Annotation:Quick Step 71st Regiment

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QUICK STEP 71st REGIMENT. Scottish, March (6/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The 71st Regiment of Foot, the 71st Highlanders or "Fraser's Highlanders", was raised in 1775 by Simon Fraser of Lovat, largely from men from Inverness and Stirling. Two battalions were formed and in April, 1776, and sailed from Glasgow to help quell the rebellion in the American colonies, where they served in campaigns in the middle and southern colonies. The 71st did not fare well, however, as they were greatly reduced by sickness upon arrival in America, and sickness again took a toll when they were transferred south later in the war. The 1st Battalion was effectively destroyed at the southern battle of Cowpens in January, 1781, with many men being taken prisoner. The Regiment was formed onto a single battalion which went into captivity after Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown in October 1781. They sailed home in December, 1782, with the general departure of British troops from America.

The 71st at the Battle of Vimiero, Spain, August 1808. Piper George Clark, wounded in the groin, pipes the 71st into their second charge of the day.



Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Aird (Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1), 1782; No. 17, p. 6.

Recorded sources:




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