Stories of the Scottish Border — Chapter 45 Montrose and Lesley
*Montrose and Lesly* James Graham, the great Marquis of Montrose who at first sided with the Scottish Covenanters against Charles I. , was so out of sympathy with the extreme turn which affairs took later against that unhappy monarch that he went over to the King's side.
Gathering the Highland Clans under his standard, he marched Southward and defeated the Covenanters in a series of brilliantly fought battles.
He occupied Edinburgh, and laid great plans to complete the conquest of Scotland by subduing the Borderland.
If the Borders had remained in their old fighting state no doubt many a Border chief would have joined Montrose's army and aided his bold plans.
But, unfortunately for King Charles, the Borders had been tamed and disarmed since the union of England and Scotland under James I. Only a few adventurous spirits like Christie's Will remained as examples of the old wild days.
The remnant of the army of the Covenanters was commanded by the stern General David Lesly (not the Alexander Leslie who figures in the preceding chapter), and was somewhere in the Border district.
Gay Gallant Montrose did not bother as to exactly where this army was; he despised it too heartily.
He himself was at Selkirk, while his army was encamped on the neighbouring plain of Philiphaugh.
Montrose was busy writing a cheering message to King Charles to the effect that he had now no enemy left in Scotland who could offer an effective resistance to his arms.
Little did he think that General Lesly was gradually creeping nearer, nearer, and was now actually within four miles of his army.
With the advantage of a thick Scotch mist, Lesly's men actually burst upon Montrose's infantry without a single scout having seen them to give warning of their approach!
In such confusion, Montrose's men had no chance whatever.
The Marquis galloped up, only to find his soldiers hopelessly defeated and great numbers slain.
There was nothing left but for those to escape who could.
The Marquis succeeded in cutting his way through, and gathered his troops to fight again later on; but his efforts were doomed to failure.
A popular ditty of these days, sung to a stirring tune, was called "Lesly's March."
Sir Walter Scott seems to regard this as wholly serious, and ranks it as a Covenanter song.
It appears to me, however, that many of the lines have a very sarcastic flavour; no doubt the Covenanters did really think that "There's none in the right but we, Of the old Scottish nation";
but they would probably have phrased it a little less baldly.
To me it appears as if this song were the work of an onlooker and not a partisan;
one ready to see the faults of both sides, and very much inclined to hold back his final opinion till he saw which was going to win.
But let the March speak for itself.
*LESLY'S MARCH*
March!
march: Why the de'il do ye na march?
Stand to your arms, my lads, Fight in good order;
Front about, ye musketeers all, Till ye come to the English Border;
Stand till 't, and fight like men, True gospel to maintain.
The parliament's blythe to see us a' coming!
When to the kirk we come, We'll purge it ilka room, Frae popish relics, and a' sic innovation, That a' the world may see, There's nane in the right but we, Of the auld Scottish nation.
A truly partisan ballad of the day describes the battle of Philiphaugh and exults in the defeat of Montrose, "our cruel enemy," it calls him.
As a ballad it has no great poetic merit; the very sober Covenanters probably regarded ballad-making as a frivolity.
But it describes rather graphically how an "aged father," from the country-side, led Lesly's army very cautiously and wisely to the very tents of the foe.
These details are no doubt accurate; though the ballad-writer (whoever he was) displays his ignorance of other matters by making the old soldier say that he was at the battle of Solway Moss (which took place one hundred years before) and at that of Dunbar, which was not fought till five years later!
The following are the opening verses of the ballad, giving an idea of its plain, straightforward style:-- On Philiphaugh a fray began, At Hairhead-wood it ended;
The Scots out o'er the Graemes they ran, Sae merrily they bended;
Sir David frae the Border came, Wi' heart an' hand came he;
Wi' him three thousand bonny Scots, To bear him company.
Wi' him three thousand valiant men, A noble sight to see!
A cloud o' mist them weel conceal'd, As close as e'er might be.
When they came to the Shaw burn, Said he, "Sae weel we frame.
I think it is convenient That we should sing a psalm."
It is not necessary to quote more of it, but it may be remarked that in place of the last line as given here, the _unregenerate_ substituted, "That we should take a dram."
In point of actual fact, _both_ versions are probably true!
*Chapter XLVI*
