The Battle of Dunkeld – Wednesday 21 August 1689

by The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

The scene leading up to the Battle of Dunkeld.
John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee, ‘Bonnie Dundee’ of legend and song, headed an army, mainly of Highlanders with an Irish contingent, which defeated a government force at the
Battle of Killiecrankie. They fought on behalf of the catholic King James VII of Scotland and II of England who had fled in self-imposed exile. His opponents were loyal to his protestant successor, King William. The Highland charge swept all before it and the government forces were routed. Dundee was fatally wounded at the very start and did not survive to enjoy his convincing victory. The government was seriously rattled and feared that the Jacobites would gain more recruits and sweep south as their cause gathered momentum. They had to be stopped.

The government had few forces at their disposal and of these the largest single one was an untried quantity. Indeed it has been described as a band of enthusiastic amateurs. They were The Cameronian Regiment (Angus’s), which had been formed barely weeks before. Their origins lay in the turbulent period of religious and political strife of the 1680’s. They were zealous Covenanters. Their devotion to the National Covenant (1638) (www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/scots-national-covenant.htm and www.covenanter.org/Westminster/nationalcovenant.htm) and the Solemn League and Covenant (1643) meant that they would even do battle to defend their freedom to worship as they chose. Their heartland was in southwest Scotland.

The Formation of the Cameronians
When the Crown ejected ministers from their parishes for refusing to submit to the rule of bishops, the Covenanters followed them to the hills and worshiped at open-air services which came to be called conventicles. As the threat from government forces increased the Covenanters began to carry weapons to their conventicles and to post armed pickets to keep a lookout. This tradition was carried on through war and in peace until the day the Cameronians were eventually disbanded nearly 300 years later. (For further details see www.cameronians.org.)

The Regiment was formed in one day, 14 May 1689, ‘without beat of drum’. They mustered on the holm, on the banks of the Douglas Water in South Lanarkshire. Their first Commanding Officer was William Cleland, a scholar and a poet, whilst their Colonel was the 19-year-old Earl of Angus. As the need for more government forces spread they were deployed north and eventually to the town of Dunkeld where, it was hoped, they would halt the advance of the Highlanders.

Battle of Dunkeld
The only defendable part of Dunkeld was the wall which surrounded the cathedral. The Cameronians (named after Richard Cameron, the Lion of the Covenant) made their stand there. The defending force a mere 800 against some 5,000 which comprised the Jacobite force, now led by Major General Cannon. In military terms a superiority of three to one would normally be sufficient for a successful attack.

The attack started early and went on till last light 16 hours later. Though wave after wave of Highlanders made repeated assaults they did not have the space or scope to repeat their famous charge and were cut down time after time by the staunch, determined Lowlanders. So much ammunition was used that they had to strip the lead from the roofs to make musket balls.

Cleland, still only 28 years of age, was an inspired and inspiring leader. The night before the battle some of his men expressed anxiety that some of the officers might not relish the fight. Cleland ordered all of their horses to be shot, though it proved unnecessary to carry that out: the gesture had been enough. He fell early in the day, wounded in head and liver. Rather than let his men see this he crawled away and died on his own. He is buried under a simple stone in Dunkeld Cathedral, close to the spot where he died. His leadership carried the day and the regiment he had led from its inception went on to forge an incomparable reputation.

Aftermath of the Battle of Dunkeld
Dunkeld ended the hopes of the Jacobites. Many of their remnants split up and returned to their clan lands, not least so that they could harvest their crops. It was not the end of their movement - it raised armies again in the 1715 and 1745 risings - but Dunkeld was truly a turning point. As they withdrew Highlanders were heard to say, ‘They could fight against men, but it was not fit to fight any more against devils’.

Far from being devils, it is said that the Cameronians prayed as they fought and fought as they prayed. Dunkeld laid the foundations for a proud heritage and a unique regimental tradition and history.

Thanks to Phillip Grant www.cameronians.org for his help in writing this page on the Battle of Dunkeld.

Battle of Dunkeld 1689 / Dunkeld Historic Trail / Thomas Telford Bridge