A.D. 1689.]

pledge that he should not be molested.

THE BATTLE OF KILLIECRANKIE.

But, unfortunately for him, an emissary from James in Ireland, bearing letters to Dundee and Balcarras, was intercepted, and immediately Balcarras was arrested, and Dundee made his escape into the highlands. There, though he could not move any of the clans by any motives of loyalty to declare for James, he contrived to effect this object through their own internal enmities. Most of them had an old and violent feud with the clan Campbell. The Argyll family had, through a long succession of years, extended its territories and its influence over the western highlands at the expense of the other clans, some of which it had nearly extirpated; and now the head of the family came back from exile in the favour of the new monarch, and all these clans, the Stuarts, the Macnaghtens, the Camerons, the Macdonalds, the Macleans, were all in alarm and expectation of a severe visitation for past offences, and for unpaid feudal dues. They were, therefore, moved from this cause to unite against William, because it was to unite against MacCallum More, the chieftain of Argyll. If William was put down Argyll was put down. Whilst Dundee was busy mustering these clans, and endeavouring to reconcile all their petty jealousies and bring them to act together, he sent earnestly to James in Ireland to dispatch to him a tolerable body of regular troops, for without them he despaired of keeping long together his half savage and anmanageable highlanders. Till then he avoided a conflict with the troops sent by the convention under Mackay against him. It was in vain that Mackay marched from one wild district to another; the enemy still eluded him amongst the intricate fastnesses and forests of the highlands, tili his troops were wearied out with climbing crags, and threading rugged defiles and morasses; and he returned to quarters in Stirling, Aberdeen, and other towns at the foot of the mountain district.

It was the opinion of lord Tarbet, who understood the statistics of the highlands well, that if William would send about five thousand pounds to enable the clans to discharge their debts to the earl of Argyll, and obtain from that chieftain an assurance that he would abstain from hostilities against them, that they would all submit at once, and leave Dundee to find support where he could. But his advice was attempted to be carried out in so absurd a manner, by choosing an agent from the clan Campbell as the mediator on the occasion, that the clans refused to treat with him, and became all the more devoted to the interests of James. Things were in this position when in June a civil contention broke out in Athol. The marquis, unwilling to declare for either side, had retired to England, and his eldest son, lord Murray, who had married a daughter of the duke of Hamilton, and declared for king William, was opposed by the marquis's steward, who declared for king James. The steward held Blair castle, and lord Murray besieged him in it. This called out Dundee to repel Murray and support the steward, the adherent of James; and Mackay, hoping now to meet with him, put his forces in march for the place of strife. The two armies, in fact, at length came into contact in the stern pass of Killiecrankie, near Dunkeld. This was then one of the wildest and most terrible defiles in the highlands; the mountain torrent of the Garry roaring through its deep and rocky strait.

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The forces of Dundee consisted of about three thousand highlanders, and a body of Irish, under an officer of the name of Cannon, amounting to about three hundred, an ill-armed and ragged rabble whom James had sent over instead of the efficient regiments for which Dundee had so earnestly prayed. On the other hand, Mackay commanded about the same number of regular troops; these were the three Scotch regiments which he had brought from Holland, a regiment of English infantry-now the thirteenth of the line-and two regiments of lowland Scots, newly raised, commanded by the lords Kenmore and Leven. He had, besides, two troops of horse, one of which was commanded by lord Belhaven.

On the morning of Saturday, the 27th of July, Mackay had just struggled through the pass of Killiecrankie, his twelve hundred baggage-horses-for no wheel-carriages could approach such a place-scarcely through, when the enemy was upon them. The men had thrown themselves down to recover from their fatigue, on an open space on the banks of the Garry, when they were called to resume their arms by the appearance of Dundee leading on his troops of wild highlanders. Cameron of Lochiel, a man of distinguished bravery and ability, was second in command, and urged Dundee to come to an engagement without the least delay. The two armies drew up, that of Mackay with the Garry on its left, that of Dundee with the stream on its right. Lord Murray and the few forces with him united with the forces of Mackay.

It was early in the afternoon when the hostile parties began to fire on each other, and the regular troops of Mackay did considerable execution on the highlanders; yet it was seven o'clock in the evening before Dundee gave the order to charge. Then the highlanders raised a wild shout, which was returned by the enemy with a cry so much less lively and determined, that Lochiel exclaimed, "We shall do it now; that is not the cry of men who are going to win." The highlanders dropped their plaids and rushed forward. They were received by a steady fire of the lowlanders; but, as these prepared to charge with the bayonet, they were so much delayed by the nature of the operation—having, according to the practice of the time, to stick the bayonets into the muzzles of their guns, instead of, as now, having them already screwed on to them-that the highlanders were down upon them before they were prepared, and cut through and through their lines. Having discharged their firearms, the Celts threw them away, and assailed the lowland troops with dirk and claymore. The whole of the Scotch regiments broke, and were scattered like leaves before a whirlwind. Balfour was killed at the head of his regiment; Mackay's brother fell whilst gallantly endeavouring to keep together his men; and Mackay himself was compelled to give way. The English horse were yet on the ground, and Mackay spurred towards them, and called on them to charge and break the onslaught of the furious highlanders on the foot; but he called in vain; spite of the brave example of Belhaven, the horse fled as fast as their steeds could carry them. There was nothing for it but for Mackay to endeavour to save himself; and, followed by only one servant, he managed to cut his way through the enemy and reach a neighbouring height.

There the scene that presented itself was astounding. His whole army had vanished except the English regiment, which kept together in perfect order, and a few of the troops of lord Leven. These had poured a murderous fire into the ranks of the highlanders, and still shot numbers of them down as in fiery rage they pursued the flying lowlanders down the ravine, where the confused mass of enemies were plunged in chaotic strife-one violent, horrid effort to escape or to kill. In this strange melee were involved the twelve hundred pack-horses, which alone effected a diversion for the fugitives, the highlanders stopping to make themselves masters of so rich a booty.

Mackay lost no time in getting the English regiment, with lord Leven and his remnant of men, and such few others as he could collect, across the Garry. That being effected he halted, and again looked back, expecting that he should be hotly pursued, but no such thing; the highlanders were, in fact, too agreeably detained by the plunder. But that supposition did not account to him for the easy manner

FIDEI DEFENSORES & CYLI

him in his arms, when he asked, "How goes the day?" "Well for king James," said the man, "but I am sorry for your lordship." "If it be well for the king," replied Dundee, "it matters the less for me," and expired. Spite of the ferocious cruelty of this awful persecutor of the covenanters, whose name will remain an execration to the end of time, he had of late shown so much ability in mustering and keeping together his army of most unmanageable materials, and on all occasions displayed such reckless courage, that a certain romance has always hung about his name, and for a time his crimes and diabolical cruelties were almost forgotten in admiration of his gallantry and the brilliant termination of his career.

Mackay made his way over the mountains by Weem castle and castle Drummond to Stirling. On the way he overtook the fugitives from Ramsay's regiment, who had fled at the first onset. They were completely cowed and demoralised, and it was only by threatening to shoot any man that left the track that he could prevent them dispersing

MARIA DEDEV CRAD

in which such a general as Dundee allowed of his retreat, and he declared to his guards that he was sure Dundee must have fallen.

And in this opinion he was quite right. Dundee had fallen in the very commencement of the general charge. He had led it on, contrary to the advice of Lochiel, who had urged on him the necessity of not exposing himself too much. Waving his hat, and calling his soldiers to follow him, he dashed forward, when a bullet struck him below the cuirass, which was raised by his action of rising in his stirrups and waving his arm, and he fell to the ground. The tradition of the highlands is, that Dundee was believed to have made a compact with the devil, and bore a charmed life, which no ball of lead or iron could touch; that a soldier of Mackay's army, seeing him galloping unharmed amid showers of flying balls, plucked a silver button from his own coat, and fired at him with instant effect. The fall of the general was only observed by a few of his own soldiers who were near him, and one of them caught

amongst the hills and rocks. Many of them, after all, managed to elude his vigilance, and were killed by the highlanders for their clothes. It was reported that Mackay lost two thousand men in the battle, and that five hundred were made prisoners; but, on the other hand, a great number of the highlanders fell on the field. The rest, before retreating with the booty, piled a great heap of stones on the spot where Claverhouse fell. That is still shown, and is the only monument of John Graham, viscount Dundee, for the church of Blair Athol in which he was buried has long since disappeared, and his tomb with it.

The news of the defeat of Mackay caused consternation through the lowlands, and even to London, whither it was carried by couriers charged with earnest appeals to the king to hasten forces on to Scotland, to protect the people from the torrents of victorious barbarians from the mountains, who were with terror expected to devastate the whole country. The Scottish convention urged Hamilton to dismiss them, that they might provide for their safety; but

defence, the country round was alarmed, the protestant gentry flocked in with armed followers, horse and foot, and Antrim thought it prudent to retire to Coleraine.

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of destroying; and D'Avaux, the French ambassador, who accompanied James over the country from Kinsale to Dublin, describes it as one black, wasted desert, for scores of miles without a single inhabitant, and calculates that in six weeks these infuriate savages had slaughtered fifty thousand cattle and three or four hundred thousand sheep.

were called on to arm and secure Ireland for the Irish. The call was obeyed with the avidity of savages. Those who had not arms manufactured them out of scythes, forks, and At another time Tyrconnel would have taken a bloody other rural implements. Every smithy was aglow, every vengeance on the courageous protestants of Ulster, but hammer resounding in preparation of pike and skean, the matters in England appeared too critical to permit him such Irish long knife. By February, 1689, the army of Ireland indulgence. He had recourse, therefore, to artifice. He was swelled with regulars and irregulars to a hundred thoudispatched lord Mountjoy, the master of the ordnance, with sand men. There was one universal shout of bacchanalian his regiment, which included many protestants, to London- acclaim, and rush to secure the plunder of the protestants. derry. Mountjoy was a protestant himself, though an The houses of the wealthy were ransacked, the cattle driven adherent of king James; had much property in Ulster, and off, the buildings and even the heaths set fire to. The wild was highly respected there. The citizens of Londonderry marauders roasted the slaughtered cattle and sheep at huge willingly admitted him within their walls, and suffered him fires often made of timbers of the buildings, emptied the to leave a garrison there, consisting solely of protestant cellars, and sung infinite songs of triumph over the heretic soldiers, under the command of lieutenant-colonel Lundy as Englishry, and of Ireland restored to its legitimate owners. governor. To the people of Enniskillen Mountjoy was less What an Ireland it was likely to become under them was courteous; he somewhat curtly treated a deputation thence, soon evident. They were not content to kill enough to and advised them to submit unconditionally to James. Tyr-satisfy their hunger; these demoniac children of oppression connel even affected to enter into negotiation with William, and ignorance, like wolves, destroyed for the mere pleasure and general Richard Hamilton was not very wisely dispatched by William to Ireland to treat with him. Hamilton had been in command under Tyrconnel till a very recent period, and had been sent by him with reinforcements to James in England. There, finding James had fled, he very coolly went over to William, and, strangely enough, was deemed sufficiently trustworthy to be returned to his old master as negotiator. He no sooner arrived than he once more declared for king James. Tyrconnel, however, did not himself so soon throw off the mask of duplicity. He protested to the prince of Orange that he was quite disposed to treat for the surrender of Ireland, and to the alarmed catholics of Ireland-who got some wind of his proceedings -that he had not the most distant idea of submitting. On the other hand, he prevailed on lord Mountjoy, who had so well served him at Londonderry, to go on a mission to James at St. Germains, professedly to procure a concession from James that his Irish subjects should submit to William for the present, and not rush into a contest to which they were unequal, but wait for better times. The real truth was, that James had already dispatched Captain Rush from St. Germains to Tyrconnel to assure him that he was coming himself with all haste with a powerful fleet and army. Tyrconnel was, therefore, desirous to get Mountjoy secured, as he was capable of uniting the protestants and heading them against the bloody butchery that James and Tyrconnel destined for them. Mountjoy somewhat reluctantly fell into the snare. He proceeded to France, accompanied by chief baron Rice, a fanatical papist, who had boasted that he would drive a coach and six through the act of settlement. Rice had secret instructions to denounce Mountjoy as a traitor, and to recommend James to make him fast. No sooner, therefore, did he present himself at St. Germains than he was clapped into the Bastille.

Before such an inundation of fury and murder, the few protestant inhabitants were swept away like chaff before the wind. All the fortified towns and houses in the south were forced by the ruthless mob and soldiery, or were abandoned, and the people fled for their lives to seek an asylum in Ulster. Those of Kenmare managed to get across in a small vessel to Bristol.

In all this fearful scene of devastation Hamilton, who had come over as the emissary of William, was one of the most active and unpitying agents. Enniskillen and Londonderry were the only protestant places which now held out, and Hamilton commenced his march northward to reduce them. This march was only another avatar of 'desolation, like that which had swept the south and left the country a howling wilderness. Besides his regular troops, hosts of the selfarmed and merciless Irish collected on his track, and burnt, plundered, and murdered without mercy. The people fled before the devilish rout, themselves burning their own dwellings, and laying waste with fire the whole district, so that it should afford no shelter or sustenance to the enemy. The whole of the protestant population retreated northwards, leaving even Lisburn and Antrim deserted. Thirty thousand fugitives soon found themselves cooped up within the walls of Londonderry, and many thousands in Enniskillen.

At this crisis James landed at Kinsale, and marched to Cork. He had brought no army, but a number of officers to command the Irish troops. His general-in-chief was count Rosen, a man of much military experience. Next to him was lieutenant-general Maumont, brigadier-general Pu

This act of diabolical treachery being completed, Tyrconnel now abandoned further disguise, and prepared to hand over the whole protestant population of Ireland to the exter-signan, and four hundred other officers of different ranks. minating fury of the catholic natives. "Now or never; now and for ever!" was the watchword of blood and death to all the Englishry. It was embroidered on the viceregal banner, and floated over the castle of Dublin. The catholics

He was accompanied by count D'Avaux, who had been ambassador in England, a man clever, shrewd, keenly observant, and with as little mercy or principle as a devil. His object was to secure Ireland rather for Louis than for