Battle of Philiphaugh

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The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on September 13, 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquess of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates.

[edit] Prelude

In the year preceding the Battle of Philiphaugh, Montrose had won a remarkable series of victories, which put Scotland at his mercy. The last of these was at Kilsyth, which utterly destroyed the last Covenanter army in Scotland. Montrose refused to allow his army to loot Glasgow, and also failed to pay his troops. The Highlanders who made up most of his infantry deserted and made their way back to their homes. At the same time, Montrose appointed the former prisoner, the Earl of Crawford as his Lieutenant General of Horse. Most of his horsemen were Gordons under Lord James Aboyne. Affronted by the appointment, they too left the army.

Montrose intended to invade northern England to aid King Charles I, hoping to gain recruits from the Borders, and marched south with 500 musketeers from Irish Catholic regiments and a small troop of horse. He made for Kelso, but found that only a few Borders gentry joined his army instead of the thousands of recruits he expected.

Meanwhile, the Earl of Leven who commanded the main Covenanter Army in England had heard of the result of the Battle of Kilsyth, and sent Lieutenant General Sir David Leslie back into Scotland with all the cavalry he could muster. Leslie collected reinforcements from Covenanter garrisons in Newcastle upon Tyne and Berwick, and crossed the border on September 6, with 5000 horse and dragoons and 1000 infantry. He marched along the east coast intending to cut off Montrose from the highlands, but learned (possibly from the turncoat Earls of Home and Roxburgh) of Montrose's position and strength.

[edit] Battle

Montrose had taken up quarters with his cavalry in the town of Selkirk while his infantry were encamped at Philiphaugh, two miles away. Leslie had arrived at nearby Melrose the evening before. Montrose's cavalry had failed to discover his presence. Leslie divided his force into two wings, one on each bank of the River Ettrick so as to surround Montrose's infantry. The morning was foggy, and Leslie was able to fall on "without being described by a single scout".

Montrose was alerted by the sound of gunfire, but arrived on the battlefield only to behold his army "dispersed in irretrievable Rout". After a brief attempt to restore the situation, he was urged by his friends that the Royalist cause in Scotland would die without him. He cut his way out with 30 men, and retreated over Minchmore toward Peebles.

Many of Montrose's Irish foot soldiers, namely Manus O'Cahan's regiment had been killed in the battle, but about 100 of them surrendered on promise of quarter. Some Presbyterian Ministers who accompanied Leslie persuaded him that this clemency was foolish, and the prisoners and 300 camp followers (many of them women and children) were slaughtered in cold blood.

[edit] Aftermath

Montrose attempted to raise another army in the Highlands, but was unable to take the field against Leslie's army. After fighting a guerilla campaign over the following winter and spring, he received orders from King Charles (now himself a prisoner) to lay down his arms. Montrose, Crawford and Sir John Hurry went into exile.

Today the battlefield is home to Selkirk Cricket Club and Selkirk Rugby Club, along with a small number of cottages

[edit] References

• Max Hastings, The King’s Champion
• H.C.B. Rogers, Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars, Seeley Service & Co., 1968
• Philip Warner, Famous Scottish Battles, Leo Cooper, ISBN 0-85052-487-3