Off to war he goes, more or less, mostly less
In 1776 (one source says 1777), when he was fourteen (or fifteen in one source, and sixteen in another, take your pick), Lachlan signed up for the British army, as so many almost-starving Scots were forced to do. There seem to be at least two stories about this, and we're unclear whether they're connected, right, wrong, or whatever is left.
One story is that Lachlan signed up with his clan chieftain, who was 63 at the time, to fight for the English-speaking, but occasionally mad, son of the German-speaking king. This English-speaker, now King of England in his own right, was the gent who, with the help of his stupid, but despite all the evidence presumably sane, advisers, had incompetently driven many of his American subjects to revolt. That's those who lived in what we now know as the United States of America, not those who lived in Canada.
The clan chieftain hoped to raise funds for the clan (and himself). The only way to do this was to win battles and loot towns. The chieftain, to cement his position as a colonel, needed not only to pay a substantial sum for his commission, but also to persuade men to accompany him.
Despite persuading Lachlan to head for America, the remaining men of Ulva refused to follow their chieftain. Who, after all, was responsible for him losing all his money? That much of it had been spent on them didn't seem to occur. Mind you, the chieftain had lived in a significantly better house than any of them. And, as it turned out, these blokes were the smart ones.
Still, the chieftain managed to put enough cash and men together to be accepted by the army, and off to America they went. But it turned out to be a total waste of money and time. Posted to guard duty in Canada, America, and Jamaica, the Macquarries/Macquaries, chieftain and boy, saw no fighting, therefore no looting, no honour, no promotion, and no cash beyond their meagre pay.
The second story says Lachlan signed up with his uncle Murdoch Maclaine, the Laird of Lochbuie, who was in turn following one of Lachlan's cousins, Colonel (later General) Allan Maclean. Two of Lachie's brothers had also signed up, apparently under their own steam. Both were captured, one by the Americans, the other by the French. Only the latter survived.
On the way to America, Macquarie got to be at least a spectator as his ship, a merchant ship co-opted as a troop carrier, actually defeated an attack by an armed American privateer whose commander probably didn't expect to be confronted by a ship full of armed men. Oddly, this event doesn't seem to rate much attention from American historians. Anyway, that was as close as Lachlan got to any fighting, and despite various websites stating or implying he took part in the fight, there's absolutely no evidence. Five months after his arrival, he was commissioned (made an officer) as an ensign. In 1781, he was promoted to lieutenant.
I repeat, we don't know which of these tales is true,or more to the point, probably, which bits of which tale are true. This will take much more research. Perhaps we'll be able to correct these details at some indefinite time in the far distant future.
Finally, for this page, in 1784, at the age of around 22, Lachlan returned to the family farm at Oskamull as a half-pay lieutenant. At least he was alive, which is one of the great benefits, perhaps the only benefit as far as Lachlan was concerned, of avoiding all the fighting. Not to ignore that in the Caribbean in particular the risk of death from disease was much greater than that of death from an American, French, or Dutch bullet.
One story is that Lachlan signed up with his clan chieftain, who was 63 at the time, to fight for the English-speaking, but occasionally mad, son of the German-speaking king. This English-speaker, now King of England in his own right, was the gent who, with the help of his stupid, but despite all the evidence presumably sane, advisers, had incompetently driven many of his American subjects to revolt. That's those who lived in what we now know as the United States of America, not those who lived in Canada.
The clan chieftain hoped to raise funds for the clan (and himself). The only way to do this was to win battles and loot towns. The chieftain, to cement his position as a colonel, needed not only to pay a substantial sum for his commission, but also to persuade men to accompany him.
Despite persuading Lachlan to head for America, the remaining men of Ulva refused to follow their chieftain. Who, after all, was responsible for him losing all his money? That much of it had been spent on them didn't seem to occur. Mind you, the chieftain had lived in a significantly better house than any of them. And, as it turned out, these blokes were the smart ones.
Still, the chieftain managed to put enough cash and men together to be accepted by the army, and off to America they went. But it turned out to be a total waste of money and time. Posted to guard duty in Canada, America, and Jamaica, the Macquarries/Macquaries, chieftain and boy, saw no fighting, therefore no looting, no honour, no promotion, and no cash beyond their meagre pay.
The second story says Lachlan signed up with his uncle Murdoch Maclaine, the Laird of Lochbuie, who was in turn following one of Lachlan's cousins, Colonel (later General) Allan Maclean. Two of Lachie's brothers had also signed up, apparently under their own steam. Both were captured, one by the Americans, the other by the French. Only the latter survived.
On the way to America, Macquarie got to be at least a spectator as his ship, a merchant ship co-opted as a troop carrier, actually defeated an attack by an armed American privateer whose commander probably didn't expect to be confronted by a ship full of armed men. Oddly, this event doesn't seem to rate much attention from American historians. Anyway, that was as close as Lachlan got to any fighting, and despite various websites stating or implying he took part in the fight, there's absolutely no evidence. Five months after his arrival, he was commissioned (made an officer) as an ensign. In 1781, he was promoted to lieutenant.
I repeat, we don't know which of these tales is true,or more to the point, probably, which bits of which tale are true. This will take much more research. Perhaps we'll be able to correct these details at some indefinite time in the far distant future.
Finally, for this page, in 1784, at the age of around 22, Lachlan returned to the family farm at Oskamull as a half-pay lieutenant. At least he was alive, which is one of the great benefits, perhaps the only benefit as far as Lachlan was concerned, of avoiding all the fighting. Not to ignore that in the Caribbean in particular the risk of death from disease was much greater than that of death from an American, French, or Dutch bullet.