the peace of
1763. This alone would make a very unfavorable impression on the minds
of Americans. But when to this is added the efforts of British officers
to organize the emigrants from the Highlands into a special regiment, as
early as November, 1775, the rising of the Highlanders both in North
Carolina and on the Mohawk, the enlisting of emigrants on board vessels
before landing and sailing by Boston to join their regiments at Halifax,
and on the passage listening to the booming of the cannon at Bunker
Hill; and the further fact that both the 42nd and Fraser's Highlanders
were ordered to embark at Greenock for America, five days before the
battle of Lexington, it is not a matter of surprise that a strong
resentment should be aroused in the breasts of many of the most devoted
to the cause of the Revolution.

The feeling engendered by the acts of Scotland towards those engaged in
the struggle for human liberty crops out in the original draft of the
Declaration of Independence as laid before Congress July 1, 1776. In the
memorable paper appeared the following sentence: "At this very time,
too, they are permitting their chief magistrate to send over, not only
soldiers of our common blood, but Scotch and foreign mercenaries to
invade and destroy us." The word "Scotch" was struck out, on motion of
Dr. John Witherspoon, himself a native of Scotland; and subsequently the
whole sentence was deleted.

The sentence was not strictly true, for there were thousands of
Americans of Scotch ancestry, but principally Lowland. There were also
thousands of Americans, true to the principles of the Revolution, of
Highland extraction. If the sentence had been strictly true, it would
have served no purpose, even if none were alienated thereby. But, the
records show that in the American army there were men who rendered
distinguished services who were born in the Highlands; and others, from
the Lowlands, rendered services of the highest value in their civil
capacities.

The armies of the Colonies had no regiments or companies composed of
Highland Scotch, or even of that extraction, although their names abound
scattered through a very large percentage of the organized forces. The
only effort[149] which appears to have been made in that direction rests
on two petitions by Donald McLeod. The first was directed to the
Committee for the City and County of New York, dated at New York, June
7, 1775:

"That your petitioner, from a deep sense