Bonnie Prince Charlie : a Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden
CHAPTER XIII: Prince Charles.
Upon arriving at the prince's lodgings Macdonald remained without, theDuke of Athole entering, accompanied only by Ronald.
"The prince is in disguise," he said, "and but one or two of us visit himhere in order that no suspicion may be incited among the people of thehouse that he is anything beyond what he appears to be--a young studentof the Scotch college at Paris."
They ascended the stairs to the upper story, and on the marquis knocking,a door was opened. The duke entered, followed by Ronald.
"Well, duke, what is the news?"
The question was asked by a young man, who was pacing restlessly up anddown the room, of which he was, with the exception of his valet dechambre, an Italian named Michel, the person who had opened the door, theonly occupant.
"Ah! whom have you here?"
"Allow me to present to your royal highness Lieutenant Leslie. He is theson of Leslie of Glenlyon, who fought by my side in your father's causein '15, and has, like myself, been an exile ever since. This is the younggentleman who, two years since, saved Macdonald from arrest in Glasgow."
"Ah! I remember the adventure," the prince said courteously, "and rightgallant action it was; but how did you hear that I was here, sir?"
"I was told by my good friend and commanding officer, Colonel Hume of the2nd Scottish Dragoons, your royal highness."
"I revealed it to Hume before leaving Paris," the duke said, "he being agreat friend of mine and as staunch as steel, and I knew that he could betrusted to keep a secret."
"It seems that in the last particular you were wrong," the princeremarked with a slight smile.
"Colonel Hume only revealed it to me, sir," Ronald said, anxious to savehis friend from the suspicion of having betrayed a secret confided tohim, "for very special reasons. I had the misfortune to kill in a duelthe Duke of Chateaurouge, and as we fought just outside the park ofVersailles, and the duke was a favourite of the king's, I had to ride forit; then Colonel Hume, knowing my devotion to the cause of your highness,whispered to me the secret of your intention, and gave me a message tohis friend the Duke of Athole."
"Do you say that you have killed the Duke of Chateaurouge in a duel?" theduke exclaimed in astonishment. "Why, he has the reputation of being oneof the best swordsmen in France, and has a most evil name as a dangerousand unscrupulous man. I met him constantly at court, and his arroganceand haughtiness were well nigh insufferable. And you have killed him?"
"I knew him well too," the prince said, "and his reputation. We do notdoubt what you say, young gentleman," he added quickly, seeing a flushmount into Ronald's face; "but in truth it seems strange that such shouldhave been the case."
"Colonel Hume did me the honour to be my second," Ronald said quietly,"and the Marquis de Vallecourt was second to the duke; some otherofficers of the Scottish regiment were present, as were two other Frenchnoblemen, De Lisle and St. Aignan."
"We doubt you not, sir," the duke said warmly. "You will understand thatit cannot but seem strange that you at your age--for it seems to methat you cannot be more than nineteen--should have been able to standfor a moment against one of the best swordsmen in France, to say nothingof having slain him."
"Colonel Hume would scarcely have consented to act as my second had hethought that the contest was a wholly unequal one," Ronald said with aslight smile; "indeed I may say that he regarded it as almost certainthat I should have the best of the fray."
"Why, you must be a very Paladin," the prince said admiringly; "but sitdown and tell us all about it. Upon my word I am so sick of being coopedup for four days in this wretched den that I regard your coming as agodsend. Now tell me how it was that the Duc de Chateaurouge condescendedto quarrel with a young officer in the Scottish Horse."
"It was a family quarrel, sir, which I had inherited from my father."
"Yes, yes, I remember now," the Duke of Athole broke in. "It is an oldstory now; but I heard all about it at the time, and did what I could, asdid all Leslie's friends, to set the matter right, but in vain. Leslie ofGlenlyon, prince, was colonel of the Scottish Dragoons, and as gallantand dashing a soldier as ever was in the service of the King of France,and as good looking a one too; and the result was, the daughter of theMarquis de Recambours, one of the richest heiresses in France, whom herfather and the king destined as the bride of this Duke of Chateaurouge,who was then quite a young man, fell in love with Leslie, and a secretmarriage took place between them. For three years no one suspected it;but the young lady's obstinacy in refusing to obey her father's orderscaused her to be shut up in a convent. Somehow the truth came out. Lesliewas arrested and thrown into the Bastille, and he has never been heard ofsince. What became of the child which was said to have been born no oneever heard; but it was generally supposed that it had been put out of theway. We in vain endeavoured to soften the king's anger against Leslie,but the influence of Recambours and Chateaurouge was too great for us.Hume told me some time since that Leslie's son had been carried off toScotland by one of his troopers, and had returned, and was riding as agentleman volunteer in his regiment; but we have had no further talk onthe subject."
"You will be glad to hear, sir," Ronald said, "that my father and motherhave within the last few weeks been released, and are now living on asmall estate of my mother's in the south. They were ordered to retirethere by the king."
"I am glad, indeed," the duke said cordially; "and how is your father?"
"He is sadly crippled by rheumatism, and can scarce walk," Ronald said,"and I fear that his health is altogether shaken with what he had to gothrough."
"How did you obtain their release, Leslie?" the prince asked.
"Marshal Saxe obtained it for me," Ronald answered. "Colonel Hume firstintroduced me to him, and as he too had known my father he promised thatshould he obtain a victory he would ask as a boon from the king therelease of my father, and he did so after Fontenoy, where the Marquis deRecambours was killed, and the king thereby freed from his influence. TheDuke of Chateaurouge, whose hostility against my father had always beenbitter, was doubtless greatly irritated at his release, and took thefirst opportunity, on meeting me, of grossly insulting me. On my replyingin terms in accordance with the insult, he drew, and would have fought mein the palace grounds had not Colonel Hume and his friends interfered;then we adjourned outside the park. The duke doubtless thought that hewould kill me without difficulty, and so rushed in so carelessly that atthe very first thrust I ran him through."
"And served him right," the prince said heartily. "Now since both yourfather's enemies are gone, it may be hoped that his troubles are over,and that your mother will recover the estates to which she is entitled.And now, duke, what is your news? When are we going to sail?"
"The Doutelle is already by this time on her way down the river, and itis proposed that we shall start this evening and board her there. Thestores and arms are all safely on board the Elizabeth, and she is lyingoff Belleisle; so far as Mr. Walsh has heard, no suspicion has beenexcited as to their purpose or destination, so that we may hope intwenty-four hours to be fairly on board."
"That is the best news I have heard for months," the prince said; "thankgoodness the time for action is at last at hand!"
"I have, I trust, your royal highness' permission to accompany you,"Ronald said; "together with my follower, Anderson. He is the trooper whocarried me over to Scotland as a child, and has been my faithful friendever since."
"Certainly, Leslie. I shall be glad indeed to have a member of a familywho have proved so faithful to my father's cause with me in the adventureupon which I am embarking."
Ronald with a few words of thanks bowed and took his leave, afterreceiving instructions from the duke to start shortly and to ride downthe river towards Lorient.
"You can halt for a few hours on the road, and then ride on again; weshall overtake you before you reach the port. We shall all leave singlyor in pairs, to avoid attracting any attention."
Ronald left, delighted with the
kindness of the prince's manner. PrinceCharles was indeed possessed of all the attributes which win men's heartsand devotion. In figure he was tall and well formed, and endowed bothwith strength and activity. He excelled in all manly exercises, and wasan excellent walker, having applied himself ardently to field sportsduring his residence in Italy.
He was strikingly handsome, his face was of a perfect oval, his featureshigh and noble, his complexion was fair, his eyes light blue, and,contrary to the custom of the time, when wigs were almost universallyworn, he allowed his hair to fall in long ringlets on his neck. Hismanner was graceful, and although he always bore himself with a sort ofroyal dignity he had the peculiar talent of pleasing and attracting allwith whom he came in contact, and had the art of adapting hisconversation to the taste or station of those whom he addressed.
His education had been intrusted to Sir Thomas Sheridan, an Irish RomanCatholic, who had grossly neglected his duties, and who indeed has beenmore than suspected of acting as an agent in the pay of the Britishgovernment. The weakness in the prince's character was that he was a badjudge of men, and inclined on all occasions to take the advice ofdesigning knaves who flattered and paid deference to him, rather thanthat of the Scottish nobles who were risking their lives for his cause,but who at times gave their advice with a bluntness and warmth which weredispleasing to him. It was this weakness which brought an enterprise,which at one time had the fairest prospect of success, to destruction andruin.
On leaving the house Ronald was joined by Malcolm, and half an hour laterthey mounted their horses and rode for the mouth of the Loire. The wholeparty arrived on the following day at St. Nazaire, embarking separatelyon board the Doutelle, where Prince Charles, who had come down fromNantes in a fishing boat, was received by Mr. Walsh, the owner of thevessel. Ronald now saw gathered together the various persons who were toaccompany Prince Charles on this adventurous expedition. These wereSheridan, the former tutor of the prince; Kelly, a non-juring clergyman,and Sullivan--both, like Sheridan, Irishmen; Strickland, a personage sounimportant that while some writers call him an Englishman, others assertthat he was Irish; Aeneas Macdonald, a Scotchman; Sir John Macdonald, anofficer in the Spanish service; the prince's valet, Michel; and the Dukeof Athole, or, as he is more generally called, the Marquis ofTullibardine, the last named being the only man of high standing orreputation. Never did a prince start to fight for a kingdom with such afollowing.
The Doutelle weighed anchor as soon as the last of the party arrived ondeck, and under easy sail proceeded to Belleisle. Here she lay for somedays awaiting the arrival of the Elizabeth. Mr. Rutledge, a merchant atNantes, had obtained an order from the French court that this man of warshould proceed to cruise on the coast of Scotland, and had then arrangedwith the captain of the ship to take on board the arms that had beenpurchased by the prince with the proceeds of the sale of some of thefamily jewels.
These consisted of fifteen hundred muskets, eighteen hundred broadswords,twenty small field pieces, and some ammunition. The captain had alsoagreed that the Doutelle, which only mounted eighteen small guns, shouldsail in company with the Elizabeth to Scotland. As soon as the Elizabethwas seen the Doutelle spread her sails, and keeping a short distance fromeach other, the two vessels sailed north. So great was the necessity forprudence that the prince still maintained his disguise as a Scottishstudent, and, with the exception of Mr. Walsh, none of the officers andcrew of the Doutelle were acquainted with his real rank, and the variousmembers of his party treated him and each other as strangers.
Four days after leaving Belleisle a British man of war of fifty-eightguns hove in sight, and crowding on all sail rapidly came up. TheElizabeth at once prepared to engage her, signalling to the Doutelle todo the same. The prince urged Mr. Walsh to aid the Elizabeth, but thelatter steadily refused.
He had undertaken, he said, to carry the prince to Scotland, and would donothing to endanger the success of the enterprise. The two vessels werewell matched, and he would not allow the Doutelle to engage in theaffair. The prince continued to urge the point, until at last Mr. Walshsaid "that unless he abstained from interference he should be forced toorder him below."
The Doutelle, therefore, stood aloof from the engagement, which lastedfor five or six hours, and sailed quietly on her course, in order to bebeyond the risk of capture should the English ship prove victorious;neither of the vessels, however, obtained any decided advantage. Bothwere so crippled in the encounter that the Elizabeth returned to France,the Lion to Plymouth to refit. Thus the small supply of arms andartillery which the prince had with such great trouble got together waslost.
"Well, Ronald," Malcolm said that evening as they leant over the taffrailtogether, "I do think that such a mad headed expedition as this was neverundertaken. An exiled prince, an outlawed duke, six adventurers, a valet,and our two selves. One could laugh if one was not almost ready to cry atthe folly of invading a country like England in such a fashion."
"That is only one way of looking at it, Malcolm. We are not an army ofinvasion. The prince is simply travelling with a few personal followersto put himself at the head of an army. The affair depends, not upon us,but upon the country. If the clans turn out to support him as they did in'15 he will soon be at the head of some twenty thousand men. Not enough,I grant you, to conquer England, but enough for a nucleus round which theLowland and English Jacobites can gather."
"Yes, it depends upon the ifs, Ronald. If all the Highland clans join,and if there are sufficient Jacobites in the Lowlands and England to makea large army, we may do. I have some hopes of the clans, but after whatwe saw of the apathy of the English Jacobites in '15 I have no shadow offaith in them. However, I fought for the Chevalier in '15, and I am readyto fight for Prince Charles now as long as there is any fighting to bedone, and when that is over I shall be as ready to make for France as Iwas before."
Ronald laughed.
"You are certainly not enthusiastic about it, Malcolm."
"When one gets to my age, Ronald, common sense takes the place ofenthusiasm, and I have seen enough of wars to know that for business awell appointed and well disciplined army is required. If Prince Charlesdoes get what you call an army, but which I should call an armed mob,together, there will be the same dissensions, the same bickerings, thesame want of plan that there was before; and unless something like amiracle happens it will end as the last did at Preston, in defeat andruin. However, lad, here we are, and we will go through with it to theend. By the time we get back to France we must hope that King Louis willhave got over the killing of his favourite. However, I tell you franklythat my hope is that when the Highland chiefs see that the prince hascome without arms, without men, and without even promises of support byFrance, they will refuse to risk liberty and life and to bring ruin upontheir people by joining in such a mad brained adventure."
"I hope not, Malcolm," Ronald said, as he looked at the prince as he waspacing up and down the deck with the Duke of Athole, talking rapidly, hisface flushed with enthusiasm, his clustering hair blown backward by thewind. "He is a noble young prince. He is fighting for his own. He hasjustice and right on his side, and God grant that he may succeed!"
"Amen to that, Ronald, with all my heart! But so far as my experiencegoes, strength and discipline and generalship and resources go a greatdeal further than right in deciding the issue of a war."
Two days later another English man of war came in sight and gave chase tothe Doutelle, but the latter was a fast sailer and soon left her pursuerbehind, and without further adventure arrived among the Western Isles,and dropped anchor near the little islet of Erisca, between Barra andSouth Uist. As they approached the island an eagle sailed out from therocky shore and hovered over the vessel, and the Duke of Athole pointedit out as a favourable augury to the prince.
Charles and his companions landed at Erisca and passed the night onshore. They found on inquiry that this cluster of islands belonged toMacdonald of Clanranald, a young chief who was known to be attached tothe Jacobite cause. He
was at present absent on the mainland, but hisuncle and principal adviser, Macdonald of Boisdale, was in South Uist.The prince sent off one of his followers in a boat to summon him, and hecame aboard the Doutelle the next morning; but when he heard from theprince that he had come alone and unattended he refused to have anythingto do with the enterprise, which he asserted was rash to the point ofinsanity, and would bring ruin and destruction on all who took part init.
The prince employed all his efforts to persuade the old chief, but invain, and the latter returned to his isle in a boat, while the Doutellepursued her voyage to the mainland and entered the Bay of Lochnanuagh, inInverness shire, and immediately sent a messenger to Clanranald, who cameon board shortly with Macdonald of Kinloch Moidart, and several otherMacdonalds.
They received the prince with the greatest respect, but, like Macdonaldof Boisdale, the two chiefs refused to take up arms in an enterprisewhich they believed to be absolutely hopeless. In vain Prince Charlesargued and implored. The two chiefs remained firm, until the princesuddenly turned to a younger brother of Moidart, who stood listening tothe conversation, and with his fingers clutching the hilt of hisbroadsword as he heard the young prince, whom he regarded as his futureking, in vain imploring the assistance of his brother and kinsmen.
"Will you at least not assist me?" the prince exclaimed.
"I will, I will!" Ranald Macdonald exclaimed. "Though no other man in theHighlands shall draw a sword, I am ready to die for you."
The enthusiasm of the young man was catching, and throwing to the windstheir own convictions and forebodings, the two Macdonalds declared thatthey also would join, and use every exertion to engage their countrymen.The clansmen who had come on board the ship without knowing the object ofthe visit were now told who the prince was, and they expressed theirreadiness to follow to the death. Two or three days later, on the 25th ofJuly, Prince Charles landed and was conducted to Borodale, a farmhousebelonging to Clanranald.
Charles at once sent off letters to the Highland chiefs whom he knew tobe favourable to the Stuart cause. Among these the principal were Cameronof Locheil, Sir Alexander Macdonald, and Macleod. Locheil immediatelyobeyed the summons, but being convinced of the madness of the enterprisehe came, not to join the prince, but to dissuade him from embarking init. On his way he called upon his brother, Cameron of Fassefern, whoagreed with his opinion as to the hopelessness of success, and urged himto write to the prince instead of going to see him.
"I know you better than you know yourself," he said. "If the prince oncesets eyes upon you, he will make you do whatever he pleases."
Locheil, however, persisted in going, convinced that the prince would, onhis representation, abandon the design. For a long time he stood firm,until the prince exclaimed:
"I am resolved to put all to the hazard. In a few days I will erect theroyal standard and proclaim to the people of Britain that Charles Stuartis come over to claim the crown of his ancestors or perish in theattempt. Locheil, who my father has often told me was our firmest friend,may stay at home and learn from the newspapers the fate of his prince."
Locheil's resolution melted at once at these words, and he said:
"Not so. I will share the fate of my prince whatsoever it be, and soshall every man over whom nature or fortune hath given me power."
The conversion of Locheil was the turning point of the enterprise. Uponthe news of the prince's landing spreading, most of the other chiefs hadagreed that if Locheil stood aloof they would not move; and had heremained firm not a man would have joined the prince's standard, and hewould have been forced to abandon the enterprise. Sir Alexander Macdonaldand Macleod, instead of going to see the prince, had gone off together,on the receipt of his letter, to the Isle of Skye, so as to avoid aninterview. Clanranald was despatched by Prince Charles to see them, butthey declined to join, urging with the truth that the promises which theyhad given to join in a rising were contingent upon the prince arriving atthe head of a strong French force with arms and supplies. They thereforerefused at present to move. Others, however, were not so cautious. Firedby the example of Locheil, and by their own traditions of loyalty to theStuarts' cause, many of the lesser chiefs at once summoned theirfollowers to the field. With the majority the absence of French troopshad the exactly opposite effect that it had had with Sir AlexanderMacdonald and Macleod. Had the prince landed with a French army theymight have stood aloof and suffered him to fight out his quarrel unaided;but his arrival alone and unattended, trusting solely and wholly to theloyalty of the Scottish people, made an irresistible appeal to theirgenerous feelings, and although there were probably but few who did notforesee that failure, ruin, and death would be the result of theenterprise, they embarked in the cause with as much ardour as if theirsuccess had been certain.
From Borodale, after disembarking the scanty treasure of four thousandlouis d'or which he had brought with him and a few stands of arms fromthe Doutelle, Charles proceeded by water to Kinloch Moidart.
Mr. Walsh sailed in the Doutelle, after receiving the prince's warmestthanks, and a letter to his father in Rome begging him to grant Mr. Walshan Irish earldom as a reward for the services he had rendered, arecommendation which was complied with.
The chiefs soon began to assemble at Moidart, and the house became thecentre of a picturesque gathering.
Ronald had now put aside the remembrance of Malcolm's forebodings, andentered heart and soul into the enterprise. He had in Glasgow frequentlyseen Highlanders in their native dress, but he had not before witnessedany large gathering, and he was delighted with the aspect of the sturdymountaineers in their picturesque garb.
The prince had at once laid aside the attire in which he had landed andhad assumed Highland costume, and by the charm and geniality of hismanner he completely won the hearts of all who came in contact with him.Among those who joined him at Moidart was Murray of Broughton, a man whowas destined to exercise as destructive an influence on the prince'sfortune as had Mr. Forster over that of his father. Murray had hurriedfrom his seat in the south, having first had a large number ofmanifestoes for future distribution printed. He was at once appointed byCharles his secretary of state.
While the gathering at Moidart was daily growing, the English remained inignorance of the storm which was preparing. It was not until the 30th ofJuly that the fact that the prince had sailed from Nantes was known inLondon, and as late as the 8th of August, nearly three weeks afterCharles first appeared on the coast, the fact of his landing was unknownto the authorities in Edinburgh.
On the 16th of August the English governor at Fort Augustus, alarmed atthe vague reports which reached him, and the sudden news that bodies ofarmed Highlanders were hurrying west, sent a detachment of two companiesunder Captain Scott to reinforce the advance post of Fort William.
After marching twenty miles the troops entered the narrow ravine of SpeanBridge, when they were suddenly attacked by a party of Keppoch's clansmenwho were on their way to join the prince when they saw the English troopson their march. They were joined by some of Locheil's clansmen, and soheavy a fire was kept up from the heights that the English, after havingfive or six men killed and many more wounded, among them their commandingofficer, were forced to lay down their arms.
They were treated with great humanity by their captors, and the woundedwere well cared for. The news of this success reached the prince on theday before that fixed for the raising of his standard, the 19th ofAugust, and added to the enthusiasm which prevailed among the littleforce gathered in Glenfinnan, where the ceremony took place. The glen layabout halfway between Borodale and Fort William, both being about fifteenmiles distant. The gathering consisted principally of the Camerons ofLocheil, some six hundred strong, and they brought with them two Englishcompanies captured on the 16th, disarmed and prisoners.
The Duke of Athole performed the ceremony of unfurling the banner. He wasthe heir to the dukedom of Athole, but had been exiled for taking part inthe rising of '15 and the dukedom bestowed by the English government
uponhis brother; thus among the English he was still spoken of as the Marquisof Tullibardine, while at the French court and among the followers of theStuarts he was regarded as the rightful Duke of Athole.
The unfurling of the standard was greeted with loud shouts, and theclansmen threw their bonnets high in the air. The duke then read themanifesto of the Chevalier, and the commission of regency granted by himto Prince Charles. After this the prince himself made an inspiringspeech, and declared that at the head of his faithful Highlanders he wasresolved to conquer or to perish.
Among the spectators of the ceremony was Captain Swetenham, an Englishofficer taken prisoner a few days before while on his way to assume thecommand of Fort William. He had been treated with great courtesy andkindness by the prince, who, after the ceremony, dismissed him with thewords, "You may now return to your general; tell him what you have seen,and add that I am about to give him battle."
Soon after the conclusion of the ceremony Keppoch marched in with threehundred of his clan, and some smaller parties also arrived. The nextmorning the force marched to Locheil's house at Auchnacarrie, where theprince was joined by the Macdonalds of Glencoe, a hundred and fiftystrong, two hundred Stuarts of Appin under their chief, and by theyounger Glengarry with two hundred more, so that the force had nowswelled to sixteen hundred men.
"We begin to look like an army," Ronald said to Malcolm.
"Well, yes," the latter replied drily, "we are rather stronger than oneregiment and not quite so strong as two; still, if things go on like thiswe shall ere very long have mounted up to the strength of a brigade; buteven a brigade, Ronald, does nor go very far towards the conquest of akingdom, especially when only about one man in three has got a musket,and so far there are neither cavalry nor artillery. Still, you know,these things may come."
Ronald laughed gaily at his companion's want of faith. He himself had nowcaught the enthusiasm which pervaded all around. It was true that as yetthe prince's adherents were but a handful, but it was not to be expectedthat an army would spring from the ground. Promises of assistance hadcome from all quarters, and if the army was a small one the English armyin Scotland was but little larger, and if a first success could beachieved, all Scotland might be expected to rise, and the news wouldsurely influence the Jacobites of England to declare for the prince.
Sir John Cope, the English officer commanding the English forces inScotland, at the first rumour of troubles had ordered his troops toassemble at Stirling. He had with him two regiments of dragoons,Gardiner's and Hamilton's, both young regiments, and the whole force athis disposal, exclusive of troops in garrison, did not exceed threethousand men. With these he proposed to march at once to the west, andcrush the rebellion before it gained strength. The English governmentapproved of his proposal, and sent him a proclamation offering a rewardof thirty thousand pounds to any person who should seize and secure thepretended Prince of Wales.
On the day of the raising of the standard Cope set out from Edinburgh forStirling and the next day commenced his march at the head of fifteenhundred infantry, leaving the dragoons behind him, as these could be ofbut little service among the mountains, where they would have found itnext to impossible to obtain forage for their horses. He took with him alarge quantity of baggage, a drove of black cattle for food, and athousand stand of arms to distribute among the volunteers who he expectedwould join him. As, however, none of these came in, he sent back sevenhundred muskets to Crieff.
The first object of the march was Fort Augustus, which he intended tomake his central post. As he advanced he was met by Captain Swetenham,who informed him of the raising of the standard and the gathering he hadwitnessed. As, however, only Locheil's clansmen had arrived beforeSwetenham left, Cope considered his force ample for the purpose, andcontinued his march. In order to reach Fort Augustus, however, he had topass over Corry Arrack, a lofty and precipitous mountain which wasascended by a military road with fifteen zigzags, known to the country asthe devil's staircase.
Prince Charles, who had received early news of the advance from Stirling,had recognized the importance of the position, and having burned anddestroyed all baggage that would impede his progress, made a forced marchand reached Corry Arrack on the 27th, before Sir John Cope had commencedhis ascent. As Sir John saw that the formidable position was in the handsof the enemy he felt that it would be in vain to endeavour to force it.Each zigzag would have to be carried in turn, and the enterprise would bea desperate one. Success would be of no great advantage, as theHighlanders, lightly clad and active, would make off and defy pursuit;defeat would be disastrous. He, therefore, called a council of war andasked his officers to decide whether it would be best to remain atDalwhinnie at the foot of the mountain, to return to Sterling, or tomarch to Inverness, where they would be joined by the well affectedclans. He himself strongly urged the last course, believing that theprince would not venture to descend into the Lowlands while he remainedin his rear. The council of war adopted his opinion. No officer advocatedremaining inactive at Dalwhinnie, one only supported the alternative ofthe retreat to Stirling, the rest agreed upon an advance to Inverness.
When it was found that Cope's army had moved away without fighting, theexultation of the Highlanders was great. Most of the chiefs wished tofollow at once and give battle, urging that it would be hazardous toadvance south and leave the enemy to cut off their retreat; but theprince himself saw the supreme importance of a descent into the Lowlands,and that plan of action was decided upon.