Wellington's Highlanders (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Stuart Reid (Author), Bryan Fosten (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: November 26, 1992

Ultimately, regiments are judged by their behaviour in battle; and highlanders have always had a reputation as 'stormers', as exemplified by the impetuous charge of the Gordons at Waterloo, intermingled with the Scots greys. This reputation probably resulted at least in part from an unusually close bonding between officers and men, and an assumption that highlanders were natural soldiers, possessed of an impetuous spirit and temperamentally more inclined to use the bayonet. Complemented by many illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Bryan Fosten, Stuart Reid's engaging text examines the uniforms and organisation of Wellington's Highlanders.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Stuart Reid was born in Aberdeen in 1954. His lifelong interest in military history has led to a longstanding involvement in historical re-enactment, which has broadened into work as a military advisor-cum-troop-instructor for film companies. His previous titles for Osprey include a three-volume work in the Men-at-Arms series on King George's Army 1740-1793 and Warrior 21 Highland Clansman 1689-1746.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855322560
• ISBN-13: 978-1855322561
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #667,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Men-at-Arms fascinating!, August 30, 2000

By 

Eduardo J. Tellez A (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wellington's Highlanders (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

I am not a fan of Osprey publications. There was a time when I would buy every Osprey Napoleonic title. This was until, when doing research in primary sources on my own, I found that many of these books, and their attendant art work, to be generally average at best, and sometimes not reliable at all.

I found the volume on Wellingtons Highlanders troops fascinating. The Highland recruited, developed, or thrown together to combat the swarms of very effective are meticulously listed in this volume and it gives a very good picture of the units that gradually developed into the 79th Cameron and effective 92nd Gordons and infantry regiments of the Wellingtons Army. What is also interesting is the varieties of both clothing and uniforms these varied corps wore (and there is a difference), being influnce by their culture(Scottish). It is a true menagerie for uniformologists.

I'm sure everyone is very familiar with the Men-at-Arms format, but I'll briefly review it for anyone not familiar with it. The Men-at-Arms series is a general, somewhat brief (limited to 48 pages) uniform history of famous units and/or armies in specific wars or campaigns. They are profusely illustrated with relevant illustrations of uniforms, as well as eight color plates of the subject in question by a contemporary military artist. The narrative describes the uniforms in detail, sometimes with a brief history of either the unit, personalities, or both. Additionally, the plates are explained and there is a necessarily brief note on sources. In the hands of an expert such as Stuart Reid, this can be a narrative overflowing with useful, very accurate, and sometimes newfound information. All of the 48-page volumes have excellent color plates; however, my favorites are those by Eugene Leliepvre,Bryan Fosten and Francis Back. These are very talented artists give us very realistic renderings of what soldiers undoubtedly looked like on campaign and in combat.

These book is thorough studies, written in a scholarly manner with well thought out illustrations and color plates.Stuart Reid and Osprey have done us a great service with these volume and all of them belong on our bookshelves. They are accurate, packed with information, written by an acknowledged authority of the periods covered, who is a meticulous researcher and an entertaining author. What these volumes proved to me is that we really shouldn't judge a book (or a series, for that matter) by its cover or its title. Osprey has once again, in my mind, placed itself in the top notch of military history books available for research purposes, as well as entertainment.

Anyone who consider himself a fan of the Highlanders Regiments would enjoy this fascinating book I also recomened the Highland Clansman 1689-1746 from the same author excellent and very informative.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highlanders of the Napoleonic War, January 15, 2008

By 

K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wellington's Highlanders (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

This Osprey book takes a look and the uniforms and regimental colors of the regiments of Scottish Highlanders that served in the British Army c. 1787-1815. It opens a with a fairly brief introduction to the origins, weapons, and character of these Regiments, and then goes on to examine their uniforms and colors in great detail; this latter section of the book would admittedly be of little use to someone lacking a strong interest in or knowledge of the Highland Regiments.

As is always the case with Osprey, the color plates are well done and enjoyable to look at. Plate 'F' is particularly neat for its focus exclusively on the Highland Pipers of this era. I would also recommend the men-at-arms titles 'Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders' (volume 3) and the recently-published 'Queen Victoria's Highlanders' (volume 442)for somone interested in this book.