regiment raised
in Scotland in the year 1688 by the Earl of Leven, and then called
"Leven's" or the Edinburgh Regiment. At Minden it fought as Sempil's
Regiment, later it was known as the King's Own Borderers, and now it is
familiar to all as the King's Own Scottish Borderers. Entirely
unsupported, these two lines of scarlet-clad men marched steadily
against a mass of cavalry, the flower of the French army. Without haste,
without even a sign of hesitation or of wavering, over ground swept by
the fire of more than sixty cannon, they moved--a fire that ploughed
through their ranks and mowed down men as the hurricane blast smites to
the earth trees in a forest of pines. Not till the threatening
squadrons of horse began to get into motion did these British regiments
halt, and then, pausing coolly till the galloping ranks were all but
within striking distance, they fired a volley so withering that men and
horses fell in swathes, while the survivors reeled in confusion back on
their supports. Never before had volley so crushing been fired by
British troops. Up to that day, musketry had seldom been blasting in
effect; firelocks then in use were singularly clumsy weapons, noted for
anything but accuracy, and, to add to their inefficiency, it was not the
practice to bring the cumbersome piece to the shoulder, and thus to take
aim, but rather, the method was to raise the firelock breast high and
trust to chance that an enemy might be in the line of fire. Now all was
changed. During the Peace troops had been taught to aim from the
shoulder, and Minden showed the effect.

In spite of their losses, however, the French horse rallied and came
again to the attack, this time supported by four brigades of infantry
and thirty-two guns. "For a moment the lines of scarlet seemed to waver
under the triple attack; but, recovering themselves, they closed up
their ranks and met the charging squadrons with a storm of musketry
which blasted them off the field, then turning with equal fierceness
upon the French infantry, they beat them back with terrible loss."[2]

[2: Fortescue, _History of the Army_.]

Yet again the enemy came on; squadrons that up to now had not
encountered those terrible islanders, thundered down upon them,
undaunted. Through the first line this time the horsemen burst their
way, and surely now they must carry all before them. But no farther went
the measure of their success; the second line shattered them to
fragments, and