“It is said that once a location has witnessed so much
death it never forgets . . .”
--Cavan Scott, Countryfile
Killiecrankie Pass and River Garry |
Located in Perthshire County
in Scotland Killiecrankie Pass lies in a beautiful glen along the River Garry a
few miles north of Pitlochry. The River Garry flows through a steep-sided gorge
fringed by dark green woods.
It was here in 1689 where a fierce battle was fought.
By 1688, James ll of
England—James Vll of Scotland—had been replaced by William of Orange. James was
an unpopular ‘Catholic” king, so the English Parliament officially invited
William to invade. James fled to the continent without a fight and the
Protestant William took his throne.
King James Vll/ll |
William, Prince of Orange |
In Scotland, people’s
loyalties were bitterly divided between William and James. This division was so
deep that fathers often fought against their sons.
At the Killecrankie battle---
At the Killecrankie battle---
Mackay of Scourie led
William’s forces—he was a Highlander when ironically most Highlanders supported the
opposing Jacobite cause.
General Huge Mackay |
James Graham of Claverhouse "Bonnie Dundee" |
At the head of the Jacobite
rebels was James Graham, Viscount Dundee who was known as Bonnie Dundee. He ironically was a Lowlander but the troops he led
where Highlanders.
In July of 1689, Blair Castle
in Perthshire was seized by the Jacobites, Mackay knew he must re-capture the
castle at all cost—but a large contingency of Jacobite Highlanders were moving
to block his path.
Mackay had 3,500-foot
soldiers and two cavalry groups.
Despite being outnumbered by
at least a thousand men, the Jacobites had two advantages. They knew the gorge
like the back of their hands, and they were experienced fighters when it came to
steep and rocky terrain.
Amazingly, most of the
Jacobites fought barefoot.
On July 27th the
two opposing armies met at Killiecrankie Pass. Dundee’s Jacobites had a good
vantage point on a hilltop looking down at Mackay’s English Government troops.
Highland Charge |
It was a July day, and the sun
was in their eyes, so they waited until 7:00 p.m. to attack. When Dundee gave
the signal, two thousand men poured down this hillside in a deafening onslaught.
Battle at Killiecrankie |
Mackey’s men briefly fought
but they then turned and fled. This would have been the end of the battle but
for a turn of bad luck-- their retreat was stopped by the steep-sided gorge.
This battle then turned into a massacre. *
* One government soldier, Donald McBane leaped
16 feet across the river to get away. This incredible
feat is commemorated with a plaque at the spot it took place—known as Soldier’s Leap.
During this battle, ten
thousand Government soldiers were either killed or captured. A third of the
Jacobite men were killed, including their leader Bonnie Dundee.
Modern day visitors to
Killiecrankie Pass state they have experienced this brutal battle first hand.
Several witnesses have seen
soldiers marching as if to battle, while others have seen an eerie red glow
engulf the gorge.
A female witness picnicking
with her family said she saw a replay of the battle and another female
witness states she saw the bodies of dead English officers at her feet while
walking through the gorge.
This haunting appears to be
an “anniversary haunting” for most of the strange encounters people have experienced
happened on the date—July 27th—when the battle took place.
Depiction of Pass from the 1800s. |
A fanciful story connected
to this haunting was told on the BBC program, Countryfile.
This legend states witnesses
have also seen an apparition of a young woman who wanders among the bodies
robbing them of their valuables. Along with this is a warning—if she knows she
is being watched, she will chase after the witness. If she catches up and
touches or taps them on the shoulder—they will die within the year.
Killiecrankie is managed by
the National Trust for Scotland
today. It is open year-round to the public.
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