The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot and the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot. During the Crimean war, the 93rd (later 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) earned the sobriquet of "The Fighting Highlanders" and carried with it the status of having been the original "Thin Red Line". This title was bestowed following the Battle of Balaklava when the regiment stood alone facing four squadrons of charging Russian cavalry.
The 1st Battalion took part in the Boer War, arriving in the Cape in 1899. They played leading roles in the Battle of Modder River, the Battle of Magersfontein, and the Battle of Paardeberg. During the Great War, the 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre in December of 1914. The 2nd Battalion landed at Boulogne-Sur-Mer in August of 1914. The 2nd Battalion was later stationed in Claremorris, County Mayo in 1919, during the Irish War of Independence.
As part of the restructuring of the British Army's infantry in 2006, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were amalgamated with the other Highland regiments into the seven-battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.
