Clansmen are a type of melee infantry in Empire: Total War. They are exclusive to Scotland.
Description[]
These fierce Highland warriors intimidate all enemies with their wild skirling attacks and barbarous apparel.
Highland clans are the last tribal society in Western Europe. Men fight for their chieftains because they are expected to defend their clans’ honour and lands. They fight for these in the same way that they have done for centuries: with the broadsword and buckler, pistol, and Lochaber axe. There is little that regular line troops find as disturbing as the sight of a clan bearing down on them, screaming their hate and defiance. Highland Scots are brave, hard men.
Historically, the clans were destroyed as a military force at Culloden in 1746, by both British regulars and other, loyalist clansmen. The romance of the clans died on the field, along with a great many men who hurled themselves into a storm of lead and cannonballs armed with nothing more than swords. The clansmen were then repeatedly betrayed and used by their own chiefs, and then eventually driven off the land when sheep became more profitable. Highlanders were forced to scatter across the world, taking their fighting traditions with them.
General Information[]
Clansmen occasionally spawn if Scotland rebels. They are formidable in close combat, but suffer from the same shortcomings as other melee infantry: they cannot engage at a distance, and may suffer heavy casualties trying to close the gap.
Along with the likes of Miquelets, Mountain Troops, Race-Built Galleons and Barbary Pirates, Clansmen are some of the only units that are unique to a minor faction.