The
78th Regiment, Second Highland Battalion of Foot,
commonly called Fraser's Highlanders was raised
in Scotland in 1757, specifically for service in
North America. It played a daring and romantic role
in the major battles of the Seven Years' War, a
war which ultimately dertermined Canada's future.
Although the regiment was disbanded in Quebec in
1763, it was the only Scottish regiment ever to
be disbanded on foreign soil. The men of the 78th
were first among the many thousands of "red-coated"
settlers who remained in Canada. Since that time,
their family trees have flourished placing their
descendants throughout the country and the continent.
At the behest of Lord Chatham, Colonel Simon
Fraser, Master of Lovat, raised the Regiment under
Warrant for King George II. The 1,500 men were
recruited largely from clansmen, who, a dozen
years earlier had fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie
in the War of '45. When an official high in authority
questioned the wisdom of arming former rebels,
General James Wolfe defensively replied, "If
a Highlander gives his oath, he can be completely
trusted".
The Regiment sailed from Scotland, via Ireland,
to Halifax before moving north to lay seige and
then capture the mighty French Fortress Louisbourg
in 1758. The men wintered in Connecticut and southern
New York State before undertaking the Quebec campaign
throughout the summer of 1759. It was the largest
regiment on the Plains of Abraham and suffered
the heaviest casualties.
Within the walls of the old fortified city, the
bitter winter of 1759-60 played heavily on the
health of the soldiers. Tradition holds that the
Ursuline Nuns came to the Highlanders aid by knitting
longer hose to reduce their exposure to the elements!
The next spring, despite a French victory at
St. Foy, just outside of Quebec, the British Army,
now under the command of General Murray, moved
onto Montreal, which was surrendered in September
1760. For the first time since the onset of the
War, the 78th was garrisoned with the other two
Highland Regiments in the campaign, the 77th Montgomery's
and the 42nd, The Black Watch.
The surrender of Montreal effectively ended the
war in North America although the 78th did take
part in the re-capture of St. John's Newfoundland
in September 1761. It would be two years before
the war was to be settled in Europe. In the meantime,
since a number of the men spoke French (due to their
Jacobite connection) and were Catholic, they were
well respected by the French Canadians in the area.
When word was received of the disbandment of the
Regiment while in Quebec, many decided to stay on
land grants and many married into French Canadian
families. During their short stay in Quebec, members
of the Regiment were also responsible for establishing
the first Presbyterian church in Canada and the
first Masonic Lodge, as well as introducing the
game of curling on the frozen rivers and lakes.
Even the men who went home to Scotland after
the War could not forget their North American
experience. Many returned to fight in the American
Revolution under Major-General Simon Fraser forming
the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 71st Regiment
(Fraser's Highlanders). In Canada, Lt. Colonel
Allen Maclean raised the 1st and 2nd Battalions
of the 84th Regiment (Royal Highland Emigrants)
from soldiers who had fought in the previous war.
Others returned independantly to establish business
concerns, notably in the fur trade, where they
or their descendants explored and opened the continent
naming such rivers as the MacKenzie and the Fraser.
The influence of the original 1,500 men of this
Regiment on Canadian and North American history
is still evolving. New historical discoveries
are still being made which further indicate that
this Regiment deserves a special place in our
military tradition.
Taken from https://www.stewart-museum.org
About the Band
From the beginning, the 78th Fraser Highlanders
Pipe Band has played music that has included repertoire
considered outside the pipe band norm. In fact,
the 78th has thrived on the continuing musical
challenges placed before them. Led by P/M Bill
Livingstone, a desire to nurture new ideas, to
risk unconventional arrangements, and enthusiasm
to play good tunes well, either in concert or
in competition, has always been the Frasers binding
tie.
Since the band formed in 1982, it has played a
major role in changing the perception of what,
artistically can and cannot be done in pipe bands.
Drawing upon sources from the full breadth of
music in the Celtic idiom, the 78th has evolved
pipe band performances to a level of artistry
previously unimagined.
Although the band has been widely successful at
the highest level of pipe band competition, it
is in concerts where it's music can shine most
brightly. The 78th Frasers have played to packed
halls around the world, including Northern Ireland;
Edinburgh, Scotland; Saint John, New Brunswick;
Ottawa, Ontario; Vancouver, British Columbia;
Motherwell, Scotland; Miami, Florida; Chicago,
Illinois; Vail, Colorado; New Brunswick, New Jersey;
Cleveland, Ohio; Richmond, Virginia, Glasgow,
Scotland and Toronto, Ontario.
Competitively, the 78th Fraser Highlanders have
been uncommonly successful. The band has won the
North American Pipe Band Championship at Maxville,
Ontario and the Canadian Pipe Band Championship
at Cambridge, Ontario, an unprecedented 12 times
each. Over the 15 times it has traveled to and
competed in the premier Grade One at the World
Pipe Band Championships in Scotland, the 78th
have been in the prize list 11 times, and in 1987
the 78th became the first non-Scottish band to
win the coveted award. This year (2003) the band
took 6th place at the World Championships in Glasgow.
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