The officer in this detail, taken from a photo of a variety of Highland officers wears a dark blue frock coat and forage cap. He has an officer’s crimson silk sash on his left shoulder and a black leather waist-belt to support his infantry pattern sword. He holds white leather gloves and has trews in the tartan of Cameron of Erracht.
The frock coat is not special to Scottish regiments; it was authorised for officers of Infantry of the Line, described as double-breasted with stand-up collar rounded off in front; cuffs and lapels all blue. Round cuffs 2.75 inches deep, slash flap 5.25 inches long and 1.5 ins wide, with three regimental buttons. On his chest are two rows of gilt buttons, 8 on each side. There were flaps behind, on the skirts, 10 inches deep, two buttons on the flap and one on the waist.The skirts, lined with black, were 17 inches long for an officer 5’9” in height, with a quarter inch difference for each inch difference in the height of the officer. There was a crimson silk cord on the left shoulder to hold the sash. Colonels, lieutenant-colonels and majors had badges of rank on the collar; captains and subalterns had no rank badges.
The forage cap for Highlanders was of blue cloth with a red seam around the top. The cap band was to be diced red, white and green; a black leather peak and chin strap. The 1861 Dress Regulations for Highland Regiments state ‘the number of the regiment in gold embroidery on the band and a gold embroidered thistle above the number.’ The shapeless cap worn by this officer is the old style and compares unfavourably with the newer one worn by the officer of the 78th Ross-Shire Buffs behind him, and they have different types of peak.
