Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 5

HISTOEY OF THE MACDOI^ALDS. 173
the right wing to Maclean, and to prevent any quarrel between him
land Maclean. Mackintosh said he would take the lands, and make
I the left behave as well as the right. John More, Donald's brother,
:was placed with a detachment of the lightest and nimblest men as a re-
I serve, either to assist the wings or main battle, as occasion required. To
,him was joined Mackenzie and Donald Cameron of Locheill. Alister
i Carrick was young, and therefore was much against his will set apart, lest
the whole of the brothers should be hazarded at once. The Earls of Mar
, and Buchan ordered their men in a main battle and two small fronts ; the
right front was commanded by Lords Marish^ll and Erroll, the left by Sir
Alexander Ogilvie, Sheriff of Angus. They encountered one another ;
their left wing was forced by Maclean, and the party on Macdonald's right
was forced to give way. There was a great fold for keeping cattle behind
, them, into which they went. The Earl of Mar was forced to give ground,
and that wing was quite defeated. Mar and Erroll posted to Aberdeen, the
: rest of Macdonald's men followed the chase. There were killed on the
Governor's side 2550. Tlie Lord Marishall was apprehended safe, and
: died in his confinement of mere grief and despair. Sir Alexander Ogilvy,
Sheriff of Angus, was killed, with seven knights, and several other gentle-
; men. On Macdonald's side Maclean fell ; he and Irvin of Drum fought
: together till the one killed the other. Drum's two brothers, with the
principal men of that surname, were killed, so that a boy of that name,
who herded the cattle, succeeded to the estate of Drum. Two or three
gentlemen of the name of Munroe were slain, together with the son of
Macquarry of Ulva, and two gentlemen of the name of Cameron. On
Macdonald's side were lost in all 180. This battle was fought anno 1411.
Macdonald had burnt Aberdeen had not Huntly dissuaded him from it,
saying that by his victory, in all appearance, he gained his own, yet it
was ridiculous in him to destroy the town, and that citizens would always
join with him who had the upper hand. jS'ow, to prove these fabulous
and partial writers, particularly Buchanan, it is well known to several men
of judgment and knowledge that Macdonald had the victory there, and
gained the Earldom of Eoss, for four or five generations thereafter, and
that Mackintosh, whom they say was killed, lived twenty years thereafter,
and was with the Earl of Mar when Alexander Macdonald, Lord of the
Isles was captive at Tantallon, in the battle fought at Inverlochy against
Donald Balloch, Alexander's cousin-german. This Donald Balloch was
son to John More, brother to Donald of the Isles and Earl of Eoss. Now,
it happened that this same Galium Begg Mackintosh was with King James
1. after his releasement from his captivity in England, in the same place
where the battle was fought. The King asked him how far they followed
the chase ? Mackintosh replied that they followed it farther than his
Majesty thought. So the King riding on a pretty pace, asked Mackintosh
if they came that length 1 He answering, said, that, in his opinion, there
was a heap of stones before them, and that he left there a mark to show
that he followed the chase that length ; and with that he brought a man's
arm with its gauntlet out of the heap. The King, beholdmg it, desired
him to be with him that night at Aberdeen. The King, upon his arrival
there, going to his lodgings, Mackintosh said, in presence of the bystanders,
that he had performed his word to the King, and now he would betake
himself to his own lodgings ; whereupon he immediately left the town,