A history of the Highlands and of the Highland clans : with an ...

BATTLE OF ABERDEEN. 345
of the enemy who might fall into their hands. His anger at this occurrence
is strongly depicted by Spalding, who says, that " he grew mad,
and became furious and impatient."
As soon as Montrose received notice of the refusal of the magistrates
to surrender the town, he made the necessary dispositions for attacking
the enemy. From his paucity of cavalry, he was obliged to extend his
line, as he had done at Tippermuir, to prevent the enemy from sur-
rounding or outflanking him with their horse, and on each of his wings
lie posted his small body of horsemen along with select parties of
musketeers and archers. To James Hay, and Sir Nathaniel Gordon,
he gave the command of the right wing, and he committed the charge
of the left to Sir William RoUock, all men of tried bravery and expe
rience.
The covenanters begun the battle by a cannonade from their field
pieces, and, from their commanding position, gave considerable annoy-
ance to the royal forces, who were very deficient in artillery. After the
firing had been kept up for some time, Lord Lewis Gordon, third son
of the Marquis of Huntly, a young man of a very ardent disposition,
and of a violent and changeable temper, who commanded the left wing
of tlie covenanters, having obtained possession of some level ground
where his horse could act, made a demonstration to attack Montrose's
right wing ; which, being observed by 3Iontrose, he immediately order-
ed Sir William RoUock, with his party of horse, from the left wing to
tne assistance of the right. These united wings, which consisted of
only forty-four horse, not only repulsed the attack of a body of three
hundred, but threw them into complete disorder and forced them to re-
treat upon the main body, leaving many dead and wounded on the field.
INIontrose restrained these brave cavaliers from pursuing the body they
had routed, anticipating that their services might be soon required at
the other wing, and lie was not mistaken, for no sooner did the cove-
nanting general perceive the retreat of Lord Lewis Gordon than he or-
dered an attack to be made upon the left wing of Montrose's army ; but
iSIontrose, with a celerity almost unexampled, moved his whole cavalry
from the right to the left wing, who, falling upon the flank of their assail-
ants sword in hand, forced them to flj', with great slaughter. In this
aii'air, Montrose's horse took Forbes of Craigievar and Forbes ofBoyud-
lie, prisoners.
The unsuccessful attacks on the wings of Montrose's army, had,
in no shape, affected the future fortune of the day, as both armies
kept their ground, and were equally animated with hopes of ultimate
success. Vexed, but by no means intimidated by their second defeat,
the gentlemen who composed Burleigh's horse, consulted together as to
tlie best mode of renewing the attack, and, being of opinion that the suc-
cess of Montrose's cavalry was owing chiefly to the expert musketeers,
with ^vhom they were interlined, they resolved to imitate the same