Chapter XXXI: A.d. 1745 (3)

[918] Idem, p. 38.--Lockhart _Papers_, vol. ii. p. 449. The accounts given by Home and the Chevalier Johnstone differ in some respects from that of Lord George Murray. Home says, that Mr. Robert Anderson (son of Anderson of Whitbrough in East Lothian, who had been engaged in the rebellion of 1715) had confirmed Ker of Gradon’s account of the ground after his survey, on being consulted by Lord George Murray,--that he was present at the council of war, but did not give any opinion; but that after Charles and his officers had separated, Anderson told Hepburn of Keith that he knew the ground perfectly, and was certain there was a better way to come at the king’s army than that which the council had resolved to follow,--that he would undertake to show them a place where they might easily pass the morass without being seen by the enemy, and without being exposed to their fire,--that Hepburn listened attentively to this information, and expressed his opinion of it in such terms that Anderson desired he would carry him to Lord George Murray,--that Hepburn advised him to go himself to Lord George, who knew him, and would like better to receive information from him alone than when introduced by another person,--that when Anderson came to Lord George Murray he found him asleep in a field of cut pease with several of the chiefs near him,--that on awakening his Lordship, he repeated what he had said to Mr. Hepburn, and offered to lead the men through the morass,--that Lord George considering this information important, awoke Charles, who was lying near him with a sheaf of pease for his pillow, and who, pleased with Anderson’s information, ordered Lochiel and the other chiefs to be called, all of whom approved of the plan of attack. The Chevalier Johnstone says that the officers of the army were perplexed how to act, from the apparent impossibility of making a successful attack, but that Anderson came to the prince in the evening very _a propos_, and relieved them from their embarrassment by informing them that there was a place in the marsh which could be crossed with safety, and that upon examining it Anderson’s information was found to be correct. Lord George’s own account appears, however, to give the real _res gestæ_. From it he appears to have communicated with Anderson and Hepburn _before_ the council of war had assembled. As his Lordship says that “at midnight the principal officers were called again,” it is probable he alludes to the scene described by Home, when the prince himself and the chiefs were awakened by Anderson; but as Anderson was present in the council, and as Lord George says, that, after this midnight call “all was ordered as was at first proposed,” it is very likely that Anderson was anxious to afford some additional information which he had formerly omitted to give.

[919] Home, p. 112.

[920] A party of 200 Munroes followed Cope to Aberdeen, but refused to embark as harvest-time was at hand.

[921] _Lockhart Papers_, vol. ii. p. 489.

[922] Home, p. 113.

[923] _Jacobite Memoirs_, p. 39.--Lockhart _Papers_, vol. ii. p. 449.--Home, p. 89.

[924] Idem.

[925] _Memoirs_, 3d edition, p. 35.

[926] Lockhart, vol. ii. p. 491.

[927] Home puts the Macdonalds of Glencoe on the left of the second line; but the author of the Journal and Memoirs, (Lockhart _Papers_, vol. ii. p. 491,) an officer in the Highland army who was in the battle, says that the Macdonalds of Glencoe were on the right of the first line. The official account published in the _Caledonian Mercury_ by Charles, also places the Glencoe men in the same situation.

[928] Home, p. 117.

[929] Lockhart _Papers_, vol. ii. p. 490.

[930] Idem, p. 401.

[931] _Caledonian Mercury_ of 23d Sept. 1745.

[932] _Jacobite Memoirs_, p. 40.

[933] Home, p. 118.

[934] Home, p. 119. _Jacobite Memoirs_, p. 40. _Lockhart Papers_, vol. ii. p. 490. Johnstone’s _Memoirs_, p. 35.

[935] Old General Wightman, who commanded the centre of the royalist army at the battle of Sheriffmuir, was present at this battle as a spectator. Mounted on his “old cropt galloway,” he posted himself by break of day about a musket shot in the rear of Hamilton’s dragoons, and had not taken his ground above three minutes when “the scuffle” began. He says it lasted about four minutes. After “all was in route,” Wightman remained in his station, “calm and fearless,” according to his own account, till he saw all the dragoons out of the field, and the foot surrounded on all sides. Ex-provost Drummond, “who (says Wightman) would needs fight among the dragoons,” was also present, mounted on an old dragoon horse, which one Mathie had purchased for £4, and had used as a cart horse. Not being able to reach Gardiner’s dragoons before the battle began, Drummond joined the squadrons under Hamilton; but “to his great luck,” and to the “great comfort,” of his friend Wightman, he was swept away out of the field by the cowardly dragoons, and accompanied Cope to Berwick.--_Culloden Papers_, p. 224.

[936] _Jacobite Memoirs_, p. 40.

[937] _Memoirs_, p. 37.

[938] Johnstone’s _Memoirs_, p. 36.--In the account of the battle published by the Highland army, Captain Macgregor is stated to have been mortally wounded; but he lived several years thereafter, and retired to France in 1753. On his arrival he addressed the following letter to Edgar, secretary to the Chevalier de St. George. The original is thus quoted in Edgar’s hand-writing, “Rob Roy’s son, May 22d, 1753:”--

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER,
_May 22d, 1753_.

SIR,--I use the freedom to beg of you to lay before his Majesty
my following unhappy case. What I am his Majesty will see by
the inclosed certificate, and whatever little my venity might
make me imagine I have to his Majesty’s protection, all I expect
or desire at present is, that assistance which is absolutely
necessary for the support of a man who has always shown the
strongest attachment to his Majesty’s person and cause. As long
as I could stay in Scotland I never thought to have added to his
Majesty a trouble or expense; but upon Dr. Cameron, Lochiel’s
brother, being taken up, a strict search was made over all, that
I had no way of avoiding being taken but comming to this country,
where I am in a situation so uneasy, that I am forced to applay
to the generosity of the best of kings. I flater myself that it
is in my power to acquaint his Majesty with something of the
greatest consequence to his cause and our country. But I think
it would be improper, unless I had the honor of being presented
to him. The general character you, Sir, have for being ready to
serve any body in distress, leaves me no room to doubt of your
interesting yourself in my behalf, which I dare say will be of
the greatest use to me, and I am sure will be conferring the
highest obligation upon, Sir,

Your most obedient and most humble servant,

JAS. DRUMMOND.

May I request the honor of an answer to the care of Lord
Strathallan.

The following is the certificate referred to:--

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER,
_May ye 22d, 1753_.

We the underwritten certify that it consists with our knowledge,
that James Drummond, son to the late Rob Roy, was imploy’d in the
Prince Regent’s affairs by James, Duke of Perth, before his Royal
Highness’s arrival in Scotland, and that afterwards he behaved
with great bravery in several battles, in which he received many
dangerous wounds.

STRATHALLAN.
CHARLES BOYD.
WILL^M. DRUMMOND.

To relieve his necessities, James ordered his banker at Paris to pay Macgregor 300 livres, in reference to which Lord Strathallan thus writes to Edgar, from Boulogne-sur-Mer, on 6th Sept., 1753:--“I had the honor of yours some time ago, and deferred writing you until I heard about the 300 livres for Mr. Drummond, (Macgregor); but I have never heard any more of it. I immediately acquainted Mr. D. with the contents of your letter. The attestation I signed was only as to his courage and personal bravery, for as to any thing else, I would be sorry to answer for him, as he has but an indifferent character as to real honesty.”--_Stuart Papers._

[939] According to the Chevalier Johnstone, (_Memoirs_, p. 38,) 1,300 of Cope’s men were killed; but Home states the number as not exceeding 200. He says, however, in a note, that some accounts of the battle written by officers in the rebel army, make the number killed to have been 400 or 500. These last seem to be nearer the truth.

[940] _Jacobite Memoirs_, p. 41.

[941] Report of Cope’s examination. The story told by the Chevalier Johnstone, of Cope’s having effected his escape through the midst of the Highlanders by mounting a white cockade, seems improbable, as Cope does not appear to have been in a situation to have rendered such a step necessary. If any officer made his escape in the way described, it is likely Colonel Lascelles was the man. He fell into the hands of the Highlanders; but in the hurry they were in, contrived to make his escape eastward, and arrived safe at Berwick. Amid the confusion which prevailed, he might easily have snatched a cockade from a dead or wounded Highlander, or procured one for a sum of money.

[942] Doddridge’s _Life of Colonel Gardiner_.

[943] Home, p. 121.

[944] These were Captain Robert Stewart of Ardshiel’s battalion; Captain Archibald Macdonald of Keppoch’s; Lieutenant Allan Cameron of Lindevra; and Ensign James Cameron of Lochiel’s regiment.

[945] Account published by the Highland army.--Kirkconnel MS.

[946] _Caledonian Mercury_, 25th September 1745.

[947] Lockhart _Papers_, vol. ii. p. 491.

[948] Lord George Murray says, that when traversing the field of battle in the afternoon he observed that some of Cope’s men, “who were the worst wounded, had not been carried to houses to be dressed; and though there were several of the country people of that neighbourhood looking at them, I could not prevail with them to carry them to houses, but got some of our people to do it.”--_Jacobite Memoirs_, p. 42.

[949] All the wounded privates of both armies were carried to the different villages adjoining the field of battle. Those of Cope’s officers who were dangerously wounded were lodged in Colonel Gardiner’s house, where surgeons attended them. In the evening, the remainder, (who had given their parole,) accompanied by Lord George Murray, went to Musselburgh, where a house had been provided for their reception. Some of them walked, but others, who were unable to do so, had horses provided for them by his lordship. The house into which they were put was newly finished, and had neither table, bed, chair, nor grate in it. Lord George caused some new thrashed straw to be purchased for beds, and the officers on their arrival partook of a tolerable meal of cold provisions and some liquor, which his lordship had carried along with him. When about to retire, the officers entreated him not to leave them, as being without a guard, they were afraid that some of the Highlanders, who were in liquor, might come in and insult or plunder them. Lord George consented, and lay on a floor by them all night. Some of the officers, who were valetudinary, slept that night in the house of the minister. Next day, after the departure of the prince for Edinburgh, the officers had quarters provided for them in Pinkie-house. The other prisoners, privates, were quartered in Musselburgh and the gardens of Pinkie for two nights, and were afterwards removed, along with the officers, to Edinburgh. The latter were confined for a few days in Queensberry-house, when they were released on parole, and allowed to reside in the city, on condition that they should hold no communication with the castle. The privates were confined in the church and jail of the Canongate. Such of the wounded as could be removed were put into the Royal Infirmary, where great care was taken of them. One of the officers having broke his parole by going into the castle, the others were sent to Perth. The privates were removed to Logierait in Athole; and the wounded were dismissed as they recovered, on taking an oath that they should not carry arms against the prince before the 1st of January, 1747.--_Jacobite Memoirs_, p. 42. _Lockhart Papers_, vol. ii. p. 451. _Caledonian Mercury._

[950] Johnstone’s _Memoirs_, p. 93.

[951] Idem, p. 40.