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

Rulers: Barometers of Countries

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."--Proverbs 29:2

To find out God's blessing or judgment on a nation, just look at its rulers. If God's blessing is on a nation, her rulers will be operating on Biblical principles. Power will be decentralized, as the family and church occupy their roles without interference from the state.

On the other hand, if God has cursed a nation, that too will appear in her rulers. The family and church will become mere departments of an all-controlling state. The state and her rulers will promise solutions to all problems and ills, free medicine and guaranteed jobs--even world peace. Give us all power, and we will create paradise on earth, they say. Power will become more and more centralized until God destroys the nation utterly.

Hosea under inspiration of the Holy Spirit says "I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath." Hosea describes God's judgments on Israel, First, by giving them a king and Second, by taking away the king and the entire nation into captivity.

A poem of c. 1715 illustrates this as well.

"When Israel first provok'd the living Lord,

HE punish'd them with famine, plague, and sword;

Still they sinn'd on--HE, in his wrath, did fling

No thunderbolt amongst them, but a King;

A George-like king was Heav'n's severest rod--

The utmost vengeance of an angry God

God in his wrath sent Saul to punish Jewry,

And George to England, in a greater fury!"

Based on our leaders, is God blessing or cursing these United States?

Poem from J. C. O'Callaghan's excellent study, History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France.

Madame de la Tour

"But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come"--Revelation 2:25

Illustration by Charles William Jefferys

"In the 1640s, the French settlements in Acadia were subject to a bitter feudal conflict between Charles Menou d’Aulnay and Charles de Saint-Etienne de La Tour, the two noblemen who claimed sole authority over the colony. While de La Tour was absent in April 1645, Menou d’Aulnay attacked his fort on the St. John River (now at St. John, NB) with 200 men and artillery. Mme. Françoise-Marie Jacquelin de La Tour (1602-1645) rose to the occasion and led the fort’s small garrison of about 45 men for three days. The fourth day, the fort finally fell by treason. Mme de La Tour was spared the massacre that followed, but died three weeks later of unknown but probably natural causes. This brave and determined woman was one of Canada’s first heroines as well as the first European woman to raise a family in present-day New Brunswick." pg 45, Canadian Military Heritage by Rene Chartrand

Madame de la Tour defended her husband's house and property against the rival d'Aulnay, like Margaret of Airlie last month. But notice what else M. Chartrand includes in his description of her: "the first European woman to raise a family in present-day New Brunswick." There is an important lesson here for all of us and that is, that while dramatic things (defending a settlement for four days) are remembered, the so-called mundane things (raising a family) are not. But God has called us to "hold what we have" and not seek to make a name for ourselves by our gallant deeds. We are to do the holding, and leave the results to God. She was faithful in holding her post, and did not worry about "what works" (a good lesson for a presidential election year!).

Lady Margaret Ogilvy of Airlie

"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."--Proverbs 12:5

After the success of last year's calendar, I made another one, containing 12 more noble women. The first one is Lady Margaret Ogilvy of Airlie. The dates of her birth and marriage are unknown, but I believe that c. 1590 and c. 1613 are fairly close (one son who inherited the title Lord Airlie was born c. 1615).

Much of her life is unknown, being recorded chiefly in a ballad named The Bonnie Hoose of Airlie. This ballad is set in 1640, during the beginning of the turmoil of the English Civil War. As the song goes, Lord Airlie and his men went to join the King's forces in Scotland, leaving Airlie Castle relatively undefended. A Covenanting army under the Marquis of Argyle appeared and Argyle asked for "one kiss" from Lady Airlie. Despite an overwhelming enemy army, she scorned the proposal. Furious, Argyle fired Airlie Castle, burning the lady inside.

When the Royalists found out about Argyle's faithless attack:

"'Draa yir dirks, draa yir dirks!' cried brave Lochiel;

'Unsheathe yir swords!' cried Chairlie,

'An we'll kennle sic a lowe roond the fause Argyll

'An we'll licht it wi a spark oot'n Airlie!'"

Facing a strong enemy army, Lady Airlie had held Airlie Castle--and her honour--for her husband, and she is to be commended.

Note 1: versions of The Bonnie Hoose o' Airlie differ, mine taken from http://www.lochiel.net/archives/arch221.html

Note 2: Despite references to "Chairlie" and "Lochiel", this song is set in 1640, not 1745. "Lochiel" refers to Allan Cameron of Lochiel.

Be Vigilant

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:--1 Peter 5:8

"When in 1745 Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, marched southward after the capture of Edinburgh, an army under Sir John Cope advanced from Dunbar to stop his progress. This force had reached the neighbourhood of Haddington without having encounted the Prince and his Highlanders, and as Sir John became impatient to learn their whereabouts, he sent forward two scouts from the Edinburgh Volunteers. But these two faithless warriors never returned. Afterwards it was reported that they entered a tavern, where they became oblivious to their military duties over some sherry and oysters, and while they were in a drunken condition the scouts were captured by a mere lad, an attorney's clerk (emphasis his)."--A History of the Scottish People, volume 6, by Rev. Thomas Thompson.

Claverhouse's Motto

Despite R. M. Ballantyne's idea for Claverhouse's motto ("Stick at nothing!") the Viscount of Dundee provides us with a very clear presentation of his foremost idea.

In 1684, Graham of Claverhouse was courting Lady Jean Cochrane. Some of the King's men, who hated Claverhouse and wanted his job as Sheriff of Dumfries and Galloway, said that his service to the King would suffer if he married Lady Jean. When Claverhouse heard of this, he quickly sent off two letters to his commander, the Duke of Queensberry.

"But, or long, I will, in despight of them, let the world see that it is not in the power of love, nor any other folly, to alter my loyalty."

And this was not an idle boast. In the Revolution of 1688, Claverhouse had the opportunity to prove this as he single-handedly raised the Highlanders, raided MacKay, and in short, kept Scotland for James II until he was killed at Killiecrankie.

If Dundee could show such loyalty to a fallible, earthly sovereign, how much more determined ought we to be, who serve the King of Kings?

Women And Children First

British army at Pensacola: MD Loyalist Officer, PA Loyalist Officer, German Waldeck Regiment Private, MD Loyalist Private, picture from www.marylandloyalists.org

The phrase "Women and children first" is an excellent summary of nineteen hundred years of Christian influence on men. It follows the principle given in 1 John 3:16: "Hereby we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." In short, the strong die that the weak might live. This is changed today, based partly on the theory of Evolution, where the weak die that the strong might live.

While "women and children first" is associated with RMS Titanic or HM Troopship Birkenhead, the principle was also seen far before either of those.

After the Continental victory in the American War for Independence, hundreds of soldiers, men, women, and children loyal to Great Britain sailed for Canada. One of the transports for the Loyalists was the Martha, carrying 2 regiments: Maryland Loyalists and 2nd Battalion, DeLancey's Brigade, in addition to women and children. As they sailed to Canada, the ship struck rocks in the Bay of Fundy, on September 23, 1783. The long boat was smashed by one of the masts falling, and only the jolly-boat and cutter remained. The cowardly captain turned the jolly-boat loose on the waves and sailed for shore in the cutter.

This next portion is quoted from Maryland Loyalists web site "Having lost their homes and possessions, the Maryland Loyalists were exiled to Canada. While sailing to their new homes, their ship, HMS Martha, ran aground in the Bay of Fundy and sank. It is said that, after putting their wives and children into the small boats, the remaining Marylanders formed up into ranks on the main deck as the ship went down."

Perhaps some of the nearby inhabitants came out with their boats to the wreck and picked up the women and children before the soldiers (the captain discouraged any from visiting the site of the wreck, but it did not succeed). In any case, some of the passengers on board the Martha were saved. This provides a testimony both of "the weak die for the strong" as the captain did, and "the strong die for the weak", as the Maryland Loyalists did.

Loyalists arrive in Canada

Note: account of the wreck taken from http://www.marylandloyalists.org/unithistory.html and http://www.royalprovincial.com/genealogy/settle/lndmarth.shtml