View source for Battle of Killiecrankie

{{Short description|1689 battle of the First Jacobite Rising}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict            = Battle of Killiecrankie
| image               = Lochiel%27s_charge_at_Killycrankie.jpg
| caption             = ''Lochiel's charge at Killycrankie'' by James Grant
| partof              = the [[Jacobite rising of 1689|Jacobite Risings]]
| date                = {{start date|df=yes|1689|7|27}}
| place               = [[Killiecrankie]], [[Perthshire]], [[Kingdom of Scotland]]
| coordinates         = {{Coord|56|45|5|N|3|47|6|W|type:event_region:GB-PKN|display=inline,title}}
| result              = Jacobite victory
| combatant1          = {{flagdeco|Scotland}} Scottish Government 
| combatant2          = {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Scotland.svg}} [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]]
| commander1          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Hugh Mackay (general)|Hugh Mackay]]
* Barthold Balfour{{KIA}}
}}
| commander2          = {{Plainlist|
* [[John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee|Viscount Dundee]]{{KIA}}
* [[Ewen Cameron of Lochiel|Ewen Cameron]]
* [[Alexander Cannon (general)|Alexander Cannon]]
* Alexander Fraser{{KIA}}
}}
| strength1           = 3,600–5,100 men
| strength2           = 2,440–3,000 men<ref>{{cite book |title=The Inventory of Historic Battlefields – Battle of Killiecrankie |url=http://data.historic-scotland.gov.uk/data/docs/battlefields/killiecrankie_full.pdf |publisher=Historic Scotland |location=Edinburgh |date=2011 |access-date=19 January 2020}}</ref>
| casualties1         = 1,700–2,000 killed, wounded and missing
| casualties2         = 700 killed and wounded
| notes               = {{Infobox designation list
 |embed               = yes
 |designation1        = UK Registered Battlefields 
 |designation1_date   = 21 March 2011
 |designation1_number = {{Historic Environment Scotland|num=BTL12|short=yes}}
 }}
}}
{{Campaignbox Jacobite rising of 1689}}

The '''Battle of Killiecrankie''',{{Efn|{{langx|gd|Blàr Choille Chnagaidh}}; also known as the '''Battle of Rinrory'''}} took place on 27 July 1689 during the [[Jacobite rising of 1689|1689 Scottish Jacobite rising]]. A [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] force led by [[Ewan Cameron of Lochiel]] and [[John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee|Viscount Dundee]] defeated a government army commanded by [[Hugh Mackay (general)|Hugh Mackay]].

[[James VII]] went into exile in December 1688 after being deposed by the [[Glorious Revolution in Scotland]]. In March 1689, he began the [[Williamite War in Ireland]], with a simultaneous revolt led by Dundee, previously his military commander in Scotland.

Despite being outnumbered and short of supplies, the Jacobite commanders hoped a decisive victory would bring them wider support. Although this was achieved, their army suffered heavy casualties, and Dundee was killed in the final moments. As a result, the Jacobites were unable to capitalise on their success.

==Background==
[[File:John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee, &#039;Bonnie Dundee&#039; by Peter Lely.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|[[John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee|Viscount Dundee]], Jacobite commander killed at Killiecrankie]]

Despite his personal [[Catholicism]], in February 1685 [[James II of England|James II & VII]] succeeded his brother [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] with widespread support from the [[Protestant]] majorities in both [[Kingdom of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]]. Memories of the 1638-to-1651 [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]] meant many feared the consequences of bypassing the 'natural heir', and refused to support either the [[Monmouth Rebellion]] or [[Argyll's Rising]] in June 1685.{{sfn|Miller|1978|pp=156–157}}

By 1680, over 95% of Scots belonged to the [[Church of Scotland]], or "kirk". Catholics numbered less than 2% of the population and even other Protestant sects were barred.{{sfn|Baker|2009|pp=290–291}} The 1681 Scottish Test Act required holders of public office to be members of the kirk; James' attempts to repeal it undermined his own supporters, while rewarding the dissident [[Presbyterian polity|Presbyterians]] who backed Argyll.{{sfn|Harris|2007|pp=153–157}}

In June 1688, two events turned dissent into a crisis, the first being the birth of Prince [[James Francis Edward Stuart|James Francis Edward]] on 10 June. This created the prospect of a Catholic dynasty, rather than James being succeeded by his Protestant daughter [[Mary II of England|Mary]], and her husband [[William III of England|William of Orange]]. The second was the prosecution of the [[Seven Bishops]], which seemed to extend official policy beyond mere tolerance for Catholicism to an assault on the established church. Their acquittal on 30 June destroyed James' political authority in both Scotland and England.{{sfn|Harris|2007|pp=235-236}}

[[File:Sir Ewen Cameron.jpg|upright=0.8|right|thumb|[[Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel]]]]

In 1685, many feared a return to civil war if James were bypassed; by 1688, anti-Catholic riots made it seem only his removal could prevent one.{{sfn|Womersley|2015|p=189}} William landed in [[Brixham]] on 5 November with 14,000 men; as he advanced, James' army deserted, and he went into exile on 23 December. The [[Parliament of England]] offered the English throne to William and Mary in February 1689.{{sfn|Harris|2007|pp=3-5}}

On 14 March, a [[Convention of Estates (1689)|Convention]] met in Edinburgh to agree a settlement for Scotland. The Convention was dominated by supporters of the new administration, with 'Jacobites' restricted to those linked to James by religion or personal ties.{{sfn|Coward|1980|p=459}} However, the number of activists on either side was tiny, the vast majority being unenthusiastic about either option. On 12 March, James landed [[Williamite War in Ireland|in Ireland]], and the Convention offered the Scottish throne to William and Mary on 11 April. On the following day, Dundee raised the Royal Standard on [[Dundee Law]].{{sfn|Lenman|1995|pp=35-38}}

==Initial military actions==
{{Location map many|UK Scotland|caption = Key locations; Killiecrankie campaign|relief=yes|border = black| width = 230| float = left
|label = Duart Castle|pos=left|lat_deg= 56.28|lon_deg = -5.31
|label2 = Stirling|pos2=top|lat2_deg= 56.116|lon2_deg = -3.94 
|label3 = Dundee|pos3=right|lat3_deg= 56.47|lon3_deg = -2.99 
|label4 = Edinburgh|pos4=bottom|lat4_deg= 55.953|lon4_deg = -3.189
|label5 = Killiecrankie|pos5=top|lat5_deg=56.751|lon5_deg = -3.785
}}

William's military commander in Scotland was General [[Hugh Mackay (general)|Hugh Mackay]], head of the veteran Dutch [[Scots Brigade]]. His force of 3,500 included the Brigade regiments of Mackay, Balfour and Ramsay, the English Hastings Regiment and two newly raised Scots units. When [[Ewen Cameron of Lochiel]] learned of William's landing, he began recruiting men to fight for James; but the short-term nature of clan warfare meant they needed to be put to use as soon as possible.{{sfn|Fritze|Robison|1996|p=68}}

In April, Dundee joined him at [[Glen Roy|Glenroy]] and on 18 May, took his force of around 1,800 Highlanders and attempted to bring Mackay to battle. He failed to do so and returned in June, after which most of the clansmen went home, leaving him with less than 200 men.{{Sfn|Macpherson|2017|pp=357–358}} On 27 June, Dundee wrote to the [[Earl of Melfort]] asking for reinforcements; the loss of [[Kintyre]] after the [[Battle of Loup Hill]] made resupply from Ireland extremely difficult, and the letter details alternative landing spots. As time went on, his position weakened due to continued defections – the surrender of [[Edinburgh Castle]] on 14 June being especially discouraging.{{Sfn|Macpherson|2017|pp=360–366}}

His requests for additional resources were denied, partly due to an internal dispute with the Catholic 'Non-Compounders', who dominated James's court in Ireland and urged him to refuse any concessions to regain his throne. Dundee and other Scottish Jacobites were mostly Protestant 'Compounders', for whom concessions were essential, and thus viewed with suspicion. The only reinforcements sent to Scotland were 300 Irish soldiers under the Catholic [[Alexander Cannon (general)|Alexander Cannon]], who landed near [[Duart Castle]] on 21 July.{{sfn|Szechi|1994|pp=30–31}}

A 'Jacobite' garrison under Patrick Stewart of Ballechin occupied [[Blair Castle]], a strategic point controlling access to the [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]] and seat of [[John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl]]. This illustrates how many families balanced both sides; claiming ill-health, Atholl went to England, leaving his eldest son, John Murray, to 'besiege' his ancestral home. Stewart himself was a trusted family retainer and one of Atholl's key lieutenants in the suppression of [[Argyll's Rising]] in 1685.{{sfn|Kennedy|2016|p=8}}

In late July, Jacobite reinforcements arrived at Blair; Murray withdrew and Mackay moved north to support him, with somewhere between 3,600 and 5,100 troops. Seeing a chance to intercept, Dundee set out with his available forces, ordering the clans to follow "with all haste." Lochiel's sons were sent to raise additional levies; he and 240 Camerons plus Cannon's Irish contingent reached Blair on 26 July.{{sfn|Lenman|1995|p=48}}

==Battle==
[[File:General Hugh Mackay (c.1640–1692).jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.8|Government commander [[Hugh Mackay (general)|Hugh Mackay]]]]

On the morning of 27 July, Dundee learned Mackay's forces were entering the [[Pass of Killiecrankie]], a track nearly {{convert|3|km|mi}} long with the River Garry on the left and steep hills on either side. Sir Alexander McLean and 400 men were sent to skirmish with the advance guard, while Dundee assembled the rest of his troops on the lower slopes of Creag Eallich, north of the pass. As they advanced into the pass, the government army had the Jacobites on the high ground above and the river behind, while the narrow track made advance or retreat equally hazardous. Mackay halted, moved off the track and deployed his troops facing uphill in a long line, only three men deep, to maximise firepower.{{Sfn|Macpherson|2017|pp=369–371}}

Mackay's force included Balfour, Ramsay and Mackay's regiments of the Scots Brigade, along with the newly raised regiments of Kenmure and [[David Leslie, 3rd Earl of Leven|Leven]], part of Hastings' regiment, and 100 cavalry. As the most experienced, the Scots Brigade under Balfour and Lauder was placed on the left, which provided the best field of fire.{{sfn|Mackay|2017|pp=52–54}}

The Jacobites formed into columns and were in position by late afternoon but Dundee waited until sunset, just after 8:00{{nbsp}}pm to begin his attack. Balfour's front line fired three volleys, killing nearly 600 Highlanders but their fire was partly masked by a shallow terrace on the hillside, while the regiments to their right apparently fled without firing a shot.{{sfn|Oliver|Pollard|2015|p=214}} Following their [[Highland charge|usual tactics]], the Highlanders fired a single volley at 50 metres, dropped their muskets, and using axes and swords crashed into Mackay's centre.{{sfn|Hill|2017|p=72}}

Killiecrankie is the first major action in which British troops are known to have employed the [[plug bayonet]]. Once 'plugged' into the musket barrel, further reloading or firing was no longer possible, so fixing them was delayed until the last possible moment. Inexperience in their use and the speed of the [[Highland charge]] left the government troops defenceless and many fled, abandoning Balfour, who was killed along with James Mackay, Hugh's younger brother.{{sfn|Hill|2017|p=73}}

==Aftermath==
Mackay managed to reform Hastings and Leven's regiments from the centre and right; some 800 men made it back to Stirling with relative ease, while others straggled in over the next few days. The Highlanders halted their pursuit to loot the baggage train, and their own casualties were enormous, with between 600 and 800 wounded or killed, the vast majority on the government left. Dundee was fatally wounded towards the end of the battle, and died shortly afterwards; a letter sent under his name to James reporting the victory is generally thought to be a forgery, although it provides a useful summary of the action.{{Sfn|Macpherson|2017|pp=372–373}}

[[File:Claverhouse's Stone - geograph.org.uk - 1752659.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|The stone marking the alleged spot where Dundee died]]

Based on muster rolls before and after the battle, government losses were around 2,000 killed, wounded or missing, although some of the "missing" may well have deserted. As colonels were paid for the number of men in their regiment, there was an obvious temptation to over-report pre-battle figures, but it is possible they suffered losses of up to 50%.{{sfn|Guy|1985|pp=33-35}}

Alexander Cannon took over as leader, and while not as talented a commander as Dundee, he faced the same problems; without siege equipment, he could not capture a port, making resupply almost impossible, while lack of cavalry made them vulnerable in the open. In addition, his most reliable unit, the Camerons, suffered particularly heavy casualties, while many other Highlanders went home with their loot. These factors meant time was on Mackay's side, so long as he avoided another ambush.{{sfn|Hill|2017|p=73}}

After an assault on [[Battle of Dunkeld|Dunkeld]] in August was repulsed with heavy losses, Cannon ended the campaign. Mackay spent the winter reducing Jacobite strongholds and constructing a new base at [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]], while harsh weather conditions led to severe food shortages.{{sfn|Lenman |1995|p=37}} When [[Thomas Buchan]] replaced Cannon in February 1690, he could only mobilise some 800 men; he was taken by surprise at [[Battle of Cromdale|Cromdale]] in May and his forces scattered. Mackay pursued him into [[Aberdeenshire]] and in November 1690 relinquished command to [[Thomas Livingstone, 1st Viscount Teviot|Livingstone]].{{sfn|Chichester|2004}}

In 2004, a fragment of a [[hand grenade]] was found, providing evidence of their first use in Britain 30 years earlier than that previously recorded at [[Battle of Glen Shiel|Glen Shiel]] in 1719.{{sfn|Ferguson|2016}} A detailed survey carried out in 2015 confirmed the location and intensity of the close-quarter fighting, along with the discovery of large numbers of pistol and musket balls.{{sfn|Guard Archaeology|2016}}

==Footnotes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
* {{cite odnb |id=16810 |title=Livingstone, Thomas, Viscount Teviot |last=Chichester |first=H.M. |year=2004}}
* {{cite book |last=Baker |first=Derek |title=Schism, Heresy and Religious Protest |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2009 |isbn=978-0521101783}}
* {{cite book |last=Coward |first=Barry |title=The Stuart Age 1603–1714 |publisher=Longman |date=1980 |isbn=0582488338}}
* {{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Brian |title=Dozens of Battle of Killiecrankie artefacts unearthed at A9 roadworks |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/dozens-of-battle-of-killiecrankie-artefacts-unearthed-at-a9-roadworks-1-4042513 |newspaper=[[The Scotsman]] |date=5 March 2016 |access-date=8 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704214122/http://www.scotsman.com/news/dozens-of-battle-of-killiecrankie-artefacts-unearthed-at-a9-roadworks-1-4042513 |archive-date=4 July 2017}}
* {{cite book |last1=Fritze |first1=Ronald |last2=Robison |first2=William |title=Historical Dictionary of Stuart England, 1603–1689 |publisher=Greenwood |date=1996 |isbn=0313283915}}
* {{cite journal |author=Guard Archaeology |title=Significant finds made at Killiecrankie battle site – Scottish archaeology |journal=History Scotland |url=https://www.historyscotland.com/history/significant-finds-made-at-killiecrankie-battle-site-scottish/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727165921/https://www.historyscotland.com/history/significant-finds-made-at-killiecrankie-battle-site-scottish/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2020 |date=2016 |access-date=27 July 2020}}
* {{cite book |last=Guy |first=Alan |title=Economy and Discipline: Officership and the British Army, 1714–63 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |date=1985 |isbn=978-0-7190-1099-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Harris |first=Tim |title=Revolution; the Great Crisis of the British Monarchy 1685–1720 |publisher=Penguin |date=2007 |isbn=978-0141016528}}
* {{cite book |last=Hill |first=James |title=Celtic Warfare 1595–1763 |publisher=Dalriada Publishers |orig-date=1986 |date=2017 |page=73 |isbn=978-0970852557}}
* {{cite journal |last=Kennedy |first=Allan |title=Rebellion, Government and the Scottish Response to Argyll's Rising of 1685 |url=http://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/ws/files/17846035/Author_Accepted_Manuscript.pdf |journal=Journal of Scottish Historical Studies |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=40–59 |year=2016 |doi=10.3366/jshs.2016.0167}}
* {{cite book |last=Lenman |first=Bruce |title=The Jacobite Risings in Britain, 1689–1746 |publisher=Scottish Cultural Press |date=1995 |isbn=189821820X}}
* {{cite book |last=Mackay |first=John |title=Life of Lieut.-Gen. Hugh Mackay of Scoury: Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in Scotland, 1689 and 1690 |publisher=Forgotten Books |orig-date=1836 |date=2017 |isbn=978-1333263539}}
* {{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=James |year=2017 |orig-year=1775 |title=Original Papers: Containing the Secret History of Great Britain |publisher=Hansebooks |edition=2017 |isbn=3743435721}}
* {{cite book |last=Miller |first=John |title=James II: A study in kingship |publisher=Methuen |date=1978 |isbn=978-0413652904}}
* {{cite book |last1=Oliver |first1=Neil |last2=Pollard |first2=Tony |title=Two Men in a Trench II: Uncovering the Secrets of British Battlefields |publisher=Penguin |orig-date=2003 |date=2015 |isbn=978-0141012124}}
* {{cite news |author={{Text|The Scotsman}} |author-mask=[{{Italics correction|''The Scotsman''}}] |title=First grenade found at Killiecrankie |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/first-grenade-found-at-killiecrankie-1-1299564 |newspaper=The Scotsman |date=22 February 2004 |access-date=27 July 2020}}
* {{cite book |last=Szechi |first=Daniel |title=The Jacobites: Britain and Europe, 1688–1788 |publisher=Manchester University Press |date=1994 |isbn=0719037743}}
* {{cite book |last=Womersley |first=David |title=James II: The Last Catholic King |publisher=Allen Lane |date=2015 |isbn=978-0141977065}}

{{Jacobitism}}
{{Scottish clan battles|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1689 in Scotland]]
[[Category:Battles involving Scotland|Killiecrankie 1689]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1689|Killiecrankie]]
[[Category:Jacobite rising of 1689|Killiecrankie]]
[[Category:Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland|Killiekrankie]]