Volume III Part 6 (1/2)

The dissensions between Charles Edward and Lord George Murray had now ripened into reproaches on the one hand, answered by so not unlike taunts on the other The former had cherished a predilection for battles ever since his victory at Glandser towards his General, for his having prevented his fighting the Duke of cue observed to Charles, ”Since your Royal Highness is always for battles, be the circumstances what they may; I now offer you one, in three hours from this time, with the army of Marshal Wade, who is only three miles distant from this place” The Prince e All his ardour in one; he had become listless, careless, and dejected since the retreat The arlooree of difficulty and responsibility devolved therefore upon their General On the sixteenth of December the army slept at Shap, and on the seventeenth the Prince arrived at Penrith; but the artillery, and the regiarry, could only reach Shap by nightfall

On the following e proceeded towards Penrith Scarcely had he begun hisabout, but not venturing within an to ascend an eminence about half-way between Shap and Penrith, they discovered cavalry riding two and two abreast on the top of the hill These instantly disappeared, but the noise of the kettle-drums and trumpets announced that they were only on the other side of the hill, and that they were probably fore was in the rear of the Highland aruard stopped at the foot of the hill, when suddenly they formed a resolution to advance sword in hand on the enee of their resolution On arriving at the summit of the hill, the party whose kettle-drums and trumpets had caused such an alarht horse and chasseurs, who instantly fled One prisoner only was made, a man who fell from his horse It was desirable, on all accounts, to have preserved the life of this person, but the fury of the Highlanders was such that he was instantly cut to pieces

After this alarhland arht horse had, however, begotten an impression that Wade's forces were not far distant The Chevalier Johnstone, s on the subject; his fears were confirmed by his serjeant dickson, who called his attention to so black on a hill about three arded as bushes, was soon found to be the English aruard could recover the surprise, the Duke of cumberland, who had pursued them with forced marches, fell upon the Macdonalds, ere in the rear, with fury Fortunately the road running between thorn hedges and ditches, the English cavalry could not act in such a er front than the breadth of the road

The Highlanders instantly ran to the enclosures in which the English were, fell on their knees, and began to cut down the hedges with their dirks This precaution was necessary, for their li lower than their kilts During this operation, they sustained the fire of the English with ades were cut down, they julish battalions A fierce and deadly contest ensued

The English were nearly cut to pieces without quitting their ground

Platoonsbeneath the Highlanders, yet they re was hlanders

This ree Murray, at the head of the Macphersons, whooons were driven from their posts, and closely pursued until they arrived at the moor where their main body was planted In this ”scuffle” the Macphersons lost only twelve lish were killed or wounded A footman in the service of the Duke of cuhlanders This man declared that his royal hlander took aim at his head, had not missed fire

Prince Charles, with much courtesy, sent him back instantly to the Duke[148]

Such is a brief account of the engagee Murray calls a ”little skirmish,” but which hland valour to the Duke of cuoons

But, independent of the dauntless bravery of the Macphersons, to the skill of Lord George Murray may be attributed an, he contrived, by rolling up his colours, and causing them to be carried half open to different places, to deceive the enehland force; and to make thee of Clifton With about a thousand oons, backed by a great body of cavalry, all well disciplined troops The moon, which was in its second quarter, appeared at intervals during the close of the action, and gave but a fitful light, being often over-clouded, so that the coloo all on horseback, were just visible to their foes, but the ”little Highlanders” were in darkness ”We had the advantage,” observes Lord George, ”of seeing their disposition, but they could not see ours”[149]

This encounter had the effect of saving the Prince and the whole are Murray, ”that I made that stand at Clifton, for otherwise the eneht to Penrith, where, after refreshi+ng two or three hours, they ot to Carlisle”[150]

Lord George was in i the action at Clifton

Fortunately, an old man, Glenbucket, as very infire on horseback He entreated Lord George to be very careful, ”for if any accident happened, he would be blae; it was convex, and covered with a plate of metal, which was painted; the paint was cleared in two or three places, with the enemy's bullets; and, indeed, they were so thick about ht sohfallen off”[151]

In this skiriment, who had reuard the baggage

The officers, observes Lord George, ”behaved to my wish, and punctually obeyed the orders they received That very e that they would not have stayed three days behind the rest of the are for anythe nal instances of courage were shown by Macpherson of Clunie, and his fierce band

This unfortunate chief was engaged in the insurrection of 1715; that circumstance had been overlooked by Government; and, in the very year 1745, he had been appointed to a coiment, and had taken the oaths to Government His clan were, however, anxious to espouse the cause of Charles Edward Whilst Clunie wavered, his honour requiring the fulfilment of his oaths, his affections, and his hereditary principles leading hih a stanch Jacobite, and a daughter of Lord Lovat, entreated hi would end hich began with perjury She was overruled by the friends of Clunie, and he hastened to his ruin[152]

The victorious General remained at Clifton half an hour after all the other officers had proceeded to Penrith This circulish newspapers, which intihlanders had been beaten from their post at Clifton On the contrary, ”I heard,” observed Lord George, ”that the eneood many miles for quarters, and I aue as we could be”

Upon arriving at Penrith, Lord George found the Prince much pleased hat had occurred He was, however, just taking horse for Carlisle On the next day, after staying a very short tie joined Charles Edward in that city, which had yielded so short a time previously to his arms; and here various circumstances occurred which sufficiently show the discord which prevailed in the councils of the young Chevalier

During thePrince had manifested a lofty sense of his own honour; but it was coree of obstinacy in sousted with the retreat, indignant with the proland, unhappy, discouraged, and distracted by evil counsels, the Prince had plainly shown, that he would controvert the opinions of Lord George in every possible instance He had lingered so late in thehis quarters, as to detain the rear, which that General coreat inconvenience, and difficult for an impetuous temper to tolerate The Prince not only refused to allow the ar resolved ”rather to fight both their arive such a proof of his weakness;”[153] but he carried that order to an extre er than from reflection The ree of difficulty and fatigue which tried the patience of the soldiers, ere obliged, in one instance, to drag, like horses, the heavy waggons, in order to get theh a stream of water where there was a narrow pass, and a steep ascent[154]

No enemy had molested the troops after they left Penrith; and it appeared evident that, at that ti to a pitched battle, but intended only to take advantage of the disorder which he ht suppose would have attended the retreat of an ar at Carlisle, a council of as held Lord George Murray was in favour of evacuating Carlisle, but his influence was overruled

”I had been so ued,” he remarks, ”for some days before, that I was very little at the Prince's quarters that day” It was, however, deterarrison in Carlisle, for Prince Charles had set his heart upon returning to England He, therefore, placed in the castle Mr Hamilton, whilst the unfortunate Mr Townley commanded the town

”This,” remarks Mr Maxwell,[155] ”was perhaps the worst resolution that the Prince had taken hitherto I cannot help condeh there were specious pretexts for it” It would, indeed, have been highly advantageous for the Prince to have retained one of the keys of England; and he ht have hoped to return before the place could be retaken Of this, however, he could not be certain; and he was undoubtedly wrong in exposing the lives of the garrison without an indispensable necessity, which, according to Maxwell, did not exist; for ”blowing up the castle, and the gates of the town land”

The day after the Prince had arrived in Carlisle, he left it, and proceeded northwards One cause of this, apparently, needless haste was, the state of the river Esk, about seven miles from Carlisle; it was, by a nearer road, iht be swollen by a few hours rain, and then it could not be forded The Prince ht thus be detained at Carlisle; and he had now become extremely impatient to know the exact state of his affairs in Scotland; to collect his forces, in order to return to England Letters froood will of the Court of France--that delusive hope was not even then extinct Advice from Viscount Strathallan had imparted excellent accounts of the army in Scotland

Under these circumstances, Charles hastened forward, and encountered the difficult passage over the Esk Hope again gladdened the heart of one for whose errors, e consider the stake for which he fought, and the cherished wishes of his youth, too little allowance has been made

But, in the eyes of others, the prospect of the young Chevalier's return to England was regarded as wholly visionary; and the planting a garrison in the dilapidated fortress of Carlisle, was deemed indifference to the fate of his adherents who rely, and certain of their dooland,”