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

CHAPTER XVIII.
Letrcat uf General Baillie and the Committee of Estates to Stirling— Marcli of fllontrose
to Aberdeen—Interment of Lord Gordon— Buclian laid under asse^ment hy
Mnntrose—The Parliament meets at Perth, and orders a levy—Advance of Montrose
•o the south—Joined by the Athole Highlanders, the ."Macdonalds, Macleans, and other
Clans— Crosses the Tay, and encamps at Amulree— Removes to the wood of Methven
— Retreats to Little Dunkeld, where he is joined by tlie Earls of Aboyne and Airly—
Advances lo Logic Almond— Baillie retires to Kilgraston—March of Montrose towards
Stirling— Castle Campbell burnt by the Macleans—Mansions of Menstrie and
Air-hrie burnt by Argyle— Progress of the hostile armies— Battle of Kilsyth—Entry
of Montrose into Glasgow— Encamps on Bothwell Moor— Submission of the Nobility
and the western shires— Communications with the King— Montrose appointed Lieutenant
Governor of Scotland— Battle of Philiphaugh.
The successive victories of Montrose, in Scotland, were more than
counterbalanced by those of the pat liamentary forces in England. Un-
der different circumstances, the success at Alford might have been at-
tended with consequences the most important to the royal cause ; but
the defeat of the king, on the fourteenth of June, at Naseby, had raiseil
the hopes of the covenanters, and prepared their minds to receive the
tidings of Baillie's defeat with coolness and moderation.
Upon the day on which the battle of Alford was fought, the parliament
had adjourned to Stirling from Edinburgh, on account of a de-
structive pestilence which had reached the capital from Newcastle, by
way of Kelso. Thither General Baillie, Lord Balcarras, and the committee
of estates, which had accompanied the covenanting arm3', repaired, to lay
a statement of the late disaster before the parliament, and to receive
instructions as to their future conduct. They arrived just as the parliament
was about sitting, and, with the exception of Baillie, were well received.
Balcarras, wlio had particularly distinguished himself in the battle at
the head of his horse, received a vote of thanks, and a similar acknow-
ledgment was, after some hesitation, awarded to Baillie, notwithstand-
ing some attempts made to prejudice the parliament against him. But
the fact was, they could not dispense in the present emergency with an
officer of the military talents of Baillie, who, instead of shrinking from
responsibility for the loss of the battle of Alford, offered to stand trial
before a court martial, and to justif3' his conduct on that occasion. To
have ithheld therefore, the usual token of approbation from him, while
bestowing it upon an inferior officer, would have been to affix a stigma
upon him which he was not disposed to brook consistently with the re-
tendnii of the command of the army; and as the parliament resolved to