Rout of Moy, 1746

The Battle of Moy, also known as the Rout of Moy, was a significant event in Scottish history that occurred prior to the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745, in which the forces of Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, were defeated by the British government. However, before this final battle, there was a significant event that occurred at Moyhall, a house in the Scottish Highlands.

At Moyhall, Prince Charles was a guest of Lady Mackintosh, also known as Colonel Ann. She was a daughter of Farquharson of Invercauld and was an enthusiastic supporter of Prince Charles, going as far as raising a regiment of 400 of her husband’s clan and followers to support him. However, this information was not kept secret and it was known to the Earl of Loudon, whose detachment of Royalist troops occupied Inverness, only 12 miles away from Moyhall.

Earl of Loudon, decided to move on Moyhall in order to capture Prince Charles and gain the offered reward. However, a Highland lassie who was working in the Horns, a local inn, overheard their plans and ran to Moyhall to warn them. The news caused consternation and confusion, as there were no troops to defend the House of Moy. But, Colonel Ann and the council of war she assembled were equal to the occasion.

Donald Fraser, the chief’s blacksmith, and five men whom Colonel Ann named, left his forge, and hurried off with sword and musket to repel the 1500 invading troops. They reached the narrow pass of Craig an Eoin, two miles from the Hall, and there they waited for the approach of the enemy.

Here, Donald Fraser and his men employed a clever tactic to trick Lord Loudon’s army. They set up stacks of turf divots and peats to dry in small hillocks, and hid themselves among these heaps, concealed by the shadows of the hills rising on either side. At dusk, when the troops were within 100 yards, Fraser and his men sprang out of their hiding place, and in a loud voice, passed the command to form the center, right and left, in the hearing of the commander-in-chief of the Royal army. This was accompanied by the firing of the muskets of the concealed party, giving the impression that there were more troops than there actually were. The sudden attack caused the troops to flee back precipitately to Inverness, where Lord Loudon, not considering himself safe, continued his route to Sutherlandshire, a distance of seventy miles, where he took up his quarters.

The Battle of Moy was a significant event in Scottish history because it demonstrated the determination and bravery of the Scottish Highlanders, and also the strategic thinking of Colonel Ann, who despite being a woman, was able to rally her troops and successfully repel the invading force. It also showed that the Jacobite cause had support not only in the Highlands but also in the lowlands and the Borders.