Military Recruitment
Recruitment for the armed services formed a central part of wartime policies, and this chapter addresses the recruitment which took place in Scotland, comparing this with England. The chapter addresses all the different types of armed units which were raised in the 1790s, ranging from regular forces such as the Army and the Royal Navy, to the different kinds of forces for ‘internal defence’ that were set up, the Fencibles, Volunteer Corps and Auxiliaries. Most attention has, however, been given to the raising of a Scottish Militia in 1797, and the main argument presented with respect to this is that – while the militia riots were not doubt serious and widespread – Scottish responses to the Militia Act were more varied that has often been allowed. There were many Scots who either supported the measure, or demonstrated their opposition in more constructive ways than to stage riots.