AFter the Battell of ALFOORD, MONTROSE resolving to prosecute his VICTORIE, mar­cheth the same night to Clunye; where hee arry­veth in the morning betymes: And after some hours-halt, moveth to Craigtoun, two myles di­stance from the North-syde Dee; whence hee directeth the Earl of Aboyn to Buchan, and all those next adja­cent places, for new Recrewes; in reguard that many of his For­ces consisting of Hy-landers, and others there of those parts, had stragled off the Army, and gone to their homes. Then Generall Major Mack-Donald, who had been directed formerly off, was not as yet returned: Alwayes after some stay there at Craigtoun, fynding the Supplies, contrarie to his expectation, but flowlie ad­vancing, resolveth not to dryue tyme, crosseth Dee, marching strayght in the Merns, and quartereth the same night at Fordon; having sent to Aberdene at his march from Craigtoun, to the Earl of Aboyn; vnderstanding hee was, at last, advanced the length; That hee might meet him there in the Merns, as his nearest way.

ABOYN commeth the next morning: But not being well ac­companied, MONTROSE desyred him return to increass his numbers; and hasten vp agayn vnto him with all possible speed, hee himself marcheth strayght towards Brechen: Where hee vn­derstandeth that Generall Major Mack-Donald was fallen in the West of Angus, with Mackclen Inchbrakie, & all those Hy-land Forces. Upon which hee resolveth to march towards him: That beeing joyned, hee might advance to the other, syde Tay, to pre­vent the Rebels Levies, and interrupt their Parliament, which was then intended in great State.

Upon his crossing the River, and march towards Logiamond, the Enemie were somwhat startled: But so soon as hee advanced to Meffen, and sent some parties of Horss towards the Town of Saint Iohnston, their Foot being retyred on the other syde of the Bridge of Ern, their Horss who were vpon Guard, and in the Town, vpon the sight of some Scouts, took so the Alarum; ap­prehending that MONTROSE was presentlie to advance and storm; that they run in such fearfull terrour, that they would not come in sight of a single Horss-man; though they were stronger by at least three hundreth.

MONTROSE resolveth to incamp there at Meffen, and stay for his Northern Supplies: which hee was to haue hourly expe­cted. And fynding the Enemie in such apprehension, hee thought best to keep them going. So, next day (hee not beeing fourscore Horses) causeth mount an hundreth or sixscore Dragoniers, & fa­ceth the Town, at such a distance, and so ordered, as if hee had been all Horss-men, and having given them an hot Alarum, im­mediately marcheth with the same Partie towards Diplin, and the water Ern, to scurrie all those fields, and startle the Enemie; as if hee had been able to cōmand the whole Countrey by Parties. Up­on which, the Enemie lifteth Horss and Foot; fearing his March to Striviling, and incampeth at Newtown, some few myles from thence, to put themselues in the way.

Some dayes passing in this kynd, the Enemie expecting Re­crewes from the West and South; and MONTROSE impatiently longing for his Supplies from the North: who should haue been long of before with him, directeth in all haste thither for that ef­fect; which yet still tending to Delayes, the Enemies whole Forces being gathered, they resolved to fight before those of the North should come, and joyne with MONTROSE, so crosseth the wa­ter, and advanceth Horss & Foot towards his Camp. Upon which (they being stronger in both then aboue four thousand) resolveth to march: So giveth comand, that the Baggage provisions, and all of that kynd, might draw off, and putteth himself in Batrallie; di­recting some Parties to the severall passes, as if hee had been re­solved to haue fought; by which, having amused the Enemie, vntill his Baggage, & al of that kynd, were so far gone, as they cold be no hinderances, he thē marches off in a closs bodie, keeping a strong party of cōmanded mē to flank the few horss, which he had on the Reer: So the Enemie never doubting, but hee was to haue fought, vntill on the sudden they saw him quyte gone, falleth on fast, to haue ingaged his Reer: But there being several passes, hee so dallies, & keepeth them vp, as hee putteth himself without all reach; and poynting his courss towards Dunkell, hee quickly reacheth some strong grounds, where the Enemies Horses were not well able to follow: Which they perceaving, & fynding they could bee no bet­ter, advanceth fast vp their forlorn partie of Horss, to vapour at the pass, that they might seem with handsomness to return.

MONTROSE perceaving, directed some twelue or twentie of his ablest Hylanders, with snapwarks, who killing some of their Gentlemen, by mark shots; & seeing them begin to reill, & startle, [Page 5] fell out resolvedly in the open field vpon them, though they were not about in all twentie, and made their whole bodie of three hun­dreth Horss, to run vpon the spur; so hee marcheth that night to little Dankell; where hee resolveth to incamp it, beeing a strong ground, and convenient for the passes of the River, to favour the joyning of his supplies: To who hee directed agayn with all possi­ble diligence to hasten: So a few dayes passing in this kynd, the Enemy lying near where MONTROSE camped of before at Mef­fen, and hee still at little Dunkell, the Earls of Airlie, Aboyn, & Co­lonell Gordon, came at last along with the Horses, & though not by much so considerably as were expected, MONTROSE resolues to march strayght vpon the Enemie, fynding hee could bee for the tyme in no better posture, and that their forces were much melted away. So marching down towards Logiamond, within some three myles of their camp, hee faced somwhat near with his Horses, to touch their pulss, and cry before hee should ingage, whether his in­telligence did or not hold good, making his foot to march off to their quarter that night, they kept themselues so closs, as almost they did not at all appear, by which it was expected they would march off before the next morning. So MONTROSE getting ve­ry early to horss, to view the fields; learneth that they had marched in the night tyme, in great disorder; and were incamped on the Southsyde the Bridge of Ern: Upon which, hee presently lifteth to march towards them, crosseth Ern, and incampeth that night, som six myles short, marcheth early the next morning: And comming within view, fyndeth them drawing in so strong a ground, as their could bee no approach, so hee resolveth to march a little towards their left hand, to bee betwixt them, and the Shyre of Fyff; that they should haue no supplies, and (if it were possible) hee might force their ground, so that night passeth. Next morning, seeing them ly still at their Posts, and that they could not bee forced from such advantage, without great hazard, hee resolveth to march into Fyff, to break the Randevouses of that Shyre; who were al a-gathe­thing to joyn with them; & to draw them also out of those strong grounds, to come to the supplie of their friends: So hee removeth, and marcheth that night to Kinrose, the Enemie making a fashion to follow vp his Reer: But not daring heartily to do it, moveth a se­verall way towards the East of Fyff: MONTROSE directing with a fore partie Colonell Gordon, & Sir William Rollock; who having occasion to send off most of them severall wayes; [...]ncountred two hundreth of the Enemies, Horss & foot at a particular Randevo [...] [Page 6] just their in the way, and not being aboue twelue persons, chargeth the Enemie, putteth them to the rout, and taketh & killeth divers.

Alwayes MONTROSE fynding that whole Shyre would joyne with the Enemie; and that hee could not fight them with so great disadvantage: and lykewyse vnderstanding that the whole South & West were gathering agaynst him, resolved with long marches to cross Forth, and shake himself so louse of the Enemie, as all their auxilaries of Fyff, and those places should weary to follow, & those Conventions of the West & South bee dispersed, before their Ar­mie should bee able to reach that length: So bee removeth from Kinrose next morning, & incampeth within some three myles of Striviling that night. On the morrow knowing the Enemie would advance, hee marcheth to be on the other syde Forth, staying him­self, with all his horses vpon the Reer; the Armie being a good di­stance gone, his spyes come, & tel him, the enemie were advancing: So seeing some of their scouts already in view, he followeth slowlie the way off the march, and learning by a prisoner, that the Enemie were to moue all that night, to haue ingaged him to fight before their auxilaries should go frō them; who were already very weary, and extream vnwilling to cross Forth: hee resolveth lykewyse to march the whole night. So next morning halting some six myls on the Southsyde Striviling, MONTROSE fynding that the Enemy had not crossed the water that night, but camped som three myls short on the other syde. Wherefore hee cōtinueth his march, cōmeth to Kilsyth the same night; where hee was not well incamped, when the Enemy cōmeth vp, & pitcheth within some three myles. Upon which, MONTROSE resolveth next day to fight; knowing that the Earl of Lanerick had conveaned much of the Countrey; & was al­ready with a thousand foot, & fyue hundreth horss, within twelve myls: As also, that the whole West was gathering to a head; & that hee behoved to fight in tyme, or those forces shold al joyn, & come vpō him; or otherwise he shold be cōstrained to take the Hielands.

So next morning hee going tymely abroad, to view the Enemie, fyndeth they were resolved to press him to fight, and not stay vpon their Supplies, out of a conceat they had, hee would take the Moun­tayns, and not byde them. So seeing them quyte their own ground, and advance towards him to force him from his, (which was that in the world hee most wished) hee drew instantly out, and met them in the field, equal almost betwixt the two Camps, giving al his mē order, horss & foot, to cast themselues, & charge in their Shirts, as being al rather re­ [...]lved to die in the place, nor not carry it, since much of his Majesties [Page 7] fortunes did depend on that success. And having two Regiments only placed, & the horss not as yet al come vp; and the whole rest of the foot at a great distance, the enemy begins already to play hard on som com­manded men, that MONTROSE had advanced to some houses near the place where hee was to draw vp; but they being presently beat, & run­ning back in disorder; MONTROSE men were so inspyred with resolu­tion, and the luster of their whytes, impatient to stay vpon orders, mar­ched along to the top of the bray, hard joyning to the enemies whole body, both of horss & foot. So MONTROSE seeing them ingaged, and that it was as impossible to draw them off as for them to haue stood, if the Enemy had but had the resolution to haue charged; thinketh that there were nothing so safe, being so far already ingaged, as resolvedly to put it on. The enemy beginning to stagger; and not al of them either drawn vp; so cōmandeth the Van with horss, and flanking Musquetiert advance, and giue an home-charge, & the rest, as they could, to follow in their severall order; which did so at vnaworss astonish the Enemy, as their horss resolved not to stand; and their foot (after first Salvie) pla­ced all their hopes in their going, which but served for little; MONT­ROSE men having the execution of them some fourteen myls, and of six thousand foot, to which they estimate, there did not (so far as is known) fiftie escape.

Their horss consisting of eight hundreth, were all either killed, ta­ken, or mightily dispersed. Of Prisoners there were several taken; as Sir William Murray of Blebo, the Laird of Fairlye, brother to the Lord Burley, Lievetenant Colonell Dick, Lievetenant Colonell Wallace, and divers other Captains, and inferiour officers. MONTROSE consisting of some four thousand foot, and fyue hundred horss, had not of all aboue six killed. This so happie & glorious Victorie obtayned at Kilsyth, the xv day of August, 1645, did so stonish the hearts of the Rebels, & state the mynds of the faythfull Subject; that the one seemed to bee struke with such terrour, as they wold haue wished hills & mountains to haue covered their iniquitie. The other to be so confirmed from the evident and sensible acknowledgement of GOD Almighties providence; That they run to profess their Righteousness (then) as the Noon-day.

The Rebels went indeed back, not only seven wayes, but by more a great many: some towards Berwick, some to Irland, som to Newcastle, others to Carleell, and some (as the Iewes) scattered every where.

The whole Countrey, Borrowes, & Gentrie, begun all frequently, to offer themselves to MONTROSE and in particular. The Towns of Glas­gow & Linlithgow; who in their be [...] against the disperate iniquitie of so corrupt a tyme) stood loyal [...] for his Majesty, chiefly the [Page 8] former. MONTROSE passing on a day only at Kilsyth to refresh his peo­ple, marchech towards Glasgow, & so to Bothwer vpon Clide, whence hee directeth parties to the East & West, chargeth Edenburgh to ren­der, receaveth them to obedience, relieveth the Earl of Crawford, Lord Ogilvie, and many other Officers & Gentlemen, who were in miserable Prisons: and that only for their loyaltie & faythfulness to his Majesties Service. All the West lykewyse giveth over: The Earl of Eglingtoun & Cassles (who began to make some stickling; but not being followed by the Countrey, & not daring to trust themselues) flying several ways. The whole Gentrie & Cōmons freely offer themselues for his Majesties ser­vice: & in particular som in Carrick; who stood loyally affected to his Majestie, the Town of Air, and other places did the same lykewyse.

THis is the seventh Battell, & the sixth totall Victory, which Montrose (by the extraordinary Blessings of Almighty GOD) hath so happily obtayned since his entry into this Kingdom, which being with himself, & but two Gentle­men only. The one whereof abandoned him in greatest necessities may truely evi­dence the justice of his Majesties Service, & integrity of that Cause, which hath so happily prevayled: For as prosperity is to bee concluded as no infallible mark of GODS favour: yet the consciousness of innocency, & clearness of Reason [...]e­cunded by the success of happy Providence, may justly confirm vs, that GO [...] is pleased and make vs conceaue, that if the LORD would haue destroyed vs; h [...] would not haue taken our Sacrifice, nor carried vs through all this Red Sea and Wilderness.

Then let al true Christians, & loyal hearted Subjects & Patriots, acknowledge then auety to GOD, Prince, Countrey, proper Interects, & Freedoms; by joy­ning themselues, & all their vtmost Indevours, for the happy Conclusion of this Great Cause; wherein the Trueth of Religion, honour of the King peace of the Countrey, happiness of the Subjects, are only, & totally intended: So shall the judgement of GOD bee averted, our slavery reauced, our mourning turned into gladness, and our mouthes filled with Songs of Deliverance.