Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 2Scott, Walter
History
Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 2
Scott, Walter
Historical fiction; Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction; Scotland -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
'My Lord George Murray advanced, and although he found Mons. de
Cluny and his tribe in good spirits under arms, yet the
circumstance appear'd extremely delicate. The numbers were vastly
unequall, and the attack seem'd very dangerous; so My Lord George
declin'd giving orders to such time as he ask'd Mons. de Cluny's
oppinion. "I will attack them with all my heart," says Mons. de
Cluny, "if you order me." "I do order it then," answered My Lord
George, and immediately went on himself along with Mons. de Cluny,
and fought sword in hand on foot at the head of the single tribe
of Macphersons. They in a moment made their way through a strong
hedge of thorns, under the cover whereof the cavalrie had taken
their station, in the strugle of passing which hedge My Lord
George Murray, being dressed en montagnard, as all the army were,
lost his bonet and wig; so continued to fight bare-headed during
the action. They at first made a brisk discharge of their firearms
on the enemy, then attacked them with their sabres, and made a
great slaughter a considerable time, which obliged Comberland and
his cavalrie to fly with precipitation and in great confusion; in
so much that, if the Prince had been provided in a sufficient
number of cavalrie to have taken advantage of the disorder, it is
beyond question that the Duke of Comberland and the bulk of his
cavalrie had been taken prisoners.
'By this time it was so dark that it was not possible to view or
number the slain who filled all the ditches which happened to be
on the ground where they stood. But it was computed that, besides
those who went off wounded, upwards of a hundred at least were
left on the spot, among whom was Colonel Honywood, who commanded
the dismounted cavalrie, whose sabre of considerable value Mons.
de Cluny brought off and still preserves; and his tribe lykeways
brought off many arms;--the Colonel was afterwards taken up, and,
his wounds being dress'd, with great difficultie recovered. Mons.
de Cluny lost only in the action twelve men, of whom some haveing
been only wounded, fell afterwards into the hands of the enemy,
and were sent as slaves to America, whence several of them
returned, and one of them is now in France, a sergeant in the
Regiment of Royal Scots. How soon the accounts of the enemies
approach had reached the Prince, H.R.H. had immediately ordered
Mi-Lord le Comte de Nairne, Brigadier, who, being proscribed, is
now in France, with the three batalions of the Duke of Athol, the
batalion of the Duke of Perth, and some other troups under his
command, in order to support Cluny, and to bring off the
artilirie. But the action was entirely over before the Comte de
Nairne, with his command, cou'd reach nigh to the place. They
therefore return'd all to Penrith, and the artilirie marched up in
good order.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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