1164 Somerled assassinated, leading an army of 15,000

1306 METHVEN

Really just after Bruce's defeat at Methven on June 19, 1306. Bruce had been defeated and was fleeing through Lorn with approximately 300 men. Macdougall of Lorn attacks Bruce at Strathtillan with 1,000 Highlanders. (who according to Tylter are armed with Lochaber axes). The Highlanders are able to get in and kill or wound the horses of Bruce's men. (I presume due to the roughness of the country). Bruce again must flee. In single combat Bruce kills three men; but in doing so, he looses a brooch that becomes known as the "brooch of Lorn."

1309 BRANDER PASS

Or Bruce's revenge. Bruce, with Douglas, returns for a grudge match with Macdougall. Macdougall sets an ambush at the pass of Ben Cruachen. between Loch Awe and Loch Euve that is discovered by Bruce. Bruce splits his force and sends Douglas with a unit of lightly armed Highland bowmen to sneak up behind and bushwhack the ambushcm Douglas is suecess*ul and after stiff resistance. the Macdougalls make a run for it Unfortunately for them, they are pinned in a ravine and Bruce has his revenge, as "great slaughter follows.' Keltie refers to caltrops and pits.

1390 GASKLUNE

A particularly ugly engagement even for the Scots. Pedigrees of important players are: Alexander Stewart who will become the future Earl of Mar and is the illegitimate son of Alexander of Badenoch. Alexander of Badenoch, also known as the Wolf of Badenoch, and who in ruin, is the fourth son of Robert II. Alexander Stewart leads "a vast number of caterans [a military irregular or brigand of the Scottish Highlands] armed only with sword and target" on a pillaging raid. A counterforce is raised by Sir Walter Ogilvy who is the sheriff of Angus. Amongst Ogilvy's men are Patrick Gray, David Lindsay of Glenesk, Ogilvy's brother and other knights. [This is important to us only as it relates to their wealth and armor]. Though outnumbered, Ogilvy attacks the freebooters apparently confident that his knights can take on the raiders. Ogilvy, his brother and 5 other lords are slain as well as 60 of their followers. Winton tells a delightfully charming anecdote that is retold by Keltie and Tylter about a Highlander who Lindsay runs through with a spear, pinning the Highlander to the ground. Whereupon the Highlander stood up with the spear still in his body (and the ground) and strikes the flabbergasted Lindsay: cutting him through his stirrups and boot to his bone. Lindsay has to leave the field. Gray also survives but likewise is badly wounded. All in all, a small engagement where lightly armored infantry stood head to head with mounted knights and won.

1411 HARLAW

Historians differ as to the cause and significance of this engagement They actually differ as to whom won or if there was a victor. A droll comment from my wife was that the English were clearly the winners if both armies were Scots. Some want to make this the end of the Isles claim to the mainland. I agree with those, who after going through everyone's pedigrees conclude the leaders, with good cause, did not like each other. Further, due to competing laws of inheritance, the engagement was both personal and monetary, not some ethereal landmark engagement. The consensus is the Isles army lead by Donald, consisted of 10.000 men. Donald reputedly took only 6,000 of the best men and had sent the rest home. Once on the mainland, he gathered supporters including the Mackintoshes until he had 10.000 men.

Opposing them at first was the chief of the Mackays, Angus Duhb Mackay of Farr [Black Angus...no joke ... for short]. Angus gets bullied aside at Dingwall and the Islesmen make to burn Aberdeen. Again a smaller body moves to intercept This time the force is lead by Alexander Oglivy [the new sheriff of Angus], James Scrymgeour [the Constable of Dundee and the hereditary standard bearer of Scotland, William do Abernethy of Salon (the nephew of the Duke of the Albany who is the regent of Scotland[, plus another ten or so men of renown. Then, because of the "excesses" committed by the islesmen, [that strangely enough were acceptable when he lead them], our old friend Alexander Stewart who is now the Earl of Mar shows up with a "well equipped army." All the sources agree that the Earl of Mar was outnumbered. One author and the ballad of Harlaw claims by as much as 10 to 1.[And the Ballad of Harlaw says the Hieland army was 50,000 strong.] But Mar's men are steel-clad knights.

MacDonald divides his forces into 4 groups. The first is the center under his command and consists of the majority of the Islesmen including all the Macleods. After the obligatory squabble as to whom shall command the right wing, that honor is given to the Macleans under their chief Hector Roy Maclean. The left is commanded by Callum Beg Mackintosh [aka Malcolm Mackintosh[. In reserve Donald holds his brother with a number of the tightest and nimblest of men."

The Earl of Mar draws his men into a main battle with Alexander Ogilvie on his left and the Lords Marishall and Erroll on his right. Ogilvie is defeated by the Macleans and his men flee into a "cattle fold." However, Maclean is killed. Marishall and Erroll arc forced to retreat Darkness falls and the fighting, unlike at Largs, stops. Donald leaves the field to the Earl of Mar. The result was an estimated 900 dead [10% ] out of 10,000 Islesmen and 40+ knights [19 of whom were lords] and 600 men at arms or 650 [65%] out of 1,000. The expression "May God not grant me such victories" quickly comes to mind.

Historians of this era are prone to search for landmarks and conclude this is a racial battle between the Teutons and the Celts. Again I think a spousal comment is more accurate "if that many died and you are talking about Scots, it HAD to be about money." Why the Islesmen left the field can only be speculation. Comparison of the two forces and their casualties, information that should have been obvious to both sides, seems to show an Isles victory. So why did they leave? Records show many of Donald's clan chiefs tell, presumably at the hunt of their men. This would weaken his control over these clans that was always tenuous at the best. [For example see what happens to Mackintosh and our other role model Alexander Stewart]. Personally I think this engagement shows the inherent weakness of the clan system of government. Lindsey mentions a Scottish advisor who supposedly gave his king a quiver filled with arrows and ask the King to break them. [Those gentle readers who are well read,please,no comments about this sounding familiar.]

Of course, the King cannot The advisor then takes them and breaks each arrow individually. The story is trite but it does not lessen the point. The clans, because of their fierce independence and individualism that produced heroic courage in battle, doomed their system against the more formalized feudal system

For our purposes, not only do the Islesmen defeat mounted knights, they defeat properly formed dismounted knights and men at arms, well armed including long spears. Keltie and Tylter both mention that the Islesmen are armed with swords, axes, pole-axes, dirks, bows, Lochabcr axes, broadswords and bucklers. Further, both state that the Islesmen made up for their lack of armor and discipline with their ferocity.

1427

In some nasty little engagement Alexander, Lord of the Isles, is deserted by both the Clan Chattan and the Cameron. For those not steeped in this culture, the Mackintoshes have a close tic to the clan Chattan. In literary circles this is called foreshadowing. Clan Chattan is supposed to have had a falling out with the Cameron and resolved this disagreement by sealing off a church in which the Cameron were worshipping. Then, diplomatically, the Clan Chatan set fire to the church allowing no one to escape. [Another spousal comment was "Is this the Scottish version of burnt offerings?"]

1431 INVERLOCHY

Our friend the Earl of Mar, due to his "victory" at Harlaw has been appointed Justicar of the North. He goes north with a large army to conquer lands figuring this would be easy as the Lord of the Isles was currently residing in a Scottish jail. [money, money, money. Mar is such an opportunist]

Donald Balloch (Ballich( who is only 18, rallies the faithful. Balloch's father had been murdered in 1427 by John Campbell (naturally) at the order of the Duke of Albany, the regent of Scotland whose nephew had been killed by the Islesmen at Harlaw. Balloch "picks out the best of the men to the number of 600" and ands the rest home. Meanwhile his younger uncle, Alister Carrick is delaying Mar by occupying a hilltop in front of Mar with a force of 200-220 archers. Due to the size of his force he has not engaged Mar. Donald Balloch joins his uncle and battle is joined.

Lord Huntley is with Mar and he sees Balloch and his men advancing. He goes to Mars tent and finds Mar and Malcolm Mackintosh (remember him?) playing cards. Huntley in modern vernacular says "showtime" and the card players ask him how many enemy approach. 

Huntley again quite reasonably states the number is not as important as the fact that the enemy is advancing with the intent to do battle. These two reprobates tell Huntley that they will finish their card game. Huntley leaves but returns to say "they're here." Mackintosh says "I know very well the doings of the big bellied carles of the Isles." Not surprising, this remark from a man so recently joining the "correct" side irks Huntley. Huntley reply is "Whatever. But today they intend to fight."

Mackintosh replies that there is no need to be such an old woman and that his men are sufficient to defeat the Islesmen and the matter is no longer Huntley's concern. Fine have it your way says Huntley or words to that effect and Huntley tells his men to stand aside.

The lslesmen and the Mackintoshes and Mar's men face off with Huntley's men to the side. Then Alister Carrick and his archers come down from their hilltop and shoot so thickly into the flank of the Earl's army that they break. The Earl is wounded and wanders the Highlands for several days. The Earl loses 990 men and the Islesmen 27.

Again an example of Islesmen beating the superior discipline and weaponry of lowland knights by their ferocity. There is supposed to have been a naval engagement between the Mackays and the Murrays in which only 9 of the 1200 engaged survived.

At first I presumed this meant a brutally heroic battle to the last man. However, the forementioned rules author pointed out that the cold water, drownings, faulty seamanship and many other causes could lead to such results. And it should be noted that it is still not an uncommon occurrence for fishing vessels to disappear.

An interesting aside, Alexander MacDonald the Lord of the Isles is freed from the Scottish jail and promptly made ... the Justicar of the North [poor Mar] and he then confirms the Mackintosh in the occupation of the land of his loyal supporter and uncle, Alastair Carrick. You figure. The rest of the engagements are the cats and dogs

1457 "all armed in the Highland fashion, with habergeons, bows and axes"...
1480 Blar na Paire [Blair ne Park] Highlanders using bows
1481 Laaabhraad 500 dead
1484 Battle of Bloody Bay
1488 Battle of Sauchic-burn Highlanders armed with bows, dirks, swords, targes. The bow is not favored.

Then I have to mention the charming tale of the 30 Macphersons who fight 30 Davidsons in a perverse blending of Highland honor with Norman chivalry. Spectators cheer their champions on as they slaughter each other. Only one man is not seriously wounded and 29 of 30 of the defeated side are killed while only 20 are killed on the winning side.

Scots Isles Highland Army List

Introduction
History and Research
Army List