The story of the Redcoat is as much about the men who led the troops as the battles they fought and so an illuminating place to dig is into the personalities leading the russet coated masses. Forget dying for the colours. Even a cursory look at the careers of prominent military figures of the period tells a tale which is often hard to follow in its twists and turns. Although some of these men were motivated by cause and conscience it is clear that power and wealth played a large part in the transfer market. This type of behaviour was not restricted to British officers but a swift tour through a few resumes begins to unpick some of the misconceptions associated with modern views of the times.
James Scott (1st Duke of
Monmouth) Born 1649, executed 1685.
Monmouth served
first in the Royal Navy and then the army from 1665-72. He transferred to
French service fighting against the Dutch where he commanded 6,000 British
troops. In 1673 he distinguished himself at the siege of Maastricht. By 1678 he
was leading a British brigade fighting for the Dutch against the French. His
bravery was noted at The Battle of St Denis. He led his father’s troops at
Bothwell Brig in 1679. In 1685 he landed in England as Protestant claimant to
the throne directly challenging his uncle, James II. He was defeated at
Sedgemoor and subsequently executed. He was dead at 36, hero to some, traitor
to others.
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| A General officer perhaps the venal Major General Kirke |
John Graham (1st Viscount
Dundee aka Bonnie Dundee and Bluddy Clavers) Born 1649, died 1689.
He served as
a junior officer in Lockhart’s Regiment of Scots in the pay of France and under
the direct command of Monmouth during 1672. At this point he was fighting against
the Dutch. By 1674 he was a cornet in William of Orange’s Lifeguard fighting against
the French. He distinguished himself at Senneffe where he reputedly saved the
life of William. He returned to Scotland in 1676. He was sent by Charles II on
military duties into the Covenanter heartlands of the south west. In 1679 his
outnumbered dragoons were beaten at Drumclog. He fought them again in the same
year at Bothwell Brig this time on the winning side. By 1686 he was a major
general. In 1688 he was second in command of the Scots Army which marched south
in aid of the King’s cause. He fell in his moment of victory leading Highlanders
against Mackay’s Williamites at Killiecrankie in 1689. He was dead at 40,
immortalized in both deed and song. A Protestant Jacobite hero.
Hugh Mackay (Lieutenant General) Born
1640, died 1692 at Steenkirke.
In 1660 he
joined Douglas’s Regiment (Royal Scots) then in the service of France. By 1669
he was in Venetian pay and active in the Mediterranean theatre. By 1672 he has
returned to Douglas’s Regiment and fought under Turenne in Flanders. After
marrying a Dutch woman he changed sides and commanded a Scots Regiment in the army
of the United Provinces fighting against the French. By 1685 he was a major general
commanding the entire Scots-Dutch brigade.
During the Monmouth Rebellion William of Orange ‘lent’ the brigade to his father in law James II under Mackay’s command although it did not see much action. In 1688 when William invaded England, Mackay’s men were in the Dutch vanguard. As commander in Chief of Williamite forces in Scotland he was soundly beaten at Killiecrankie by Dundee despite a 2:1 numerical advantage. He subsequently redeemed himself by subduing the Highlands during 1691. He was instrumental in the Williamite victory at Aughrim in 1691. He was killed valiantly leading his brigade at the disastrous Battle of Steenkirke in 1692. He was dead at 52 having lived the epitome of a 17th century soldier’s career and held by most to be man of high principles.
Patrick Sarsfield (1st Earl
of Lucan) Born 1660, died 1693
During the Monmouth Rebellion William of Orange ‘lent’ the brigade to his father in law James II under Mackay’s command although it did not see much action. In 1688 when William invaded England, Mackay’s men were in the Dutch vanguard. As commander in Chief of Williamite forces in Scotland he was soundly beaten at Killiecrankie by Dundee despite a 2:1 numerical advantage. He subsequently redeemed himself by subduing the Highlands during 1691. He was instrumental in the Williamite victory at Aughrim in 1691. He was killed valiantly leading his brigade at the disastrous Battle of Steenkirke in 1692. He was dead at 52 having lived the epitome of a 17th century soldier’s career and held by most to be man of high principles.
He served as
part of the English brigade in the service of France during the reign of
Charles II. He was a junior officer in the Royal Army at Sedgemoor. Promoted to
colonel shortly after, he was fiercely loyal to James II. In the early stages
of the Dutch invasion of 1688, his men skirmished with Scots soldiers in the William’s
Dutch Army. He became a prominent Jacobite leader in Ireland. He was known to
be fearless and distinguished himself at the Boyne, the siege of Limerick and
Ballyneety after which he became an Irish national hero. He fought at Aughrim.
After the fall of Ireland he went with the Wild Geese to France to continue the
fight for the Stuart dynasty. He was mortally wounded at Neerwinden in 1693,
dying a few days later. He was dead at 33, immortalized as an Irish romantic
hero and all round man of action.
John Churchill (1st Duke of
Marlborough) Born 1650, died 1722
His military
career started with a commission in the 1st Foot Guards in 1667. He
subsequently spent 3 years fighting the Moors in the English outpost of
Tangier. In 1672 he was at sea with the navy distinguishing himself at the
Battle of Solebay and receiving command of the Lord High Admiral’s Regiment.
The Lord High Admiral was none other than his friend and patron James Stuart,
Duke of York, later King James II. He transferred to English forces fighting
for the French and further glory was gained saving the life of Monmouth at one
of the frequent sieges of Maastricht. He remained serving Louis XIV despite
some British defections to the Dutch. He fought under Turenne during 1674 -75.
During the Monmouth Rebellion, Churchill commanded the Foot and although subordinate
to Feversham, is credited by many as having won the battle. He defeated the man
whose life he had saved 12 years and so indirectly condemned Monmouth to death.
During the Glorious Revolution he deserted James II in a cloud of intrigue. He
aligned himself with William but was never fully trusted by him. After service
in a junior command role at Walcourt in 1689 and an independent command
expedition in Ireland in 1691, he retired from military life for the rest of
William and Mary’s reign and always suspected of being a closet Jacobite. Seen
by all but his most blindsided devotees as a man of almost limitless ambition
and questionable scruples, the rest as they say, is history.
Thomas Dalyell, General (Bluidy Tam the Muscovite De’il) Born 1615, died 1685.
Dalyell
first fought in France during Charles I’s expedition of 1628 to aid the
Huguenots at La Rochelle. He fought in Ireland during the Civil War and at the
Battle of Worcester as a Royalist officer. He escaped to serve the Czar of
Russia and fought against the Turks, Tatars and Poles between 1651-1660 as he
would have been imprisoned if in the British islands. He returned to Scotland
after the Restoration and by 1666 was Army Commander in Chief of Scotland. He
routed the Covenanters at Rullion Green in 1666 leading 3,000 men against an
enemy one third that strength. He was supposed to command the Royal Army at
Bothwell Brig but did not arrive until the battle was ended.