ourteen battalions of infantry, two regiments of dragoons, and twelve
hundred highlanders from Argyle-shire, under the command of colonel
Campbell.

{1746}

On the last day of January, his royal highness began his march to
Linlithgow; and the enemy, who had renewed the siege of Stirling-castle,
not only abandoned that enterprise, but crossed the river Forth with
precipitation. Their prince found great difficulty in maintaining his
forces, that part of the country being quite exhausted. He hoped to be
reinforced in the Highlands, and to receive supplies of all kinds from
France and Spain; he therefore retired by Badenoch towards Inverness,
which the earl of Loudon abandoned at his approach. The fort was
surrendered to him almost without opposition, and here he fixed his
head-quarters. His next exploit was the siege of Fort-Augustus, which
he in a little time reduced. The duke of Cumberland having secured
the important posts of Stirling and Perth with the Hessian battalions,
advanced with the army to Aberdeen, where he was joined by the duke of
Gordon, the earls of Aberdeen and Findlater, the laird of Grant, and
other persons of distinction.

THE REBELS UNDERTAKE THE SIEGE OF FORT-WILLIAM.

While he remained in this place, refreshing his troops, and preparing
magazines, a party of the rebels surprised a detachment of Kingston's
horse, and about seventy Argyleshire highlanders, at Keith, who were
either killed or taken. Several advanced parties of that militia met
with the same fate in different places. Lord George Murray invested the
castle of Blair, which was defended by sir Andrew Agnew, until a body
of Hessians marched to its relief, and obliged the rebels to retire. The
prince-pretender ordered all his forces to assemble, in order to begin
their march for Aberdeen to attack the duke of Cumberland; but, in
consequence of a remonstrance from the clans, who declined leaving
their families at the mercy of the king's garrison in Fort-William,
he resolved previously to reduce that fortress, the siege of which was
undertaken by brigadier Stapleton, an engineer in the French service;
but the place was so vigorously maintained by captain Scot, that in the
beginning of April they thought proper to relinquish the enterprise. The
earl of Loudon had retired into Sutherland, and taken post at Dornoch,
where his quarters were beat up by a strong detachment of the rebels,
commanded by the duke of Perth; a major and sixty me