013d.risings.html

THE RISINGS OF 1708, 1715 AND 1719
      Everyone in Scotland wasn't enamoured with the Treaty of Union. For at least a generation resentment grew and even erstwhile supporters expressed regret. Of particular disdain was the Hanover succession to the throne and the Jacobite faction were quick to exploit its continued resentment. The French, deeply involved in the War of the Spanish Succession, were only too happy to aid and abet the Jacobites. Louis XIV had already recognized James Francis Stuart as King of England, Ireland and Scotland. In 1708, the twenty-year-old 'Pretender' set sail from France with a substantial force that planned to land on the coast of Fife and march to take Stirling. There was plentiful evidence that such a landing would have had wide support but the appearance of a squadron of the Royal Navy at the mouth of the Forth caused the French commander to abandon the action and return to France despite the pleas of James to continue.
      Queen Anne died in 1714 of a stroke at age 49. Sophia of Hanover also died that year bringing her son, George I to the throne of the United Kingdom. John Erskine, 11th Earl of Mar was among those who were disappointed with the results of Union even though he had been made Secretary of State for Scotland in 1705 and was an active participant in the drafting of the Treaty. Apparently, this change of heart came about when he failed to make a favourable impression on the new king and lost his secretaryship. It earned him the nickname of 'Bobbing John'.
      Mar had little or no previous military experience but he raised the standard for the 'Auld Pretender' (now a full 27 years of age) in September 1715 at Braemar proclaiming him King. Support from the Duke of Gordon, Earl Marischal Keith and the major clans -- MacDonald, Cameron, Mackintosh and Macpherson -- was soon forthcoming. John Campbell, the 2nd Duke of Argyll was a seasoned soldier who rallied the Hanoverian forces to oppose Mar in the belief that many Scots would support the Rising. With much dissatisfaction in England as well, the situation for a restoration of the Stuarts could hardly have been more favourable. Nor could it have been more poorly managed in that Mar delayed too long to begin his march to seize Edinburgh. After capturing Perth he dallied there purportedly waiting for James 'VIII' to return to Scotland and lead the Jacobite army.
      When Argyll's force reached Stirling, Mar realized that he could wait no longer and moved southwestward along the shoulder of the Ochil Hills that terminate just to the northeast of Stirling, the place that had so many times in the past proved to be of critical importance in Scottish history. The Jacobite army numbered nearly 10,000 men while Argyll's force was only 4,000. The two armies met on the morning of 13 November at Sheriffmuir just above Dunblane. The result was a tactical draw but a strategic defeat for the Jacobites because Mar returned to Perth and Argyll had Stirling. A contingent of Macphersons lead by Lachlan Macpherson of Nuide, did not participate directly in the battle but, along with the MacGregors, provided an effective rearguard for the retiring Jacobite combatants.
      Back in Perth, Mar resumed a posture of inactivity. With winter coming on, the Highlanders, with little hope for plunder, headed for home. Argyll had received reinforcements from the Netherlands and now outnumbered the Jacobites threefold. In late December, James finally arrived in Scotland about the time Argyll started to advance. Only heavy snows prevented the Government force from reaching Perth. The 'King' stayed at Peterhead over Christmas and then returned to France along with Mar and several other Jacobite leaders. The remaining clansmen, amazed at the ineptitude of their leaders, retired northward to their homes or to Ruthven Castle in Badenoch, now a burned-out wreck as a result of Dundee's action in 1689. There they disbanded, an action that foreshadowed a similar one 31 years in the future.
      Sheriffmuir was the principal, but not the only, battle of the '15. Prior to that battle, Mar had dispatched a force of 2000 Highlanders (including a substantial number of Macphersons) under the command of Brigadier-General William Mackintosh to aid the Jacobites mustering in the Borders and northern England. This force joined a local Jacobite force that marched into England with a total of 4000 men. They reached Preston in Lancaster on 9th November and occupied the town. A Hanoverian force under General Wills left Manchester and arrived at Preston on the 12th. The Jacobite leader, a local squire, abandoned a strong defensive position outside the town to attempt an inside defence. This proved to be a trap even though the Hanoverians sustained heavy losses in attempting to root out the defenders. This was on the 13th, the same day as the battle at Sheriffmuir. Recognizing they were trapped, the Jacobite leaders surrendered and 1468 Jacobites were taken prisoner, 1000 of them Highlanders. Many of these were transported to the North American colonies including a number of Macphersons.

The Rising of 1715 was over but not Jacobite ambitions. In 1719, a small force of Spanish soldiers accompanied by a few Scottish Jacobites landed in Kintail and took Eilean Donan Castle. This was a diversionary part of major attack on the English channel coast that never occurred due to bad weather. The Hanoverians met the Spanish-Jacobite force at Glenshiel while it was moving to capture Inverness in June. The lack of support by Lowland Jacobites had depressed the morale of the Highlanders that had rallied to the Jacobite standard and after a few hours it was decided to call it quits. The Spanish were allowed to sail for home; the Scots had to fend for themselves. The Rising of 1719 was yet another inconclusive action. No Macphersons that we know of were involved.

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