Volume III Part 3 (2/2)
A few days after he had taken possession of the town, a council of as called, to consider as next to be done So to Scotland; others were in favour of enca to see whether there would be any rising in England Others advised , that having Carlisle, happen what ht, they had a safe retreat Charles Edward declared himself to be of the last-mentioned opinion, and his inclinations were seconded by Lord George to a certain extent He stated the advantages and disadvantages of both propositions; but added, that, although he could not venture to advise the Prince to ement than they had hitherto received, yet he was persuaded that if his Royal Highness h but small, would follow him Upon this, Charles immediately said these words, ”I will venture it” ”I spoke,” adds Lord George, ”with the s had happened about the time of the blockade of Carlisle, and a little before, which had eneral officer; but, as all the other officers were very pressing with ht aside”[81]
What those circu letter to his brother His difficulties, owing to the want of arrangeested, had he been first in co Yet, in the extract froe does ample justice to the exertions of the Duke of Perth This epistle ritten whilst the blockade and battery were going on
”I ao on so quick with the battery of cannon as would have been wished By the report of those I sent there, the ground isall the pains taken by the Duke of Perth, who is indefatigable in that service, and who meets with innumerable difficulties, I suspect the place pitched upon will not answer But, if the thing be prosecuted, I think it my duty to tell you, so as you hness, that the men posted upon the blockade of Carlisle will not expose theht in the open air, within cannon-shot, or even musket-shot of the town, except it be in their turn with the rest of the aruard, first night, second, and so on The way I would propose, if it be approved of by a council of war, is as follows:--that fifty hted out of each of the battalions that are at Brampton, with proper officers, and at least two majors out of the six battalions, and be sent to quarter at Butcherby, which, I believe, is within a mile of the battery; and, as I suppose, one hundred and fifty uard at the battery These six battalions will furnish two guards; your ilvie's one, which, in the whole, uards, or reliefs; and I think, by that time, the toill be either taken or the blockade reiment, because they have more than their turn of the duty already, besides furnishi+ng workie, &c; and they will, perhaps, be able to furnish so be done of this nature, the sooner I hear of it the better I ever am, dear brother, your most affectionate brother, and faithful humble servant,
”GEORGE MURRAY”[82]
This advice was disregarded A court-ested by Lord George By this council the detache for the relief of the battery were refused, upon the plea that those corps had lately encountered all the fatigue of the blockade at Edinburgh, and that it would not be fair to put the this decision, in the hand-writing of Secretary Murray, Lord George addressed the following letter to the Prince His conduct upon this occasion shows the proud and fiery spirit of this able commander
”15th November, 1745
”Sir,
”I cannot but observe how little ht with your Royal Highness, ever since I had the honour of a coive up my commission But as I ever had a firm attach n to be this night in the trenches as such, with any others that will please to follow h I own I think there are full few on this post already Your Royal Highness will please order whom you think fit to command on this post, and the other parts of the blockade I have the honour to be, sir, your Royal Highness's ned) ”GEORGE MURRAY[83]
”Lord Elcho has the command till you please to appoint it otherwise”
To his brother, the Marquis of Tullibardine, Lord George wrote stillthe Marquis that he had given up his coe complains of a want of confidence on the part of the Prince, in regard to the terms which were to be accepted or rejected in the surrender of Carlisle
Touching these, Charles Edward, as now almost completely under the controul of Secretary Murray, acted in a weak and vacillating ive hie entreated hi his presence in the camp, that the Prince would send instructions after him[84] ”When he would not coed his Royal Highness would send his intentions and instructions after ht conduct myself by them; but his secretary told me plainly, he took that matter to be his province, as he see upon him both as to civil and s which have determined me to wish to have no coo into utter confusion I shall show, as a volunteer, that no man wishesin the first rank of your Atholl eneral, where I was constantly at a loss to knoas doing I am of opinion you should reduce your men to two battalions; one for Lord Nairn, the other Mr Mercer When you are quartered anywhere, if you have a hole to spare, I shall be as often with you as I can; at other times, I shall lye with the men in a barn, which I doubt not will hearten the, as a volunteer, I shall do all I can to advance the service; but as to say atIf you have occasion for tent or horses, they are at your service, for I design to keep none, but make presents of them all
”Adieu! Yours, GEORGE MURRAY”
”Haroby, 15th Nov 1745”
Not only were the seeds of disunion thus sown between the Prince and the Generals, but also between the Marquis of Tullibardine and Lord George Murray
”I did expect,” writes Lord George to the Marquis, ”that you would have upon occasion stoodpeople, by your being so ready to blaard for hness that you had acquaintedparticular to say to me I told him I should be as ready to serve in a private station, and as a volunteer, in the first rank of your ht do so Nothing else passed I spoke a good time to Sir Tho was taken a expressedhness, it was very injurious to ning ht it needless to be , I would serve none on earth before his Royal Highness: which, after what I have shown, and all my actions since I joined the standard, could not be called in question I mentioned several particulars, wherein I showed that I had no authority in the station I was in, and that others acted as General who had not any call, but used his Royal Highness's na of moment was done without my participation That, in short, I had ventured , ain, in the way things were ed, and therefore resolved upon a private station”[85]
The concluding paragraph of this painful letter is written with a force and bitterness which sho deeply this ardent servant of a failing cause ounded by what he justly deemed unmerited caprice and disrespect ”I wish you would be careful of the Atholl hted; which never should have happened as long as I had any coot even thanks for venturing life and fortune, and even the gallows; and, which is worse, (I don't kno it is coood with other men If you would sendtheiments, I would do, now that I have tiood of the service and general comfort I always am, dear brother, your most faithful and humble servant and affectionate brother,
”GEORGE MURRAY”[86]
”Haroby, 16th Nov 1745”
There was also another source of coinated with the Duke of Perth, was clearly traceable to the Prince, or rather to his adviser, Secretary Murray A e Murray on the very night on which the battery on Carlisle was opened He had gone into the trenches; and, seeing the Duke of Perth there, he had desired hi, to let him know, and that he would aid him by every means in his power What private orders the Duke had was not known; but, far froe for aid or counsel, he sent to Brampton, seven miles' distance, whenever any difficulty occurred, and acquainted the Prince with it, but took no notice of Lord George, although he was an older officer than hie Upon this, Lord George, who thought he was entitled to knohat had passed in the trenches, corieved, and, as he conceived, insulted, he sent that letter to the Prince, which has justly been censured asChevalier and his father[87]
These acts of indiscretion and inte still less worthy of the soldier and the e Murray indeed lowered himself, when, at the same time that he wrote to the Prince, he set on foot a petition praying Charles that he would dismiss all Roman Catholics from his councils This was aimed at the Duke of Perth and Sir Thon to it any better e Murray in the command Some allowance may, nevertheless, beon the deterh-spirited man But the vital principles of our Christian faith tend to soften animosities, to humble pride, and to accord to others the sahtly as that of which we ourselves are prone to boast A sincere, a truly pious member of the Christian church cannot be an intolerant partizan of certain modes of faith
There dwells within his breast a deeper sentiment than that which is inspired by the worldly and sublunary distinctions of sect And Lord George Murray, seeing his young and blameless rival, the Duke of Perth, brave, honourable, and ion had he not availed himself of an unworthy plea to base upon it an invidious and covert insinuation
He was reproved by the nanimity of the man whoh the Duke of Perth did not profess to acquiesce in the opinion that it was unreasonable that he should have the chief coe the justice of the claiave up, for the sake of a Prince whoe Murray His conduct on this occasion recalls the generous sentiht and soldier in ancient ti that unanimity which it was intended to effect The rancour between Lord George Murray and the Secretary still reh it did not break out on every occasion, and soave way to the common cause when the interests of all were at stake[88]
At Carlisle the forces were reviewed and were found to amount to above five thousand foot, with five hundred[89] on horseback, entleuards, hussars, &c[90] After a few days rest, and after coement for the preservation of Carlisle, the ar the rest of the forces at the head of six regi with so sland above sixty thousand iments; but the Prince, observes Mr Maxwell, ”had hitherto had a wonderful run of success” He was still buoyed up with hopes of a landing of French troops, and of an insurrection in his favour[91]