyalist milita he commanded, at Kings Mountain. Many of Ferguson's loyalist militia were of highland descent as well.

A few months later, on January 17, 1781, some of the same frontier riflemen who had been at Kings Mountain formed part of Daniel Morgan's skirmishline at Cowpens. They fell back under fire, sharpshooting as they went, until the attacking troops of the 71st Regiment of Foot, AKA the 71st Highlanders, hit the Continental Line and were virtually annihilated.

Ain't it a shame that cousins can't get along.

Put Kings Mountain and Cowpens on film.
Really interesting story - I knew of the Scots-Irish presbyterians but didnt know the details of those battles, and I like quote from Washington.

Funnily enough, I'm highland on my father's side, lowland on my mothers (as well as part English...) It's true that Scots have spent as much time killing each other as they have the English...

Quote:
Willie: "Brothers and sisters are natural born enemies! Like Englishmen and Scots! Or Welshmen and Scots! Or Japanese and Scots! Or Scots and other Scots! Damned Scots! They ruined Scotland..."
Skinner: "You Scots sure are a contentious people."
Willie: "You just made an enemy for life!"
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Last edited by PubFather : 09-21-2006 at 11:09 AM.
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