Killiecrankie, 1689 - Order of Battle

Map taken from John Barratt's Battles for the Three Kingdoms.

I recently read Battles for the Three Kingdoms by John Barratt, about the Jacobite efforts from 1689-1692 to restore James II to his British crowns. As one who has never studied the conflict in this period in much depth, I appreciated the depth to which Barratt went without losing sight of the larger context. I never realized how much the campaign in Ireland affected the campaign in Scotland. Had the Siege of Derry been successfully concluded at any time, and the Jacobites sent reinforcements to Scotland, how might the balance of power been tipped? But as it was, of the 10,000 troops which King James promised, only 400 dismounted dragoons ever arrived before the Battle of Killiecrankie. To explain the maneuvers that led up to this battle is beyond my purpose at this time, but I will provide an order of battle drawn largely from Barrett's book, as well as Jonathan Oates' book on the battle (which I have not finished) of this famous clash between Dundee and Mackay.

The Williamite Army - between 3,200 and 3,520 men

Commander: Lieutenant-General Hugh Mackay

Left Wing Commander: Brigadier-General Bartholomew Balfour

Unit	Commander	Size	Uniform
Fusiliers1	Lt.Col. George Lauder	200	Red/mix
Balfour2	Maj. James Ferguson	400	Red/red
Ramsey2	Brig. George Ramsey	400	Red/white
Kenmure3	Viscount Kenmure	500	Red/red
3 Leather Guns4	James Smith	?	Red/blue
Militia Horse	(see note 5)	100-120	Red/red
Leven6	Earl of Leven	600-700	Red/buff?
Mackay2	Lt.Col. James Mackay	500-600	Red/red
Hastings7	Col. Fernando Hastings	500-600	Red/yellow

1. Detachment of flintlock-armed soldiers from Balfour and Ramsey's veteran regiments, previously sent forward to hold the pass. Therefore their uniforms would have been mixed.
2. Former regiment of Scots Brigade in Dutch service, therefore veteran.
3. Newly raised in 1689, Mackay deployed these troops in a denser formation to prevent disruption. Disbanded in 1690.
4. Light infantry guns with a barrel of copper covered in rope and leather, probably 40-50 years old at the time of this battle. Commanded by a master gunner, James Smith, seconded by Theodore Drury. May have worn red coats lined with blue.
5. Two troops of horse, between 50-60 men each, one commanded by Lord Belhaven, the other led by Lord Annandale, though personally accompanied by General Mackay himself.
6. Newly raised in 1689, though considered competent enough to be formed only three ranks deep. Uncertain of uniform facings, though the regiment later wore buff.
7. An English regiment raised by the Earl of Huntingdon in 1685 during Monmouth's Rebellion. Therefore it had been in-service for 4 years at that point, though it had never seen combat.
8. John Barrett also lists a Highland company under Captain Robert Menzies of Weem, about 80 strong on the far right flank, but these men may not have even joined the battle (pg. 120).

The Jacobite Army - between 2,240 and 2,650 men¹

Commander: John Graham, Viscount Dundee

Unit	Size	Uniform
Sir John MacLean	300	Tartan
Purcell’s Regiment2	300	Grey?
Clanranald	400-600	Tartan
Glengarry	300	Tartan
Cameron of Lochiel	2403	Tartan
Sir. Alex. MacLean	200	Tartan4
MacDonald of Sleat	500-700	Tartan
Craigie’s Horse	40-50	Red/yellow? 5

1. The Jacobite Order of Battle is simpler because there was generally much less organization and training, because of the way the Highlanders typically fought. However, most of the men seemed highly motivated and competent enough to rout a professional army. There is much less information about how the soldiers were dressed, and there was certainly no standardization, even amongst the Irish troops.
2. Irish regiment brought over with Alexander Cannon, may have been issued with French grey coats (Oates, pg. 210).
3. 40 of these men may have been detached elsewhere (Oates, pg. 93).
4. Barratt says this unit included some Irish regulars, who may have worn grey or red coats (pg. 120).
5. This is my assumption, based on Dundee's cavalry been drawn from deserters from his old Scots Royal Regiment of Horse. However, Mark Allen drew them with blue facings for Jonathan Oates' book.

Works Cited

Barratt, John. Battles for the Three Kingdoms, the campaigns for England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1689-1692. Stroud: The History Press, 2007. Accessed through Scribd.

Oates, Jonathan D. The Battle of Killiekrankie: The First Jacobite Campaign, 1689-1691. Warwick: Helion & Company, 2018.

Soli Deo Gloria!