Rebellion
Poems taken from letters written by participants ....
The Boy Who Came To Join the Cause
came news unto our croft that he
was close and called our aid that day,
red tide approached to wash our lands
I left the glen with kith and kin
in tow, and sought the fight to come;
he was I thought, a man so great,
ne’er seen the like afore nor since,
on white he rode amongst the ranks.
(the reds they held the upper ground).
the morn was cold, the storm it held
such rain and snow, so wet and wild,
but failed to mar the spirits held;
the reds they formed in lines in front,
their shot did mingle with the snow
and came like hail and mowed our lines;
the guns they fired, did thunder through
to cut and slice and hew our ranks;
our men did charge and try in vain,
but slaughter was the game that day,
like swatted flies our dead and maimed
did strew the field, and those who could
did cry with pain; a steed did jump
as if were mad, it may be true
that mad was said of us as well.
I saw that all was lost, so ran
with those of kin who could, with haste;
I had some cake of oats, and milk
to ease my faint along the way;
“It went so bad”, we cried of him,
to those who asked along the way;
we made it home, though it be night
a’fore we reached the safety of
the door; and pa was home by morn.
Donald McKay joined the Jacobites as a young boy, on the day of the battle. He accompanied his father and brother to the field, but escaped the slaughter. He surrendered to the redcoats and was sentenced for transportation, but escaped to stow away to work on Jamaican plantations. He returned to Scotland as an old man.
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The Jacobite Officer
three nights we fled before the reds,
the hunger clenched my belly hard
and tired I was, but as the sleep
was almost there, “to horse, to horse”
the cry was heard, as drum and horn
did sound, to harken me awake;
on horse I joined my men and viewed
the sight of reds upon the hill,
and then they moved so quick it seemed
they closed the field and drew themselves
in lines of three, while those of ours
were barely two; their horse, we thought,
would fail to charge through watered marsh.
our Prince did try to order force
but army lords they did not chose
to heed his words; the reds attacked
across a wall that edged our lines
onto our right, and moved they did
four pieces in and fired their grape
which scythed us down like we were corn,
whole ranks of men I saw them slay.
I watched the flanking terror maim
and those of us who could did flee;
I saw the centre of our force
it pierced the reds, line one then two,
It reached the left of field and checked,
but then the rout began; I saw the
backs of men of mine; and worthy friends
I saw them littered on the ground.
In horror I belayed in shock
at sights before my eyes, and raged
as fire did I my blunderbuss;
then tried to turn but found my boots
were stuck in marsh up to my thighs,
my horse I’d lost, my servant too;
and Prince, he’d gone and all I saw
were men whose bodies floated dead
in marsh or those who could, did run
and fast away from tide of death.
James Johnstone, born 1719 was the son of an Edinburgh merchant. He was aged 27 and fought on the left of the field under the Duke of Perth. There is nothing in his description that tells how he escaped from the marsh, nor the battlefield. He is described as having an adventurous life after Culloden. He apparently escaped via England to France, disguised as a pedlar. He later served with French forces in America, but died in France around 1800.
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The Government Soldier
we came to Nairn the fourteenth day,
a Monday I reflect, as we
did halt by there a day, and sought
to gain, by rack or plea, of those
we’d caught, the plans they had against
our Duke; our foes were close, they planned
attack the Tuesday night, thus warned
we warded true by God and won.
in early morning start we marched,
from Nairn through wind and rain; the wind
it blew us on our way, for miles
that numbered ten; upon a moor
we found them lined in two, and bold;
we each did peer across the moor
through wind blown hail and rain.
the wind still blew upon our backs
but all at once the rain did clear;
began at noon, the fight it did,
two pieces they did fire; we six,
through these they boldly came and fast,
a cloud en-mass with swords in hand
their guns they shot, then threw to ground;
we could not see, I doubt them us,
as smoke did cast a sulph’ry veil
our guns did lay a warming fire
and pieces strewed the field with grape,
a cannonade as strong as this
did gall them hard and they did turn
and run, we marked their flight with ball
and hand grenade to bid them quick
farewell; our horse to right and left
pursued to cut them thick upon
the field; by one o’clock we’d done.
It took, in minutes, but five and ten
of small arms fire, and three times that
in cannonade to clear the field
of them who sought to change our
King; we lost not one in our command,
though few were wounded sore against
the luck we had; our total count
of dead and hurt I make a mere
two hundred souls-but them it seems
the count is many many more.
we took great prize of arms, and killed
on field the maimed who failed to flee;
a host of French gave up their swords,
and day by day the foot and horse
drug in the heaps of those who fled
the field, to stand their trial; to those
we add our men who fled and they
shall hang, as Duke makes harsh with us.
they called us mad to see us fight,
they’d never seen our way of war
and chose the moor to thwart our guns
and, true enough, a few did bog;
they thought it strange our firelocks stayed
so dry, as hope did they the rain
would save their day, but we did know
a trick to keep them dry, our coats;
the Moor was deep but we prevailed
and Duke himself did praise our pluck
and said that God had blest our fight.
Edward Linn, a soldier in the Government Army, the 21st Royal Scots Fusiliers. He wrote a letter to his wife from the Inverness Camp on the 20th. Nothing more is known.
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The Government Officer;
Highlander detailed as guard of the baggage.
at Nairn we stopped and made our plans
at Duke’s Demand, to garner faith
of those to whom we have command;
the camp we broke on early morn,
the men at ease with task of day;
the Horse of Light, and troop of men,
went on ahead to scout the way
while we did march in lines of four;
we met again towards the noon.
I ordered men to right and left
to march the wings until the start
and then to turn and guard the rear
and keep it safe, the equipage.
I safely watched the field that day,
our foes did mount their guns beside
a croft, they numbered three; they fired
our lines but we responded loud
and clear; theirs failed their mark but ours
did execute a fine discharge
into their face, they aught not stand
but swords in hand they firmly moved
ahead, but heated fire from ours
was seen to drive them back; they soon
gave up and fled; a pleasing sight I
thought; then Dragoons and Light did chase,
and slaughter I did see; all in all
this fight, I doubt an hour had passed.
I saw our horses on the left
had stopped by walls; they broke them down
and caused stramash upon their right
and laid unto the foes with blades;
but then two Lords of ours were down,
one then to die, the other in time;
our right-a quiet day they had,
whilst others did the deeds and thanks
were due to some; the Duke did bless
the Scots Fusiliers who made
first break upon the foe, by them
the victory was made so cheap
not one man did they lose that day.
we won the field, our foes did rout
and left their all upon the ground;
the Duke was cool, his troops complete
and losses few; of foes we killed
I cannot count, but hundreds on
the field and on the chase; some caught
and brought to heel, for trial and more.
of Prince I heard he’d upped and gone,
though of his Chiefs a few were took;
the rest, I heard it told, were said
to gather in the west; I wait
for news on what we are to do.
Donald Campbell of Airds was one of Highlanders who were loyal to the Government. He hailed from the west coast, employed by the Duke of Argyll. A captain of the Argyll Militia, he watched the battle closely as he and his men guarded the baggage train. He wrote his account shortly after the battle. Inconsistent with other accounts, he describes the battle starting at 1PM.
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