Published by Frontline Books 30 November 2024
James Stirling’s Memoirs of the 42nd Foot 
For such a famous regiment as the 42nd Regiment of Foot (The Black Watch), the number of published memoirs is surprisingly low. The discovery of the three hand-written journals in the collection of the National Library of Scotland1 covering the period from August 1808, when the regiment left Gibraltar for Lisbon until the end of 1813, are therefore of significant importance in our understanding of the actions of this regiment during the Peninsular War.
Previous to this publication, the memoirs of the regiment have consisted purely of the following few. The anonymous Narrative of a Private Soldier in the 42nd Highlanders2 published as early as 1821 is probably the best known, along with Sergeant James Anton’s Retrospect of a Military Life, During the Most Eventful Periods of the Last War,3 but the latter only served in the peninsula from late 1813 until April 1814. Beyond these two, we only have Ensign John Malcolm’s Reminiscences of a Campaign in the Pyrenees and South of France in 18144, who again only joined the regiment in January 1814 and Merely a Memorandum, From Spain to Waterloo in Wellington’s Army.5 This last work provides the very brief recollections of Lieutenant Donald Mackenzie who served with the Black Watch from 1807 until 1821. However, whilst working on the voluminous memoirs of James Stirling for publication; I have often had recourse to compare his remarks on events with Mackenzie’s version and it soon became patently obvious, that although not identical, far too many phrases in both accounts are virtually identical, leaving no doubt that the author of one referred to the other and reproduced passages. Given that we know that James Stirling wrote his Journals between 1816 and his untimely death in 1818; and that Donald Mackenzie did not record his short memoir until at least 1821 (the last date mentioned in the memoir) but almost certainly written decades later than that, then it is certain that Mackenzie copied from Stirling. This unfortunately reduces the value of Mackenzie’s memoir to historians; however, we do now have Stirling’s entire memoir for the first time.
These journals cover his entire period of active service with the 42nd Foot, but unfortunately it then only covers the time he served with the Portuguese forces until the end of 1813. The fact that the journals end so cleanly with the end of that year; it seems likely that James did intend to record his service with the Portuguese Army in 1814; however his sudden death so soon after the war probably meant that he died before he could do so, but we will never know for certain6.
During the period 1815-18, James Stirling wrote up tidily the journals of his period of service t, undoubtedly utilising a combination of small pocketbooks he had used to record his day-to-day thoughts and events, but at times also relying on his memory, which occasionally erred in the identification of specific regiments. The first of these volumes is annotated with the attached provenance as to their validity.
‘The property of Major John Charles Bell RHP [Royal Hospital Pensioner], 53rd & 47th Regiments, of 34 Bruntsfield Gardens, Edinburgh; grandnephew of the writer of this memoir, viz Captain James Stirling 42nd Royal Highlanders who died in 1818 aged 25, past 3 months. This book has been handed over by the above Major Bell to Garthshore Tyndal Porter, 2nd Lieutenant Royal Artillery, great-great-grand-nephew of the author 1907’.
Our Captain James Stirling was the offspring of an illegitimate branch of the Stirlings of Craigbarnet. Mungo Stirling of Craigbarnet (James’ great-grandfather) died in January 1733 and his wife succumbed eleven days later. Their only legal son James [‘Burrie’7] Stirling (James’ grand-father) inherited the estate, but lost almost all, having backed Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745 and was imprisoned for some time at Dumbarton Castle. Being eventually released he rebuilt his fortune, acting as a tobacco importer, he regained the right to his estates and built a much improved dwelling at Craigbarnet in 1786. He married Catherine Monteith of Auldcathy and the couple had two children named John and Charlotte.
On the death of James in February 1774, John (James’ uncle) inherited the estate as the only legitimate son (as twelfth of Craigbarnet and second of Kirklands). John Stirling married Anne Murray, daughter of Sir Patrick Murray of Balmanno, but they had no children. His sister Charlotte married James Gartshore of Alderstone and had five children, all of whom eventually died without issue.
John died in 1805 and was therefore succeeded by his nephew, Alexander Gartshore (thirteenth of Craigbarnet), the third and eldest surviving son of his sister, who promptly took the additional surname of Stirling. Alexander Gartshore-Stirling was an officer in the Royal Navy and he married Ann Millar, daughter of James Millar of Glasgow in 1806.
However James (Burrie) had sired further illegitimate children. An old work on The Kirklands of Strathblane and its inhabitants from Early times8 includes a description of Caigbarnet and continues with the recent family history, introducing our James’ father.
There is a beautiful spreading old plane tree just at the entrance of the new avenue to Craigbarnet from the Strathblane side, and under its shade stood a cottage where lived a worthy pair, one of whose daughters was a pretty girl who was dairymaid at Craigend farm, just across the public road. ‘Burrie’ [our James Stirling’s grandfather] used to visit this lass, and by and by in this humble home a son was born to them who was named James Stirling [his father]. The young James after a time lived in the ‘big house’ and was treated like a [legitimate] son of the family, but on some occasion he received, or supposed he had received, an insult about his birth. High-spirited and energetic, he at once left Craigbarnet, and it was not for some considerable time that it was found he had enlisted as a private in the 42nd Royal Highlanders. He rose rapidly to the highest grade of non-commissioned officers in this regiment, and then at the request of the colonel, his father purchased a commission for him.
As we can see, James (the father of our memorialist) had enlisted as a private in the 42nd Foot in 1776 after a dispute with his father, however he afterwards forgave him and purchased him a commission in the 42nd Foot, becoming an Ensign on 8 July 1777 and serving in the actions in North America at Brooklyn, Brandywine and Valley Forge. He gained the rank of Lieutenant on 3 November 1778 and served in Flanders from 1793 to 1795. He then became a Captain on 24 January 1795; Major 14 December 1796, serving at Minorca in 1798 and in Egypt in 1801 and was wounded at the Battle of Alexandria.
At the battle, the Regimental history9, records that Major James Stirling commanded the left wing of the 42nd, while the right wing under Lieutenant Colonel James Stewart were positioned two hundred metres to the rear as a reserve. Taking advantage of the early morning gloom, a demi-brigade of French grenadiers known as the ‘Invincibles’ with a six-pounder canon penetrated unobserved between the two wings. Being perceived, they were attacked by the right wing, while Stirling ordered his rear rank to turn about and engage their rear. Caught between two fires, the French tried to escape but came under sustained attack for other regiments as well and eventually lost over seven-hundred of their men before the remnant surrendered. Their standard was surrendered to Major Stirling personally, who gave it to Sergeant Sinclair of the Grenadier company to guard. However during later confused fighting, Sinclair was ridden over by French cavalry and the standard lost; it was then recovered by Private Anthony Lutz of the Minorca Regiment.
He became a brevet Lieutenant-Colonel on 11 May 1802; and a full Lieutenant Colonel on 7 September 1804. As such he commanded the First Battalion 42nd Foot in the Peninsula from August 1808 to January 1809 and subsequently at Walcheren. He became a Brevet Colonel on 4 June 1811 and commanded the battalion again in the Peninsula from April to November 1812, including a short period when James senior commanded the brigade on the death of General Wheatley between September & October 1812. The brigade being removed to the 6th Division in the November, he commanded the brigade again from November 1812 to June 1813; until Major General Pack was appointed to command the brigade. He went home in the following November. He saw action in the peninsula at the battles of Corunna, Salamanca, Burgos and the Pyrenees; receiving a gold medal for commanding the battalion at Corunna, Salamanca and the Pyrenees. He was subsequently promoted to Major General on 4 June 1814. He later became Lieutenant Governor of Cork in 1820 and died at Musselburgh on 12 December 1834.
James had married Jean Fisher and they had two children, Jean was born on 17 May 1785 and our James was born 29 October 1792. Jean subsequently married Paymaster John Home and had five children, James Stirling-Home who went to Australia; Alexander Home who became a teller in the Royal Bank; Gartshore Stirling-Home who became a Captain in the 5th Fusiliers; Jane Home who married a Major Bell and Christina who married Captain Elphinstone of the Honourable East India Company.
As to our James (junior); he became an Ensign by purchase in the 42nd Foot on 14 August 1805 at the age of thirteen, vice Ensign Thomas Munro10. James then rose to the rank of Lieutenant without purchase on 27 August 1807. James served in the Peninsula with 42nd Foot from September 1808 to January 1809, then at Walcheren and again in the peninsula from May 1812 to August 1813 (from October 1812 as Aide de Camp to his father Major General James Stirling). On his father’s retirement from active service, he joined the Portuguese Army from 9 November 1813 as a Brevet Captain in the 11th Line Regiment, remaining with them until 13 October 1814. He then became a Captain in the 42nd by purchase11 on 11 May 1815. He was present at Walcheren, Corunna, Salamanca, Burgos, the Pyrenees, Orthez and Toulouse. He retired from the army in 1817 and died on 20 January 1818 aged only 25 years old. The cause of his death is unknown.
Major General James Stirling and Captain James Stirling are both buried in St Michael’s Churchyard, Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland (see the photograph section).
The Epitaph on the monument to Major General James Stirling reads:
‘Sacred to the memory of Major General James Stirling, Lieutenant Governor of Cork, and for forty-two years an officer in the 42nd Royal Highlanders. With a wing of that national corps he annihilated the French Invincibles in Egypt, and took their standard with his own hand. He commanded that regiment through the Peninsular War, and after twenty-seven years of foreign service he retired in 1813 into private life, where, cultivating the virtues which adorn the Christian character, he died, full of years and honours, at his villa of Eskbank, 12th December 1834. His remains, borne hither by his veteran companions in arms, are here interred.’
On the reverse of the above monument is inscribed the following simple record:
‘James Stirling, son, Captain 42nd R[oyal] H[ighlanders] / Died 20 January 1818 Aged 25’.