The Jacobite Rebellions | Page 5

that country generally,
lowlands as well as highlands, would be in arms with him; so, upon
communicating your letter to the Council this morning, they thought it
not fit absolutely to recall him, but leave it much to himself, and
desired him to send any of the English horse that is with him to the
west country, where they can be best provided with horse meat, and
most of our own new levied horse we intend should go there also, and
some regiments of our foot lays there and about Stirling, the rest being
in St. Johnston,[1] Dundie, and about this place, beside what is with

Mackay, from whom we have not heard since what I sent you.
P. 248. THE SAME TO THE SAME.
Holyroodhous, 28 July, 1689.
MY LORD,--On Friday last Major General Mackay marched from St.
Johnston with about 4000 foot, 4 troops of horse and dragoons, and was
at Dunkell that night, where he received intelligence that Dundie was
come to Blair in Atholl; he marched on Saturday towards him, and
within two miles of Blair about 5 at night they engaged, and by several
inferior officers and soldiers that is come here this evening, gives us the
account, that after a sharp engagement Dundie being much stronger, the
Major General was quite defeat, and I have yet heard of no officers of
quality that is come of but Lieutenant Colonel Lauther, who my Lord
Ruthven spoke with as he came from St. Johnston this day, and gives
the same account of their being wholly routed, but the confusion is
such here that the particulars is hardly to be got. We have given orders
at Council this afternoon to draw all the standing forces to Stirling, and
has sent to the west country to raise all the fencible men, and Sir John
Lanier has write to the English forces in Northumberland to march in
here, and is going to Stirling to command, for Mackay is either killed
or taken by all the account we have yet got, but you shall quickly have
another flying packet or an express.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Perth.

THE BATTLE OF KILLIECRANKIE (1689).
+Source.+--Memoirs of the War carried on in Scotland and Ireland,
1689-1691, by Major-General Hugh Mackay, Commander-in-Chief of
His Majesty's forces. With an appendix of original papers, p. 50.
(Edinburgh: Bannatyne Club, 1833.)
Being come up to the advanced party he[2] saw some small parties of

the enemy, the matter of a short mile, marching slowly along the foot
of a hill which lay towards Blair, marching towards us; whereupon he
sent orders to Balfour to march up to him in all haste with the foot. But
presently upon that order, having discovered some bodies of them
marching down an high hill, within a quarter of a mile to the place
where he stood, when the gross[3] of their body appeared, fearing that
they should take possession of an eminence just above the ground
where our forces halted on, of a steep and difficult ascent, full of trees
and shrubs, and within a carbine shot of the place whereon we stood,
whereby they could undoubtedly force us with their fire in confusion
over the river, he galloped back in all haste to the forces, and having
made every battalion form by a Quart de Conversion to the right upon
the ground they stood, made them march each before his face up the
hill, by which means he prevented that inconveniency, and got a
ground fair enough to receive the enemy, but not to attack them, there
being, within a short musket shot to it, another eminence before our
front, as we stood when we were up the lowest hill, near the river,
whereof Dundee had already got possession before we could be well up,
and had his back to a very high hill, which is the ordinary maxim of
Highlanders, who never fight against regular forces upon anything of
equal terms, without a sure retreat at their back, particularly if their
enemies be provided of horse; and to be sure of their escape, in case of
a repulse, they attack bare footed, without any clothing but their shirts,
and a little Highland doublet, whereby they are certain to outrun any
foot, and will not readily engage where horse can follow the chase any
distance.... Shortly thereafter, and about half an hour before sunset,
they began to move down the hill.
The General had already commanded the officers, commanding
battalions, to begin their firing at the distance of 100 paces by platoons,
to discourage the approaching Highlanders, meeting with continual fire:
That part of their forces which stood opposite to Hastings, who had the
right of all, before the Generals', Levin's and Kenmore's regiments,
came down briskly together with their horse, and notwithstanding