Battle
Dunkeld was not protected by a town wall, so Cleland ordered his troops to take up defensive positions in the cathedral, which was surrounded by an enclosing wall, and the nearby mansion of the Marquess of Atholl. The Jacobites, outnumbering the Cameronians four to one, stormed into attack from all sides - but in the narrow, winding streets there was no room for this type of Highland charge that succeeded in Killiecrankie. Thus, for sixteen hours the battle raged, as many who had barricaded themselves into houses were locked in and burned alive.
Gradually the Cameronians were forced back, but at 11pm, depleted of energy and ammunition, the Highlanders decided to call it a day and withdrew, leaving 300 of their men dead or dying in the town. Having exhausted their own munitions, the Cameronians are reported to have stripped lead from the roof of Atholl House to keep up their fire. Holes dating from this battle, caused by the strikes of musket balls, are still visible in the east gable of Dunkeld Cathedral. The battle was over, and the Cameronian Covenanters could claim a war-winning victory.
The Colonel, William Cleland, only 27 years old but already a veteran of the Covenanter cause, died in the first hour of battle by taking one bullet in the liver and another in the head, before dragging himself out of sight so that his men would not see him fall. The Major of the regiment was also wounded so that command fell to Captain George Munro of Auchinbowie who led them to victory.
The Jacobites routed, having lost around 300 men. Losses on the government side are unclear, but included Colonel Cleland, who is buried in the cathedral.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Dunkeld
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“The Battle of Waterloo is a work of art with tension and drama with its unceasing change from hope to fear and back again, change which suddenly dissolves into a moment of extreme catastrophe, a model tragedy because the fate of Europe was determined within this individual fate.”
—Stefan Zweig (18811942)
“Nelson’s famous signal before the Battle of Trafalgar was not: “England expects that every man will be a hero.” It said: “England expects that every man will do his duty.” In 1805 that was enough. It should still be.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)
“If you are willing to inconvenience yourself in the name of discipline, the battle is half over. Leave Grandma’s early if the children are acting impossible. Depart the ballpark in the sixth inning if you’ve warned the kids and their behavior is still poor. If we do something like this once, our kids will remember it for a long time.”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)