Skirmish of Tongue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Skirmish of Tongue
Part of the Jacobite rising of 1745
The Kyle of Tongue
Date 25 – 26 March 1746 Location Tongue, Highland, Scotland Result Government victory
Belligerents
British Government: Some from Loudon's 64 Highlanders Regiment and Two Independent Highland Companies from: Clan Mackay Clan Sutherland.	Jacobites Supported by:  France Spain
Commanders and leaders
Sir Harry Munro, 7th Baronet (Loudon's regiment) Captain George Mackay (Independent Company) Captain Hugh Mackay (Independent Company)
Strength
80	160
Casualties and losses
Unknown	4 or 5 killed. 8 wounded 156 captured

The Skirmish of Tongue was a small but important fight. It happened in March 1746 near Tongue in the Scottish Highlands. This event was part of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The Jacobite Rising was a rebellion where people tried to put Charles Edward Stuart (also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie) back on the throne of Great Britain.

What Happened Before the Fight?

On March 25, 1746, a French ship called Le Prince Charles was sailing. This ship used to be a British ship named HMS Hazard. It was carrying a lot of gold, weapons, and other supplies. These were meant for the Jacobite leader, Charles Edward Stuart, in Inverness.

A British warship, HMS Sheerness, was chasing Le Prince Charles. To escape, the French ship sailed into the Kyle of Tongue. This is a narrow sea inlet. During the night, the crew and soldiers quickly unloaded the money.

The next day, Captain George Mackay found them. He was the son of the chief of Clan Mackay. His clan supported the British government. Captain Mackay and his men confronted the French and Spanish soldiers. After a short fight, Mackay captured the men and the valuable gold.

The Fight at Tongue

News of this fight was reported in a newspaper called the London Gazette. Captain Mackay and Sir Henry Munro led the British forces. They were both captains in Lord Loudon's regiment. They had about 80 men with them.

They attacked the French and Spanish soldiers who had landed from the ship. The fight was quick. About four or five of the French and Spanish soldiers were killed. Eight more were wounded. The British captured 156 enemy soldiers and sailors. These prisoners were then put onto the British ship, HMS Sheerness. The money that was landed from the French ship was also taken by Lord Reay's (Mackay's) men.

Why Was This Fight Important?

Historians say that the gold captured from the Jacobites was worth about £12,000. This was a huge amount of money back then. It was mostly English gold coins. The officers and soldiers who took part in the capture shared some of this money.

The Skirmish of Tongue was very important for the Jacobite Rising. It stopped money and supplies from reaching the Jacobite army. This made it harder for Charles Edward Stuart to continue his fight. Many historians believe that losing these supplies played a big part in the Jacobites' defeat. Their main defeat happened later at the Battle of Culloden.

After the fight at Tongue, the Clan Mackay continued to fight against the Jacobite rebels. They later defeated another Jacobite leader, the Earl of Cromarty, at the Battle of Littleferry.