Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

INVERLOCHY.
23
Dumbarton, where lie remained till Montrose's de-
parture from his territory. While there, a body of
covenanting troops, who had served in England, ar-
rived under the command of Major-General Baillie,
for the purpose of assisting Argyle in expelling Mon-
trose from his bounds; but on learning that Montrose
had left Argyle, and was marching through Glencoe
and Lochaber, General Baillie, instead of proceeding
into Argyle for the purpose of following Montrose,
determined to lead his army in an easterly direction
through the Lowlands, with the intention of inter-
cepting Montrose, should he attempt a descent. At
the same time it was arranged between Baillie and
Argyle, that the latter, who had now recovered from
his panic, in consequence of Montrose's departure,
should return to Argyle and collect his men from
their hiding-places and retreats ; but as it was not
improbable that Montrose might renew his visit, the
Committee of Estates allowed Baillie to place 1,100
of his men at the disposal of Argyle, who, as soon as
he was able to muster his men, was to follow Mon-
trose's rear, yet so as to avoid an engagement, till
Baillie, who, on hearing of Argyle's advance into
Lochaber, was to march suddenly across the Gram-
pians, should attack Montrose in front. To assist
him in levying and organizing his clan, Argyle called
over Campbell of Aucbinbreck, his kinsman, from
Ireland, who had considerable reputation as a mili-
tary commander. In terms of his instructions, there-
fore, Argyle had entered Lochaber, and had advanced
as far as Inverlochy, when, as we have seen, the
news of his arrival was brought to Montrose. The
distance between the place where Montrose received
the news of Argyle's arrival, and Inverlochy, is about
30 miles ; but this distance was considerably increased
by the devious track which Montrose followed.
Marching along the small river Tarf in a southerly
direction, he crossed the hills of Lairie-Thierard,
passed through Glenroy, and after traversing the
range of mountains between the glen and Bennevis,
he arrived in Glennevis before Argyle had the least
notice of his approach. Before setting out on his
march, Montrose had taken the wise precaution of
placing guards upon the common road leading to In-
verlochy, to prevent intelligence of his movements
being carried to Argyle, and he had killed such of
Argyle's scouts as he had fallen in with in the course
of his march. This fatiguing and unexampled jour-
ney had been performed in little more than a night
and a day, and when, in the course of the evening
Montrose's men arrived in Glennevis, they found
themselves so weary and exhausted that they could
not venture to attack the enemy. They therefore
lay under arms all night, and refreshed themselves,
as they best could, till next morning. As the night
was uncommonly clear and enlightened by the moon,
the advanced posts of both armies kept up a small
fire of musketry during the night, which led to no
result. In the meantime Argyle, after committing
his army to the charge of his cousin Campbell of
Aucbinbreck, had the dastardliness to abandon his
men, by going, during the night, on board a boat in
the loch, accompanied by Sir John ATauchope of
Niddry, Sir James Rollock of Duncruib, Archibald
Sydserf, one of the bailies of Edinburgh, andMungo
Law, a minister of the same city. Argyle excused
himself for this pusillanimous act, by alleging his
incapacity to enter the field of battle, in consequence
of some contusions he had received by a fall two or
three weeks before; but his enemies averred that
cowardice was the real motive which induced him to
take refuge in his galley, from which he witnessed
the defeat and destruction of his army.
It would appear, that it was not until the morning
of the battle, that Argyle's men were aware that it
was the army of Montrose that was present, as they
considered it quite impossible that he should have
been able to bring his forces across the mountains,
and they imagined, that the body before them con-
sisted of some of the inhabitants of the country, who
had collected to defend their propel ties. But they
were undeceived, when, in the dawn of the morning,
the warlike sound of Montrose's trumpets, resound-
ing through the glen where they lay, and reverberat-
ing from the adjoining hills, broke upon their ears.
This served as the signal to both armies to prepare
for battle. Montrose drew out his army in an ex-
tended line. The right wing consisted of a regiment
of Irish, under the command of Macdonald, his major-
general; the centre was composed of the Athole-men,
the Stuarts of Appin, and the Macdonalds of Glen-
coe, and other Highlanders, severally under the com-
mand of Clanranald, M'Lean, and Glengarry ; and
the left wing consisted of some Irish, at the head of
whom was the brave Colonel O'Kean. A body of
Irish was placed behind the main body as a reserve,
under the command of Colonel James M'Donald,
alias O'Neill. The general of Argyle's army formed
it in a similar manner. The Lowland forces were
equally divided, and formed the wings, between
which the Highlanders were placed. Upon a rising
ground, behind this line, General Campbell drew up
a reserve of Highlanders, and placed a field-piece.
Within the house of Inverlochy — which was only
about a pistol-shot from the place where the army
was formed — he planted a body of forty or fifty men
to protect the place, and to annoy Montrose's men
with discharges of musquetry. The account given
by Gordon of Sallagh, that Argyle had transported
the half of his army over the water at Inverlochy,
under the command of Auchinbreck, and that Mon-
trose defeated this division, while Argyle was pre-
vented from relieving it with the other division, from
the intervention of " an arm of the sea, that was in-
terjected betwixt them and him,"* is certainly erro-
neous, for the circumstance is not mentioned by any
other writer of the period, and it is well known that
Argyle abandoned his army, and witnessed its de-
struction from his galley, — circumstances which
Gordon altogether overlooks. It was at sunrise, on
Sunday, the 2d day of February, in the year 1645,
that Montrose, after having formed his army in battle
array, gave orders to his men to advance upon the
enemy. The left wing of Montrose's army, under
the command of O'Kean, was the first to commence
the attack, by charging the enemy's right. This was
immediately followed by a furious assault upon the
centre and left wing of Argyle's army, by Montrose's
right wing and centre. Argyle's right wing not be-
ing able to resist the attack of Montrose's left, turned
about and fled, which circumstance had such a dis-
couraging effect on the remainder of Argyle's troops,
that after discharging their muskets, the whole of
them, including the reserve, took to their heels.
The route now became general. An attempt was
made by a body of about 200 of the dismayed fugi-
tives, to throw themselves into the castle of Inver-
lochy, but a party of Montrose's horse prevented
them. Some of the flying enemy directed their
course along the side of Loch-Eil, but all these were
either killed or drowned in the pursuit. The greater
part, however, fled towards the hills in the direction
of Argyle, and were pursued by Montrose's men, to
the distance of about 8 miles. As little resistance
was made by the defeated party in their flight, the
carnage was very great, being reckoned at nearly 1 ,500
men, or about the half of Argyle's army ; and many
more would have been cut off had it not been for the
* Continuation, p. 522.