Battle of Tippermuir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Tippermuir |
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| Part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Scottish Royalists Irish Brigade |
 Parliament of Scotland |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lord Montrose Alasdair Mac Colla John Graham Lord Kilpont Sir William Rollo |
Lord Elcho James Murray Earl of Tullibardine Sir James Scott of Rossie James, Lord Drummond Captain David Grant |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 2000-3000 foot 150 cavalry |
Disputed: c.2000-7000 foot c.400-800 cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Light | 400-2000 | ||||||
| Designated | 14 December 2012 | ||||||
| Reference no. | BTL39 | ||||||
The Battle of Tippermuir (also called the Battle of Tibbermuir) happened on September 1, 1644. It was the first big fight for Lord Montrose as he led forces loyal to King Charles I in Scotland. In this battle, Montrose's Royalist army defeated the Scottish government's army, which was led by Lord Elcho. The government side, known as the Covenanters, lost many soldiers.
Today, the battlefield is protected by Historic Environment Scotland. This means it's an important historical site.
Contents
Before the Battle: Why They Fought
In 1643, the Scottish Parliament, controlled by a group called the Covenanters, decided to help the English Parliament. They joined forces against King Charles I in the First English Civil War. A large Scottish army went to England to help.
King Charles I wanted to stop this. He hoped to keep Scottish troops busy in Scotland so they couldn't help his enemies in England. He chose Montrose, who used to support the Covenanters but now supported the King, to lead his army in Scotland.
Montrose Gathers His Army
Montrose's first try at starting a Royalist uprising didn't go well. But then, good news came for the King's side. From Confederate Ireland, about 2,000 experienced soldiers arrived in Scotland. They were led by Alasdair Mac Colla.
These Irish soldiers landed on the west coast of Scotland in July 1644. Montrose met up with Mac Colla's forces in late August. Mac Colla's army had already grown, with soldiers from the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch and others. Montrose also added a small group of local fighters from Atholl.
The March to Perth
From Blair Atholl, Montrose quickly marched his army south-east towards the important town of Perth. Most of Scotland's best soldiers were away helping in England. So, the Scottish government quickly put together an army to defend Perth.
This army was led by Lord Elcho and James Murray, Earl of Tullibardine. Most of their soldiers were new and untrained. Some local fighters who were supposed to join the government army actually switched sides and joined Montrose.
The Battle of Tippermuir
How the Armies Lined Up
Montrose's army, made up of Highlanders and Irish soldiers, had about 2,000 to 3,000 men. The Irish soldiers were very experienced. The rest of Montrose's army were local fighters.
Lord Elcho's Covenanter army might have had around 2,000 untrained foot soldiers and 400 horsemen. Some old stories say they had many more, but these numbers might be too high.
- King's Army (led by Lord Montrose):
- Patrick Graham of Inchbrakie's Regiment
- Irish Brigade (led by Alasdair Mac Colla)
- Thomas Laghtnan's Regiment
- Manus O'Cahan's Regiment
- James Macdonnell's Regiment
- Soldiers from Badenoch
- Local fighters from Perthshire (led by Lord Kilpont)
- MacDonalds of Keppoch
- Covenanter Army (led by Lord Elcho):
- Earl of Tullibardine's Regiment
- Lord Elcho's Regiment
- Local fighters from Dundee and Forfarshire
- Perth Town Soldiers (led by Captain David Grant)
- Sir James Scott of Rossie's Horse Soldiers
- Lord Drummond's Horse Soldiers
The two armies met on flat ground at Tippermuir, just three miles outside Perth. Lord Elcho commanded the right side of his army, while Tullibardine led the middle. Sir James Scott, the only experienced soldier on the Covenanter side, led the left.
Montrose put Lord Kilpont and his men on his left side. Montrose himself led the right side. In the middle, he placed the Irish soldiers. Montrose arranged his troops in a way that stretched them out, trying to go wider than Elcho's army.
Montrose's Speech and the Fight
It's said that Montrose's Irish soldiers had very little ammunition. Montrose supposedly told his men: "You don't have many weapons, but your enemy does. There are many stones on this field. Grab a strong one, hit the first Covenanter you see, take his sword, and then you'll know what to do!" Another version of his speech was: "Save your gunpowder. Fire only when you are very close to the enemy. Fire once, then charge with your claymores, for God and the King!"
The Covenanters sent some horsemen and foot soldiers forward first. They tried to attack the Irish, perhaps hoping to use their lack of ammunition against them. But the Irish soldiers pushed them back, causing confusion in the Covenanter army.
Montrose then ordered a full charge. Mac Colla's experienced Irish troops moved forward quickly. They crashed into Tullibardine's untrained soldiers in the middle. The Covenanter lines quickly broke and began to fall back.
Sir James Scott tried to hold the left side of the Covenanter army. But Montrose led his own Athollmen in a charge that pushed Scott's men back into the main Covenanter force. Many Covenanter soldiers quickly ran away.
As often happened in battles back then, most of the deaths occurred as soldiers fled. Many townspeople had come to watch the battle, thinking Montrose's army would be easily beaten. Instead, they got caught in the chaos and many died.
Who Won and What It Cost
Some reports say Lord Elcho lost up to 2,000 men, while Montrose lost only one soldier during the battle and another afterwards. Other accounts say only twelve men died on the battlefield itself, but 400 more bodies were found between Tippermuir and Perth. These were soldiers who were killed while trying to escape.
Among the dead were Captain David Grant, who led the Perth soldiers, and several other important gentlemen. However, there are no official records of how many people died. The higher numbers might have been spread by the Royalists to make their victory seem even bigger.
After the Battle
Perth was surrounded by Montrose's army later that day. The town gave up almost right away. Although Perth wasn't badly damaged, Montrose's soldiers took goods from local shops for two days.
Montrose left Perth on September 4. He wanted to find more soldiers in Angus. Also, a stronger government army, led by the Marquess of Argyll, was coming towards Perth.
Sadly, one of Montrose's commanders, Lord Kilpont, was killed in an argument by another Royalist soldier, James Stewart of Ardvorlich, soon after the battle. Stewart escaped and later joined the Covenanters.
The Battle of Tippermuir helped to restart the King's cause in Scotland. Montrose would fight the government troops again later that month at Aberdeen.
The events around this battle are a big part of the 1937 novel And No Quarter by Irish writer Maurice Walsh.
See also
