Finished Campbell of Lawers' Regiment

Raised by Sir Mungo Campell of Lawer’s, in the Strathtay area, for service in Ireland in 1642.   Fought in the Bann campaign and other associated activities of the Army of Ulster throughout 1642.   No direct information on activities throughout 1643, but unit strength had declined from 1100 to 300 by the time the unit embarked for Scotland in 1644.  In early 1644, they operated in association with Lothian’s Regiment in activities against the Marquis’s of Huntly and Montrose.   Lawer’s crossed the border in June and participated in the siege of Newcastle, before being recalled to Scotland in September.  It spent the balance of the year and the following winter based in Inverness where it carried out harrowing activities on royalist lands.

 

In the spring, they, along with Buchanan’s regiment joined Hurry as he marched from Inverness to meet Montrose at Auldearn.  Lawer’s men formed the centre of the vanguard and at first successfully drove back the Irish from Garlic Hill before fighting got bogged down in Auldearn.  As the line collapsed, the regiment was the focus of little quarter, due to its history in Ireland and it’s Campbell associations.   At the close of battle, Sir Mungo, four of his captains, five of his lieutenants and 50% of the regiment lay slain, their bodies later buried in the churchyard at Cawdor.

 

Sir Mungo’s son, Sir James Campbell, took command of the regiment and through a series of levy’s in Perthshire recruited it back to some semblance of strength, before it was shipped to Ulster in 1646.  No detail of it’s activity in Ulster is known but by spring 1648 it had once more returned to Scotland.  The regiment officially became part of the kirk party following the Whiggamore Raid.  Through late 1648 and 49, companies were quartered throughout the east and northeast, where they generally made a nuisance of themselves on the local community (indeed, the regiment had a history of fornication, drunkenness and adultery – so the ministers were busy).

 

In 1650, part of the regiment marched north to join Strachan’s force, and where thus the only regular infantry engaged at Carbisdale. By the summer it was in central Scotland, were it successfully engaged Cromwell’s troops in Holyrood Park before the debacle of Dunbar.  At this battle, the regiment served on the right flank, successfully covering the retreat of the army to it’s own detriment;

 

“only Lawer’s, his regiment of highlanders, made good defense , and the chief officer, a Lieutenant Colonel being slain by one of the Generals Sergeants, the Colonel was absent of the name of the Campbell’s, they stood to push of pike and were all cut in pieces those were all the Foot that engaged”

 

However, the regiment were forced to retreat when the English horse joined the attack, but even with heavy losses, some made it safely off the field.  The balance of 1650 and early 1651 were spent recruiting, but it did not participate in the 1651 campaign.

Here's some shots of the finished regiment - should worry those papist's.

Standards painted onto foil to get the windy look. Bases from Litko, with woodfiller, local sand textures, base coat, highlights - two flocks and some bushes. If anything, some purple highlights will be placed on the bushes to give that heather look.