Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Maclean, Allan
MACLEAN, ALLAN (1725–1784), colonel, a son of Maclean of Torloisk, Island of Mull, was born there in 1725. The Torloisk Macleans were a younger branch of the Macleans of Dowart Castle, Mull, and their lands passed to the heiress, Margaret, daughter of Major-general Douglas Maclean Clephane, who married in 1815 the second Marquis of Northampton; the property thus fell to the marquis's descendants. Allan and his brother Francis were subalterns in the Scots brigade in the Dutch service, at the defence of Bergen-op-Zoom in 1747. Part of the brigade cut its way out of the city with terrible loss. The Macleans were taken prisoners and carried before the French commander, Marshal Lowendahl, who at once released them on parole, paying the highest compliment to the bravery of their countrymen. Ten years later Allan, still a lieutenant of Scots-Dutch, was appointed captain of a company in the regiment of highlanders raised by Archibald Montgomery, afterwards eleventh Earl of Eglintoun [q. v.], which was disbanded as the 77th highland loot in 1768. Montgomery's highlanders went to America, were with Brigadier-general John Forbes in the second expedition to Fort Du Quesne, and saw much adventurous service in the backwoods and in the West Indies (Stewart, i. 295, 329, ii. 60–3; cf. Parkman, ii. 130-161). On 18 Oct. 1761 Maclean was appointed major-commandant of a corps of highlanders to be raised as the 114th royal highland volunteers, which supplied some fine drafts to other highland corps in Germany and Canada. It was reduced in November 1763, when Maclean was placed on half-pay. In June 1776 he was commissioned as lieutenant-colonel commandant of a corps of royal highland emigrants, to be raised from discharged highland soldiers and their families, who had settled in America at the close of the previous war. The expatriation of these people had been in every case voluntary, and they displayed the greatest loyalty and zeal. The two battalions, each seven hundred strong, raised, one by Maclean in Canada, the other by Major John Small of Strathardh in Athol, were speedily complete. They wore full highland garb of 42nd pattern, distinguished by racoon-skin (instead of badger-skin) purses. The first battalion under Maclean did good service in Canada. It was stationed at Quebec when that place was attacked by a force of three thousand Americans under Montgomery and Benedict Arnold [q. v.] Maclean's battalion had been despatched up the St. Lawrence, but returned by forced marches, and entered the city unobserved by the Americans on the night of 13 Nov. 1776. Maclean was entrusted by General Guy Carleton [q. v.] with the command. When the Americans attacked the place on 31 Dec. 1776, Maclean defeated them with heavy loss. Arnold then entrenched himself on the heights of Abraham; but his efforts were foiled at all points by Maclean, and in May 1777 he raised the siege and retired. On 1 April 1779 the royal highland emigrants were brought into the line as the 84th, or royal highland emigrants' regiment of foot. The battalions continued to serve in Canada and Nova Scotia until after the peace of 1783, when they were disbanded, the officers and men receiving free grants of land. A field officer's grant was five thousand acres. Maclean became a brevet colonel, 17 Nov. 1782. He appears to have died in 1784. His correspondence during his command of the highland emigrants is among the Haldimand MSS. in the British Museum. Maclean's kinsman (not brother, as stated in Anderson and Keltie), Francis, who was with him in the Scots-Dutch, was afterwards lieutenant-colonel of the old 82nd, or Hamilton regiment, and died a brigadier-general, commanding in Nova Scotia, at Halifax, 4 May 1781 (see Beamish Murdoch, Hist. Nova Scotia, li. 600, 614).
[Regimental Records; Anderson's Scottish Nation, vol. iii.; Keltie's Scottish Highlanders, ii. 452; Stewart's Sketches of the Scotch Highlanders, Edinburgh, 1822, 2 vols.; Appleton's Cyclop. of American Biog. iv. 142; Parkman's Montcalm and Wolfe, London, 1884, vol. ii.]