Page 58 - Fenning_Scoland

1689 - The First Jacobite Rising -An eyewitness account of the Battle of Dunkeld
24t11 August 1689. Letter from Edinburgh to Rotterdam via London,
charged 5d paid to London and with X/' stuivers charge for London
to Rotterdam. On reverse, a superb London Bishop mark AV/30.
The letter is extremely significant and of importance historically as it
contains a rare eyewitness account of the Battle of Dunkeld which
took place just three days earlier, on 21•t August. The account is
that of Andrew Livingston, a surgeon's mate In the pro-government
Cameronian Regiment. It was written down by William Livingston
and sent to his brother-in-law, Andrew Russell.
The account gives remarkable detail of the events preceding and
during the battle, including the deaths of the Cameronians'
commanding officer and his second-in-command. Several details in
the account do not appear to have been recorded in any published
histories and also answer the questions scholars have had
regarding the length of the battle.
Of major historical interest, running through the account, is the
Cameronians' strong suspicion that they (only 700 - 800 strong)
were being deliberately sacrificed to the stronger Jacobite army
(around 4000 - 5000) and had not been expected to survive and
win the battle.
A transcript of that part of the letter describing the battle is
provided, with modern spelling, punctuation and paragraphs. Some
additions for better readability/understanding are in square brackets
[ ] and missing or illegible words are indicated by a row of dots ......
The 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688/89 was largely bloodless. Following this, the 'Jacobites', supporters of the exiled King James, raised a~ army in Scotland. On. 27t11 July
1689 it fought the government forces at Killiecrankie and .def~ated them., Le~s t~an fo~r we~k~ ~ater, at the.Battle ~f Dunkeld,~he Jacob1tes wer~ defeated. This proved
to be a decisive battle in the rising and is described by 'H1stonc Scotland as an incredibly s1gmf1cant battle in the history of 17 Century Scotland .
I told you my Andrew was gone the beginning of July to serve as surgeon's mate with Lieutenant-Colonel Cleland's regiment [Lt.-Col. William Cleland of the Cameronian Regiment
which had been fonned In May 1689].
After 6 weeks marching to and again In Argyllshlre, as they returned to Stir/Ing he got llberty to come In here two days having got no pay to get .... from me and on his return they
marched on the 16[th] from Stirling to Perth. On the 17/th] they marched to Dunkeld, [the] Duke of Hamllton [the King's Commissioner] procuring the Councll to post them there In
the most dangerous post In the Kingdom In the very face of the enemies and a disaffected people, and no assistance nearer than Perth 10 miles distant. When [they} came there
some of the town's people that were friends (Whereof there were very few there) told them the enemy was In great numbers In the hi/ls not far off.
Whereupon on the Sabbath, the 18{th], all hands were at work to make an entrenchment for their better safety and to prepare faggots of straw and tar to burn the town In case the
enemy possessed It, because It was generally possessed by the people that were gone to the enemy and there was no defending the town nor keeping their own entrenchment ff the
enemy had It. That day, by 6 In the afternoon, the enemy appeared In a small party on a hi/I within near a musket shot of them. They sent out a party and made them retire but they
pursued them not. That night Col. Cleland encouraged the men as he could and went through the guards all that night continually expecting a surprise, but on the Monday, when
day appeared, there was no enemy to be seen.
They continued all Monday fortifying themselves and that afternoon came to their help my Lord Cardros [Henry Erskine, r' Lord Cardross] with 3 troops of his dragoons and
Egllngton's and young Grubbet's two troops of horse. On Tuesday the 20th, In the morning, appeared a party of about 600 of the enemy whereupon Cleland commanded out 200 of
his men with the horse and dragoons. The foot llned their battle with pikes and advanced with the horse and dragoons on the wings. Atter our men fired, the enemy thought to have
broke[n] In upon them with sword and to get as they had done on Mackay when he was defeat[ed] [Major-General Hugh Mackay, who had been defeated at the Battle of Kllllecrankle]
but they defend[ed] so well with the pikes that they were, with great loss, repulsed. Then the horse and dragoons both shamefully fled. As our men wef9 pursuing [them], a man
started up among the corn and waved to the Captain and when brought fin] he told [that] he was a drummer of Mackay's taken at the last fight [Kllllecrankle] and had taken on with
the highland men and had dropped(?] down In the flight to tell them not to pursue, for there was a great body of men of about 4000 on the back of the hi/I that would cut you all off
from returning. Leaving men posted on both hands in woods so they returned. That day they had but 3 men slightly wounded and no other loss.
That night Col. Ramsay, who Is the commanding officer In that country lying at Perth, sent orders to Cardros and the 2 troops horse Immediately to march to him (though there was
no enemy there nor could be till this post were quiet). And they, ...... against all Cleland's or his officers' lncllnatlons, marched back to Perth. Then they began verily to belleve the
truth, that they were sold to the enemy and spent the night as became Christians and soldiers.
On the 21/st], by day, they saw the enemy on the old ground, first but a small party, but Increasing continually tlll 8 In the morning that they came down to the number of 4000. Our
men made good their post and fired smartly upon them from all quarters, being surrounded. The enemy ceased the town. Col. Cleland went with 90 [men] and set It [Dunkeld] on
fire, but on his return, being the last man that entered the trenches and, as he thought, out of hazard, as he turned to wipe the sweat off his face, was shot out at a window through
the heart and ....... Truly I may say the gallantest man that Scotland ever had; after him Major Henderson [Major James Henderson, Cle/and's second-In-command] had his Jett arm
shot by a cannonball, for the enemy had 3 cannon, yet continuing In his office was shot through the body and thrice in the head, and so was carried off. This was at 10 and
concealed, and the defence [was} so gallantly maintained that at 12 the enemy took them[selves] to their heels, having lost many officers and 300 of their men; our poor men not
being one to 6 of the enemy durst not pursue [them] and so continued In their retrenchment, till [at] 11 at night that Col. Ramsay came to their relief. They have lost but 8 men killed
and 20 or 30 wounded but the loss of the two [Colonel Cleland & Major Henderson] Is greater than other thousands. Everybody suspects (and I hope the Lord will deliver it) that this
regiment hath been wickedly delivered to the enemy to be destroyed, but their valour hath been, through the Lord's goodness, very conspicuous.
This is my Andrew's account and [it] agrees with what others hath writ[ten] of that action.