The "gospel-lads," otherwise self-styled the true Presbyterian party, had in 1679, May 29 (observed both as the king's birth day and the anniversary of the Restoration), begun their testimony against the iniquity of the times by publishing a Declaration, put ting out loyal bonfires, and burning all acts of Parliament obnoxious to Covenanters, in retaliation for the burning of the Covenant at London seventeen years before. They had intended to do this at Glasgow, but as Claverhouse had established himself there, the demonstration was made at Rutherglen, a little place two miles off. On the 31st Claverhouse laid hands on three of the rioters and an outlawed minister. The Covenanters had appointed a great meeting, an armed conventicle, for the next day, Sunday, June 1, at Loudon Hill, on the borders of the shires of Ayr and Lanark. Not so many came as were expected, for Claverhouse had been heard of, but there were at least two hundred and fifty armed men; and these numbers were subsequently increased.[foot-note] It was resolved to rescue the prisoners taken the day before, if the Lord should enable them, and in prosecution of this object they moved on to Drumclog, a swampy farm two miles east of Loudon HilL The chief of command was Robert Hamilton, and with him were as sociated John Balfour of Kinloch, called Burly, Hackston of Rathillet, and others. What ensued is told in a frank letter of Claverhouse, written the night of the same Sunday.
The prisoners were to be conveyed to Glasgow. "I thought," says Claverhouse, "that we might make a little tour, to see if we could fall upon a conventicle; which we did, little to our advantage. For, when we came in sight of them, we found them drawn up in battle, upon a most* advantageous ground, to which there was no coming but through mosses and lakes. They were not preaching, and had got away all their women and children. They consisted of four battalions of foot, and all well armed with fusils and pitchforks, and three squadrons of horse. We sent, both, parties to skirmish, they of foot and we of dragoons; they run for it, and sent down a battalion of foot against them (the dragoons). We sent threescore of dragoons, who made them run again shamefully. But in the end (they perceiving that we had the better of them in skirmish), they resolved a general engagement, and immediately advanced with their foot, the horse following. They came through the loch, and the greatest body of all made up against my troop. We kept our fire till they were within ten pace of us. They received our fire and advanced to shock. The first they gave us brought down the cornet, Mr. Crafford, and Captain Bleith. Besides that, with a pitchfork, they made such an opening in my sorrel horse's belly that his guts hung out half an ell, and yet he cabled me off a mile; which so discouraged our jnen that they sustained not the shock, but fell into disorder. Their horse took the occasion' of this, and pursued us so hotly that we got no time to rally. I saved the standards, but lost on the place about eight or ten men, "besides wounded. But the dragoons lo^t many more. They are not come easily off ^on the other side, for I saw several of theni fall before we came to the shock. I made the best retreat the confusion of our people would suffer."[foot-note]
The cornet killed was Robert Graham, the "nephew" of Claverhouse, of whom so much is made in "Old Mortality." There is no evidence beyond the name to show that he was a near kinsman of his captain. The Covenanters thought they had killed Claverhouse himself, because of the name Graham being wrought into the cornet's shirt, and treated the body with much brutality. In 'Bothwell Bridge,' st. 12, Claverhouse is represented as refusing qtarter to the Covenanters in revenge for 4 his cornet's death.'[foot-note]
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