The Book of Scottish Song/Battle of Sheriff-Muir 1
Battle of Sheriff-Muir.
[The battle of Sheriff-muir or Dunblane (Sheriff-muir being situated in the parish of Dunblane, Perthshire, near the Ochil hills) was fought on the 13th November, 1715, between the forces of the royal army under John, Duke of Argyle, and those of the Chevalier under John, Earl of Mar. Its most remarkable feature was, that both parties were partially successful and partially unfortunate—the right wings of both armies being triumphant, and the left wings routed. Upon this circumstance—the running on both sides—much of the humour of the songs to which the battle gave rise is founded. There are no less than four songs on the subject, all more or less popular in their day. We begin with the earliest, which is said by Burns to have been written by the Rev. Murdoch M'Lennan, minister of Crathie, Deeside, where he died in 1783. The tune of "We ran and they ran" is said by Hogg to have been anciently called "She's yours, she's yours, she nae mair ours," or more recently "John Paterson's mare," and to have been always at the taking away of a bride.]
There's some say that we wan,
And some say that they wan,
And some say that nane wan at a', man;
But ae thing I'm sure,
That at Sheriff-muir
A battle there was, that I saw, man;
And we ran, and they ran; and they ran, and we ran;
And we ran, and they ran awa', man.
Brave Argyle and Belhaven,[1]
Not like frighted leven,[1]
Which Rothes[1] and Haddington[1] saw, man;
For they all, with Wigbtman,[2]
Advanced on the right, man,
While others took flight, being raw, man.
Lord Roxburgh[3] was there,
In order to share
With Douglas,[4] who stood not in awe, man,
Volunteerly to ramble
With Lord Loudon Campbell;[5]
Brave Hay[6] did suffer for a', man.
Sir John Shaw,[7] that great knight,
With broadsword most bright,
On horseback he briskly did charge, man;
An hero that's bold,
None could him withhold,
He stoutly encounter'd the targemen.
For the cowardly Whittam,[8]
For fear they should cut him,
Seeing glittering broadswords with a pa', man
And that in such thrang,
Made Baird aid-de-camp,
And from the brave clans ran awa', man.
The great Colonel Dow,
Gaed foremost, I trow,
When Whittam's dragoons ran awa', man;
Except Sandy Baird,
And Naughton, the laird,
Their horse show'd their heels to them a', man.
Brave Mar and Panmure[9]
Were firm, I am sure;
The latter was kidnapp'd awa', man;
But with brisk men about,
Brave Harry[10] retook
His brother, and laugh'd at them a', man.
Grave Marshall[11] and Lithgow,[11]
And Glengary's[12] pith, too,
Assisted by brave Logie A'mon',[13]
And Gordons the bright,
Sae boldly did fight,
The red-coats took flight and awa', man.
Strathmore[14] and Clanronald[15]
Cried stil, "Advance, Donald!"
Till both of these heroes did fa', man;
For there was sic hashing.
And broadswords a-clashing.
Brave Forfar[16] himsell got a claw, man.
Lord Perth[17] stood the storm,
Seaforth[18] but lukewarm,
Kilsyth[19] and Strathallan[20] not slaw, man;
And Hamilton[21] pled
The men were not bred,
For he had no fancy to fa', man.
Brave, generous Southesk,[22]
Tullibardine[23] was brisk,
Whose father, indeed, would not draw, man.
Into the same yoke,
Which served for a cloak,
To keep the estate 'twixt them twa, man.
Lord Rollo,[24] not fear'd,
Kintore[25] and his beard.
Pitsligo[26] and Ogilvie[27] a', man.
And brothers Balfours,
They stood the first stours;
Clackmannan[28] and Burleigh[29] did claw, man.
But Cleppan[30] acted pretty,
And Strowan,[31] the witty,
A poet that pleases us a', man;
For mine is but rhyme,
In respect of what's fine,
Or what he is able to draw, man.
For Huntly[32] and Sinclair,[33]
They baith play'd the tinkler,
With consciences black like a craw, man;
Some Angus and Fife men,
They ran for their life, man,
And ne'er a Lot's wife there at a', man!
Then Lawrie, the traitor,
Who betray'd his master,
His king, and his country, and a', man.
Pretending Mar might
Give order to fight
To the right of the army awa', man;
Then Lawrie, for fear
Of what he might hear,
Took Drummond's best horse, and awa', man;
'Stead of going to Perth,
He crossed the Firth,
Alongst Stirling Bridge, and awa', man.
To London he press'd,
And there he address'd,
That he behaved best o' them a', man;
And there, without strife,
Got settled for life,
An hundred a-year to his fa', man.
In Borrowstounness,
He rides with disgrace,
Till his neck stand in need of a draw, man;
And then in a tether,
He'll swing from a ladder,
And go off the stage with a pa', man.[34]
Rob Roy[35] stood watch
On a hill, for to catch
The booty, for ought that I saw, man,
For he ne'er advanced
From the place he was stanced,
Till no more to do there at a', man.
So we all took the flight,
And Mowbray the wright,
But Lethem, the smith, was a braw man,
For he took the gout,
Which truly was wit,
By judging it time to withdraw, man.
And trumpet M'Lean,
Whose breeks were not clean,
Through misfortune he happen'd to fa', man;
By saving his neck,
His trumpet did break,
Came aff without music at a', man.
So there such a race was,
As ne'er in that place was,
And as little chase was at a', man;
From other they ran,
Without touk of drum,
They did not make use of a pa', man.
Whether we ran, or they ran,
Or we wan, or they wan,
Or if there was winning at a', man,
There's no man can tell,
Save our brave general,
Wha first began running awa', man.
Wi' the Earl o' Seaforth,
And the Cock o' the North;[36]
But Florence ran fastest ava, man,
Save the laird o' Phineven,[37]
Who swore to be even
Wi' any general or peer o' them a', man.
And we ran, and they ran; and they ran, and we ran;
And we ran, and they ran awa', man.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lord Belhaven, the Earl of Leven, and the Earls of Rothes and Haddington, who all bore arms as volunteers in the royal army.
- ↑ Major-General Joseph Wightman, who commanded the centre of the royal army.
- ↑ John, first Duke of Roxburgh, a loyal volunteer.
- ↑ Archibald, Duke of Douglas, who commanded a body of his vassals in the royal army.
- ↑ Hugh Campbell, third Earl of London, of the royal army.
- ↑ The Earl of Hay, brother to the Duke of Argyle. He came up to the field only a few hours before the battle, and was unfortunately wounded.
- ↑ Sir John Shaw of Greenock, an officer in the volunteers, noted for his keen Whiggish spirit.
- ↑ Major-General Thomas Whitham, who commanded the left wing of the King's army.
- ↑ James, Earl of Panmure. Died at Paris, 1723.
- ↑ The Honourable Harry Maule of Kellie, brother to the Earl, whom he re-captured after the engagement.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Earls of Marischal and Linlithgow.
- ↑ The Chief of Glengary.
- ↑ Thomas Drummond of Logie Almond.
- ↑ The Earl of Strathmore, killed in the battle.
- ↑ The Chief of Clanranald, also killed.
- ↑ The Earl of Forfar—on the King's side—wounded in the engagement.
- ↑ James, Lord Drummond, eldest son of the Earl of Perth, was Lieutenant-General of horse under the Earl of Mar, and behaved with great gallantry.
- ↑ William Mackenzie, fifth Earl of Seaforth.
- ↑ The Viscount Kilsyth.
- ↑ The Viscount Strathallan.
- ↑ Lieutenant-general George Hamilton, commanding under the Earl of Mar.
- ↑ James, fifth Earl of Southesk.
- ↑ The Marquis of Tullibardine, eldest son of the Duke of Athole.
- ↑ Robert, Lord Rollo. He died in 1758.
- ↑ William Keith, Earl of Kintore.
- ↑ Lord Pitsligo. He was again "out" in the '45.
- ↑ Lord Ogilvie, son of the Earl of Airly.
- ↑ Bruce, Laird of Clackmannan.
- ↑ A relation of Lord Burleigh.
- ↑ Major William Clephane.
- ↑ Alexander Robertson of Struan, chief of the Robertsons. He was a poet, and died in 1749.
- ↑ Alexander, Marquis of Huntly, afterWards Duke of Gordon.
- ↑ The Master of Sinclair. He died in 1750.
- ↑ These four stanzas seem to refer to a circumstance reported at the time; namely, that a person had left the Duke of Argyle's army, and joined the Earl of Mar's, before the battle, intending to act as a spy; and that, being employed by Mar to inform the left wing that the right was victorious, he gave a contrary statement, and, after seeing them retire accordingly, went back again to the royal army.—Note by R. Chambers.
- ↑ The celebrated Rob Roy. This redoubted hero was prevented, by mixed motives, from joining either party: he could not fight against the Earl of Mar, consistent with his conscience, nor could he oppose the Duke of Argyle, without forfeiting the protection of a powerful friend.—Ib.
- ↑ An honorary popular title of the Duke of Gordon.
- ↑ Carnegy of Finhaven,