The Progress of the War
A mile or two after leaving Berwick the cart had left the main road
running by the coast through Dunbar to Edinburgh, and had struck
west by a country track. But few houses were met with, as the
whole of the country within many miles of the sea had been harried
and devastated by the various English armies which had advanced
from Berwick. After proceeding for some miles they came to a point
where the track they had been following terminated at a little hamlet
among the hills. Here they left the cart, making an arrangement with
one of the villagers to drive it back on the morrow into Berwick.
They were now beyond all risk of pursuit, and need fear nothing
further until they reached the great north roads running from
Carlisle to Edinburgh and Stirling. Cluny therefore resumed male
attire. They had no difficulty in purchasing a couple of swords
from the peasants of the village, and armed with these they started
with Marjory and the two women over the hills. It was early autumn
now; the weather was magnificent, and they made the distance in
quiet stages, and crossing the Pentlands came down upon Aberfilly
without meeting with a single danger or obstacle.
It needs not to describe the joy of Archie's mother at his return.
The news spread like lightning among the tenantry, and in an hour
after the wayfarers reached the castle men and women could be seen
flocking over the hills at the top of their speed to express their
delight and enthusiasm at their lord's return. By nightfall every
tenant on the estate, save those prevented by age or illness, had
assembled at the castle, and the rejoicings which had taken place
at the marriage of their lord were but tame and quiet beside the
boisterous enthusiasm which was now exhibited.
Although Marjory had at first been welcomed for the sake of her
husband, the fact that she was a Kerr had excited a deep though
hidden hostility to her in the minds both of those who had been
her father's vassals at Aberfilly, and the old retainers of the
Forbeses at Glen Cairn. The devotion and courage which she had shown
in the defence of the castle and in the enterprise for the rescue
of their lord swept away every vestige of this feeling, and henceforth
Marjory ranked in their affections with Archie himself, and there
was not a man upon the estate but felt that he could die for her
if needs be.
After a week's stay at home Archie rode away and joined the king,
taking, however, but four or five retainers with him. Bruce received
him with extreme warmth. He had heard of his capture, and the news
that he was condemned to die at Berwick had also reached him, and
he had no doubt but Archie had shared the fate which had befallen
his own brothers and so many of his bravest friends. His pleasure,
therefore, equalled his surprise when his brave follower rode into
his camp. Many of Archie's friends assembled as soon as it was
known that he had arrived; and after the first greetings the king
asked him for a recital of the means by which he had escaped from
the fate decreed him by Edward. Archie related the whole story,
and at its conclusion the king called to his attendants to bring
goblets and wine.
"Sirs," he said, "let us drink to the health of Mistress Marjory
Forbes, one of the bravest and truest of Scotch women. Would to
Heaven that all the men of our country were animated by as noble and
courageous feelings! Our friend, Sir Archibald Forbes, has indeed
won a jewel, and I take no small credit to myself that I was the
first who advised him to make Mistress Kerr his wife."
The toast was given with enthusiasm; but Archie afterwards protested
against the king assuming any credit to himself in the matter, since,
although it was true that he had advised him to marry Mistress Mary
Kerr, he had wished him to abandon, for her sake, Mistress Marjory,
the niece of Alexander MacDougall, who had set him free from her
uncle's hold of Dunstaffnage.
"Now, Archie," the king said, when they were again alone together,
"I suppose, seeing that you have come hither without your following,
that you wish for a time to remain quiet at home, and seeing that
you have suffered severe imprisonment and a grievous risk of death
in my cause, methinks you have well earned the right to rest quiet
for a while with your brave lady. At present I can dispense with
the services of your retainers. Most of the low country is now in
my hands, and the English garrisons dare not venture out of their
strong places. The army that the King of England collected to crush
us has been, I hear, much disorganized by his death, and the barons
will doubtless wring concessions and privileges from his son before
they spread their banners to the wind again. From all reports the
new king has but little of his father's ability and energy, and
months may elapse before any serious effort is made against us.
I am despatching my brother Edward to join Douglas in subduing
Galloway, and during his absence I shall be content to remain here
in the field with a small following, for the English governors
of the towns will, methinks, stand only on the defensive, until a
strong army marches north from England. When Galloway is subdued
the lowlands will be all in my hands save for the English garrisons,
and I shall on Edward's return set myself to punish the Comyns and
the other traitor nobles of the north, who are well nigh all hand
and glove with the English. So long as Scotland has such powerful
enemies in her midst she cannot hope to cope with the forces which
England can send against her. Alone and united the task is one
which will tax her strength to the utmost, seeing that England is
in wealth and population so far her superior, and Edward disposes
of the force of Ireland, of Wales, and of Gascony; therefore my
first task must be to root out these traitor nobles from among us.
When I move north I shall need your company and your strength; but
until Edward has cleared the English out of Galloway, captured the
strongholds, and reduced it to obedience, you can stop in Aberfilly,
and there at times, when I have no enterprise on hand and can take
a few days, I will come and rest if you will give me hospitality."
So until the following spring Archie Forbes remained quietly and
most happily at home. Several times the king came and stayed a few
days at Aberfilly, where he was safe against surprise and treachery.
Not long after Archie's return home, Father Anselm arrived, to
Archie's satisfaction and the great joy of Marjory, and took up
his abode there.
In the spring Archie, with his retainers, joined the king, who was
gathering his army for his march into the north. During the winter
Galloway had been subdued, and Douglas being left in the south as
commander there, Edward Bruce joined his brother, around whom also
gathered the Earl of Lennox, Sir Gilbert de la Haye, and others.
The position in Scotland was now singular: the whole of the
country south of the Forth was favourable to Bruce, but the English
held Roxburgh, Jedburgh, Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Ayr, Bothwell,
Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Stirling, and Dumbarton. North of the Forth
nearly the whole of the country was hostile to the king, and the
fortresses of Perth, Dundee, Forfar, Brechin, Aberdeen, Inverness,
and many smaller holds, were occupied by English garrisons.
The centre of hostility to Bruce, north of the Forth, lay in the two
great earls, the Comyns of Badenoch and Buchan, and their allies.
Between them and Bruce a hatred existed beyond that caused by
their taking opposite sides. Comyn of Badenoch was the son of the
man Bruce had slain at Dumfries, while Buchan hated him even more,
since his wife, the countess, had espoused the cause of Bruce and
had crowned him at Scone, and was now shamefully imprisoned in the
cage at Berwick. It must be supposed that Buchan's anger against
his countess was as deep and implacable as that of Edward himself,
for, as the English king's most powerful ally in Scotland, he could
surely have obtained the pardon and release of his wife had he
desired it. On the other hand, Bruce had a private grudge against
Comyn, for upon him had been conferred Bruce's lordship of Annandale,
and he had entered into possession and even occupied the family
castle of Lochmaben.
The king and his army marched north, and were joined by Alexander
and Simon Frazer, with their followers. They marched to Inverness,
which, with various other castles in the north, they captured. All of
these castles were, when taken, destroyed, as Bruce had determined
to leave no strongholds in the land for the occupation of his
enemies. He himself could not spare men to hold them, and their
capture was useless if upon his retirement they could again be
occupied by the enemy. Returning southward they were encountered
by an army under Buchan, composed of his own retainers and a party
of English. This force was completely defeated.
To the consternation of his followers Bruce was now attacked by a
wasting illness, which so enfeebled him that he was unable to sit
on his horse; it was the result of the many privations and hardships
which he had undergone since the fight at Methven. His brother,
Lennox, the Frazers, and Archie Forbes held a council and agreed
that rest for some time was absolutely necessary for the king, and
that sea air might be beneficial to him. They therefore resolved
to move eastward to the Castle of Slaines, on the sea coast
near Peterhead. That such a step was attended by great peril they
well knew, for the Comyns would gather the whole strength of the
Highlands, with accessions from the English garrisons, and besiege
them there. The king's health, however, was a paramount consideration;
were he to die, the blow might be fatal to Scotland, accordingly
the little force marched eastward. They reached Slaines without
interruption, and as they expected the castle was soon surrounded and
besieged by the forces of Buchan, who had been joined by Sir John
Mowbray and Sir David de Brechin, nephew of the King of England. For
some time the siege went on, but the assailants gained but little
advantage, and indeed trusted rather to famine than force to reduce
the castle.
Weeks passed on, and although his followers thought that he was
somewhat better, the king's health improved but slowly. Provisions
now began to run very short. When they had come nearly to an end
the Scots determined to sally out and cut their way through the
vastly superior strength of the enemy. The king was placed in a
litter, his mounted knights and followers surrounded him, and round
these the footmen formed a close clump of pikes; the hundred men
from Aberfilly formed the front rank, as these could be best relied
upon to withstand the charge of the English horse. The gates were
thrown open, and in close ranks the garrison sallied out, forming,
as soon as they passed through, in the order arranged. So close
and serried was the hedge of spears, so quiet and determined the
attitude of the men, that, numerous as they were, the men of Buchan
and the English lords shrank from an encounter with such adversaries,
and with the banner of the king and his knights flying in their
centre the little band marched on through the lines of the besiegers
without the latter striking a blow to hinder their way.
Without interruption the royalists proceeded to Strathbogie. The
satisfaction of the king at the daring exploit by which he had been
rescued from such imminent peril did more for him than medicine or
change of air, and to the joy of his followers he began to recover
his strength. He was then moved down to the river Don. Here Buchan
and his English allies made a sudden attack upon his quarters,
killing some of the outposts. This attack roused the spirit and
energy of the king, and he immediately called for his war horse
and armour and ordered his men to prepare for action. His followers
remonstrated with him, but he declared that this attack by his
enemies had cured him more speedily than medicine could have done,
and heading his troops he issued forth and came upon the enemy
near Old Meldrum, where, after a desperate fight, Buchan and his
confederates were defeated with great slaughter on Christmas day,
1307. Buchan and Mowbray fled into England. Brechin took refuge
in his own castle of Brechin, where he was afterwards besieged and
forced to surrender.
Bruce now marched into the territory of Comyn, where he took a terrible
vengeance for the long adhesion of his hated enemy to England. The
whole country was wasted with fire and sword, the people well nigh
exterminated, and the very forests destroyed. So terrible was the
devastation that for generations afterwards men spoke of the harrying
of Buchan as a terrible and exceptional act of vengeance.
The castle of Aberdeen was next invested. The English made great
efforts for its succour, but the citizens joined Bruce, and a
united attack being made upon the castle it was taken by assault
and razed to the ground. The king and his forces then moved into
Angus. Here the English strongholds were all taken, the castle
of Forfar being assaulted and carried by a leader who was called
Phillip, a forester of Platane. With the exception of Perth, the
most important fortress north of the Forth, and a few minor holds,
the whole of the north of Scotland, was now in the king's hands.
In the meantime Sir James Douglas, in the south, had again taken
his paternal castle and had razed it to the ground. The forests of
Selkirk and Jedburgh, with the numerous fortresses of the district,
were brought under the king's authority, and the English were several
times defeated. In the course of these adventures Sir James came
across Alexander Stewart, Thomas Randolph, the king's nephew,
who, after being taken prisoner at Methven, had joined the English
party, and Adam O'Gordon. They advanced with a much superior force
to capture him, but were signally defeated. O'Gordon escaped into
England, but Stewart and Randolph were taken.
This was a fortunate capture, for Randolph afterwards became one of
the king's most valiant knights and the wisest of his counsellors.
After this action Douglas marched north and joined the king. The
latter sternly reproached Randolph for having forsworn his allegiance
and joined the English. Randolph answered hotly and was committed
by his uncle to solitary confinement, where he presently came to
a determination to renew his allegiance to Bruce, and henceforward
fought faithfully and gallantly under him.
Galloway had risen again, and Edward Bruce, with Sir Archie Forbes,
was detached to reduce it. It was a hard task, for the local
chiefs were supported by Sir Ingram de Umfraville and Sir John de
St. John; these knights, with 1200 followers, met the Scots on the
banks of the Cree, which separates the countries of Kirkcudbright
and Wigton, and although greatly superior in numbers, were completely
defeated by the Scottish pikemen, and compelled to take refuge in
the castle of Butele. Edward Bruce and Archie continued the task
of subjugating the country; but St. John having retired to England,
returned with fifteen hundred men-at-arms, and with this strong force
set out in pursuit of the small body of Scots, of whom he thought
to make an easy capture. Then occurred one of the most singular and
brilliant feats of arms that took place in a war in which deeds of
daring abounded. Edward Bruce having heard from the country people
of the approach of his adversaries, placed his infantry in a strong
position, and then, with Archie Forbes and the fifty men-at-arms
who constituted his cavalry, went out to reconnoitre the approach
of the English. The morning was thick and misty. Ignorant of each
other's position, the two forces were in close vicinity, when the
fog suddenly lifted, and Edward Bruce and Archie beheld close to
them the overwhelming force of St. John, within bowshot distance.
It was too late to fly. Edward Bruce exclaimed to Archie:
"There is nothing for it but to charge them."
"Let us charge them," Archie replied.
The two leaders, setting spurs to their horses, and closely followed
by their fifty retainers, dashed like a thunderbolt upon the mass
of the English men-at-arms, before these, taken equally by surprise,
had time to form, and burst clean through them, overthrowing and
slaying many, and causing the greatest confusion and surprise.
Riding but a short distance on, the Scots turned, and again burst
through the English lines. Numbers of the English were slain,
and many others turned rein. A third time the Scots charged, with
equally fatal effect. The English were completely routed. Many
were killed and many taken prisoners, and the rest rode for England
at their best speed. History scarcely recalls another instance of
50 men routing in fair fight 1500. This extraordinary success was
followed by a victory over Sir Roland of Galloway and Donald of
the Isles on the banks of the Dee, the Lord of the Isles being made
prisoner; and eventually the whole country was reduced to obedience,
with the exception of one or two garrisons, no less than thirteen
castles being captured, in addition to the victories gained in the
field.
Galloway being restored to order, Archie Forbes returned home, and
remained for two or three months with his wife and mother. He was
then summoned by the king to join him again, as he was about to
march to reduce the region over which his deadly foes Alexander
and John of Lorne held sway. The country into which the royal army
now penetrated was extremely mountainous and difficult, but they
made their way as far as the head of Loch Awe, where Alexander and
John of Lorne, with 2000 men, were gathered to dispute the passage.
The position was an extremely strong one, and the Lornes were
confident that it could not be forced. Immediately to the north
of the head of the lake rises the steep and lofty mountain Ben
Gruachan. From the head of the lake flows the river Awe connecting
it with Loch Etive, and the level space between the foot of the
mountain and the river is only wide enough for two to ride abreast.
This passage was known as the Pass of Brander, and the Lornes might
well believe that their position was unassailable.
Before advancing into the pass Bruce detached Douglas, with Sir
Alexander Frazer, Sir William Wiseman, and Sir Andrew Grey, with
a body of lightly armed infantry and archers. These, unnoticed by
the enemy, climbed the side of the mountain, and going far up it,
passed along until they got behind and above the enemy. The king
ordered his main body to lay aside all defensive armour so that
they could more easily climb the hill and come to a hand to hand
conflict with the enemy. Then he moved along towards the narrow
pass. As they approached it the men of Lorne hurled down a torrent
of rocks from the hillside above.
With a few heavy armed men Bruce pushed forward by the water side,
while Archie Forbes led the main body up the hillside. The climb was
stiff and difficult, and many were swept down by the rocks hurled
by the enemy; but at last they came to close quarters with the foe,
and a desperate struggle ensued.
In the meantime Douglas and his party had attacked the defenders
from the other side, at first showering arrows among them, and
then falling upon them with sword and battleaxe. Thus attacked in
front and rear, the men of Lorne lost heart and gave way. On both
sides the royalists pressed them hotly, and at last they broke
from the hillside and fled down to the river, intending to cross
by a wooden bridge and destroy it behind them, but before many had
passed Douglas with his followers arrived upon the spot and seized
the bridge, cutting off their retreat. Great numbers of the men of
Lorne were slain, and the survivors made their escape up the mountain
side again. The Lornes themselves were on board some galleys on
Loch Awe, their intention having been to land in Bruce's rear when
he was fairly entangled in the narrow pass. On witnessing the utter
discomfiture of their followers they rowed rapidly away, and landed
far down the lake. Alexander fled to England, where he ended his
life.
Bruce now advanced through the country of Lorne, which, having
never suffered from the English raids that had over and over again
devastated the rest of Scotland, was rich and flourishing, and large
quantities of booty were obtained. Dunstaffnage was besieged and
captured, and having received hostages from all the minor chiefs
for their good behaviour the king and his army returned to Glasgow.
In the following spring a truce was negotiated by the intervention
of the King of France between the belligerents; but its duration was
but short, for so long as English nobles held estates and occupied
castles in Scotland breaches of the peace would be constantly
occurring. Bruce besieged the castle of Rutherglen, near Glasgow;
but Edward despatched the Earl of Gloucester to raise the siege,
and as Bruce's army was still small he was forced to retire at his
approach.
In February, 1309, the clergy of Scotland assembled in a provincial
council at Dundee, and issued a declaration in favour of Bruce
as lawful king of Scotland. In this document they set forth that
although Baliol was made king of Scotland by the King of England,
Bruce, the grandfather of the king, was always recognized by the
people as being nearest in right; and they said: "If any one, on
the contrary, claim right to the aforesaid kingdom in virtue of
letters in time passed sealed, and containing the consent of the
people and the commons, know ye that all this took place in fact
by force and violence, which could not at the time be resisted,
and through multiplied fears, bodily tortures, and various terrors."
This document was sealed by all the bishops, as representing the
clergy. A similar document was drawn up and signed by the estates
of Scotland. Therefore, henceforth Bruce could claim to be the king
not only as crowned and by right, but by the approval and consent
of the clergy and people of Scotland. A few months afterwards James,
the Steward of Scotland, whose course had ever been vacillating, died,
and his son Walter, a loyal Scotsman, succeeded him. He afterwards
married the king's daughter Marjory, and became the founder of the
royal line of Stuart.