CHAPTER LXXXII.

Retreat of Prince Charles's Army from Stirling into the Highlands-The Rout of Moy-Arrival of Hessian Troops to the assistance of Government— Council held at Edinburgh by the Duke of Cumberland and the Prince of Hesse Cassel-Disappointment of Prince Charles's hopes of Assistance from France-Lord George Murray seizes the Military Posts in Athole-invests the Castle of Blair, but is forced to raise the Siege— The Prince's suspicions of Lord George Murray's fidelity.

THE insurgents did not reap such advantages from the battle of Falkirk as might have been expected. The extreme confusion of their own forces, and their consequent ignorance respecting the condition of the enemy, prevented their pursuing Hawley's army, which might, in all probability, have been an easy prey. Had they done so, they might, on the spur of the moment, have again obtained possession of the capital, with all the eclat attendant on such success.

But the Chevalier, who had kept his word in convoking no councils since the retreat from Derby, saving that held on the field of battle, acted only by the advice of his secretary Mr Murray, his quartermaster John Hay, Sir Thomas Sheridan, and the Irish officers, who were suspected of

being less ready to give unbiassed advice to the young Prince, than willing to echo back his own opinions. On this occasion he conceived, that raising the siege of Stirling would be a disgrace to his arms, and resolved, therefore, to proceed with it at all events. This proved an unlucky determi

nation.

M. Mirabelle de Gordon, the French engineer who conducted the siege, was imperfectly acquainted with his profession. He constructed a battery upon the Gowan Hill; but opening it when only three guns were mounted, they were speedily silenced by the superior fire of the castle. Some skirmishing took place at the same time between the English armed vessels, which endeavoured to force their way up the Forth, and the batteries which were established on the sides of the river; but these events were of little consequence. The progress of the siege seemed protracted, and was liable to interruption by the advance of the Duke of Cumberland and his army.

On the other hand, the Highland army had suffered great diminution since the battle of Falkirk,

1 ["As it is always the distinctive mark of ignorance to find nothing difficult, not even the things that are impossible, M. Mirabelle, without hesitation, immediately undertook to open the trenches on a hill to the north of the castle, where there were not fifteen inches' depth of earth above the solid rock; and it became necessary to supply the want of earth with bags of wool, and sacks filled with earth brought from a distance. Thus the trenches were so bad that we lost a great many men, sometimes twenty-five in one day." JOHNSTONE, vol. ii. p. 90.]

less from loss in the action, than from the effects of the victory, which, as usual, occasioned a great desertion among the privates of the clans, who, according to their invariable practice, went home to store up their plunder.1 An accident also, which happened the day after the battle of Falkirk, cost the Chevalier the loss of a clan regiment of no small distinction. A private soldier, one of Clanranald's followers, was tampering with a loaded musket, when the piece went off, and by mishap killed a younger son of Glengarry, major of that chief's regiment. To prevent a quarrel between two powerful tribes, the unlucky fellow who had caused the mischief was condemned to death, though innocent of all intentional guilt, and was shot accordingly. This sacrifice did not, however, propitiate the tribe of Glengarry; they became disgusted with the service on the loss of their major, and most of them returned to their moun

At

1 [" The grandfather of our informant," says Mr R. Chambers, "visiting the battle-ground of Falkirk next day, saw a Highlander engaged in stripping a richly dressed English officer. He had got one foot extended upon the body of the deceased, and was endeavouring with all his strength to pull off the boots. every interval between the successive pulls, he muttered to himself in a tone of great gratulation, Praw proichen! praw proichen!' (Fine brogues, fine brogues.)-Hist. vol ii. p. 303.]

2 [The musket had been double loaded, and the Highlander, unaware of that, after extracting one bullet, imagined in emptying the barrel he was firing off only the powder. The young chieftain, in his dying moments, convinced of the poor fellow's innocence, earnestly requested that no harm might be done him; yet his kindred insisted.]

tains without obtaining any leave, a desertion severely felt at this critical moment.1

The chiefs of clans, and men of quality in the army, observing the diminution of their numbers, and disgusted at not being consulted upon the motions of the army, held a council, by their own authority, in the town of Falkirk, and drew up a paper addressed to the Prince, which was signed

1 [Lord Kilmarnock had brought up to the front of Charles's lodging the prisoners he had taken the preceding night, and the Prince was standing at the open window with a list of them in his hand, apparently conversing with Lord Kilmarnock about his capture. While looking at them, Charles observed the eyes of all bent in one direction, and that towards a soldier dressed in the royal uniform, armed with musket and bayonet. He pointed him out to Lord Kilmarnock, who instantly left the room, and going up to the soldier, now opposite the window, struck off his hat, and set his foot on the black cockade. Immediately a Highlander interfered, laid hands on Lord Kilmarnock, and pushed him back; he, presenting a pistol at the clansman's head, was in return saluted with a dirk held close to his Lordship's breast. In this posture they stood about half a minute, till a crowd of Highlanders rushed in and drove away his Lordship. The man with the dirk in his hand took up the hat, put it on the soldier's head, and the Highlanders marched off with him in triumph. This pantomimic exhibition perplexed the volunteers especially, who fancied many things, and expected every moment to hear a shot. It was soon explained thus by a Highland officer; "The soldier in the royal uniform is a Cameron, who, after yesterday's defeat, joined his clan-they received him with great joy-told him he should wear his arms, his clothes, and every thing else, till he was provided with other clothes and arms. The Highlander who interposed his dirk is the soldier's brother—the crowd who rushed in are the Camerons, many of them his near relations, and, in my opinion," continued the officer, "no colonel nor general in the Prince's army can take that cockade out of his hat, except Lochiel himself."-See HOME, ch. viii. vol. iii. pp. 162, 163.]

by them all, advising a retreat to the north. The purport of this document expressed, that so many of their men had gone home since the last battle, that they were in no condition to prosecute the siege of Stirling, or to repel the army of the Duke of Cumberland, which was advancing to raise it. They concluded by advising the Prince to retreat with his army to Inverness, there to annihilate the forces of Lord Loudon, with his other enemies in that country, and to take or demolish the Highland forts, thus making himself complete master of the north. This being effected, they assured him they would be ready to take the field next spring, with eight or ten thousand Highlanders, to follow him wherever he pleased.

This advice, which had, in the circumstances in which it was given, the effect of a command, came upon Charles like a clap of thunder. He had concluded that a battle was to be fought; and the sick and wounded, with the followers of the camp, had been sent to Dunblane with that view. Lord George Murray had also been at headquarters, and showed to Charles a plan which he had drawn of the proposed battle, which the Prince had approved of, and corrected with his own hand. When, therefore, this proposition for a retreat was presented to him, he was at first struck with a feeling of despair, exclaiming, "Good God! have I lived to see this ?" He dashed his head with such violence against the wall, that he staggered, and then sent Sir Thomas Sheridan to Falkirk, to reason against the resolution which the chiefs had