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The Battle
of Killiecrankie 27th July 1689
The Battle of Killiecrankie Annual
Commemorative Walk is held each year on the Saturday nearest
the actual date of the battle by a group of Jacobite enthusiasts
who set out to remember this battle and the 2600 men who died
here.
 James Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee or Bonnie Dundee as
he was known, was the Jacobite commander of the forces at the
Battle of Killiecrankie on the 27th July1689. Viscount Dundee
had stormed out of a Convention called by William of Orange on
the 14th March 1689 and was declared an outlaw by the Protestant
king with a bounty of £20,000 on his head. Dundee then spent his
time rallying the clans for the House of Stewart whose
supporters were known as Jacobites.
The Commander of the Williamite army or William of Orange’s Army
at the Battle of Killiecrankie was Hugh McKay of Scourie.
Blair Castle, a fortress of considerable strategic value was not
lost on either side. Both sides wanted to control the castle.
McKay harried his men to get to the castle whilst Dundee ordered
the Marquis of Atholl’s factor a know Jacobite sympethiser to
raise the Athollmen and seize the castle. It was Dundee who got
there first with a force of 2,500 Highlanders. So it was the Jacobites
who got there first.
 McKay marched his force of some 4,000 men out of Dunkeld, up
through the dangerous pass of Killiecrankie and was met by a
detachment of Jacobites, that Dundee had sent down the River
Garry to stop the Williamite army. MacKay
occupied Urrad House which is situated on the first area of open
ground after the pass of Killiecrankie on the way to Blair Castle.
MacKay made Urrad house his headquarters as he deployed his
battalions in anticipation of the Jacobite attack.
 On the high ground
behind Urrad House appeared Dundee’s
Highlanders with the their pipes skirling, wearing their
plaids they must have been a formidable site for MacKay’s army. They
immediately wheeled round to face the new force and moved up to
occupy the land either side of Urrad House. MacKay realised his
troops were in a bad position with the enemy above them
commanding the high ground and the river Garry to their backs.
 At 8pm
with the sun behind him Dundee gave the order for the Highland Charge, within
minutes the government forces left wing was routed with a torrent
of fugitives fleeing the merciless Jacobite blades. They were
spared many more dead, because the Highlanders came across the Williamite baggage train, which they looted buying MacKay’s
fleeing remnants much needed time to make their escape.
 MacKay lost about half his force of 4,000 men at Killiecrankie.
Dundee lost some 600 men, (the battle was all but over in about
20mins) but the decisive factor was that James
Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee had been mortally
wounded. He was later buried at St Brides Kirk in Old Blair just
beside Blair Castle.
Dunkeld and Birnam / Battle of Killiecrankie / Pitlochry | 
