Rout of Moy

Today (actually tonight and early tomorrow morning) marks the Rout of Moy, one of the most impressive instances of "One man of you shall chase a thousand" (Joshua 23:10a).

In 1746, Prince Charles Edward Stuart a.k.a. "Bonnie Prince Charlie" was staying at Moy Hall, the house of Lady Anne Farquharson-Mackintosh. Lord Loudoun heard of this, and set out to capture Bonnie Prince Charlie with 1,500 soldiers of the Independent Companies and his own 64th Highlanders. They marched by night to keep this attack a secret. However, fifteen year old Lauchlin Mackintosh ran from Inverness to Moy Hall to warn Lady Mackintosh that Charles was in danger.

When she heard the news, Lady Mackintosh sent the Prince away with thirty men. She had already assigned four men under Donald Fraser, blacksmith, to watch the roads to Moy Hall. When Loudoun's force came along, the five could see it. Fraser tried a daring ruse to delay Loudoun's men. He fired his gun and shouted for the MacDonalds and Camerons to charge while the other four discharged their muskets. Loudoun's men fled in terror, believing that they had run headlong into the main Jacobite army. The blacksmith was known ever after by the nickname of "Captain of the Five".

Following this rout, Loudoun and his force fled across the Spey River, leaving Inverness in Jacobite hands. The Jacobites would use Inverness as their base until they were destroyed at Culloden.

For Loudoun's report of the battle, see W. Drummond Norie, Life and Adventures of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, volume 3, pages 102-106