Campaign Events
Word reaches Argyle that the Prince has raised his standard in Edinburgh on the 3rd August 1745, Argyle is in Glasgow on his way to Dumfries, he postpones his trip to Dumfries as he prefers to remain in Glasgow commanding the Royal Scots based there. However after prompting from his superiors he continues with his task and has collected the troops stationed at Dumfries and moved to Campbelltown to await the arrival of General Wade, who is at sea in the Irish sea region and expected to arrive at Campbell town in the next few days.
It is not until the 6th August that word reaches Cope in Ft Augustus of the calamitous events further south. Cope grasps the bull by the horns and led out his command to visit punitive justice against the rebels, torching the village of Ft. Augustus and rousting the town of Inverness before clashing with an ad hoc force put together by the Earl of Cromerty at Elgin.
Cope quickly earns the name ‘Butcher’ Cope – summarily hanging a number of clansmen in both Ft Augustus and Inverness, after the Battle of Elgin his Dragoons run amok amongst the fleeing Grants and Lovatts killing dozens as they try to surrender.
To the south of Cope, in Fort William, the garrison came under sustained fire form several hundred clansmen on the night of the 9th Aug. Casualties were light but the garrison was disconcerted without the presence of a recognised leader when attacked.
George II is awaiting a transport that which dispatched from Liverpool to collect him, the Dutch leader Nassau and 1200 Dutch troops, he will be displeased if he has to wait much longer.
After the Battle of Elgin Cope and his force do not pursue Cromerty, rather they move west passing back through Inverness, picking up Forbes and a detachment of the 57th Foot before heading north to Straith Farrar, clanlands of the MacKenzies, here he rounds up all men between the ages of 15 and 65 years and puts them in the goal, burning the houses of all who resist.
French Support
Currently the level of French Support for the Jacobites is 4 (Four) out of 5 (Five), it remains unchanged from previous levels. (News of the victory at Elgin has not yet reached France).
Intelligence
The following information has been compiled over the past few days activity and is summarised as below.
It is estimated that the Earl of Cromerty has about 1000 men with him after the Battle of Elgin.
It is known that there are several hundred rebels travelling down the east coast road through Dundee and Perth heading for Edinburgh. Their numbers are too large for the garrison there to interdict effectively.
In the Western Isle it is estimated that there are about 2000 rebels massing, mostly McDonalds.
It is believed that the Prince has approximately 5000 men in Edinburgh, including French, Spanish and Irish Regulars.
Cope learns that the Prince was staying in Straith Farrar between the 16th & 23rd July with a force of some 300 French Regulars.
French action in Flanders does not appear to have been affected by the rebel action in Scotland. There is a possibility of releasing troops from Flanders to be shipped to Britain in the coming weeks, to do this there will be a need to replace British troops with German mercenaries at a heavy cost to the King’s purse.
