Capture of Covenanting Town of Dumfries. 27 



career of Montrose with a view to understanding the succession of 

 circumstances leading up to and following upon this affair. 



Beginning his short, eventful career as a Covenanter, Mon- 

 trose zealously urged the lieges to the subscription of the National 

 Covenant. With the sword he opposed the forces of the Royal- 

 ists, and by skilful tactics succeeded in defeating them in every 

 encounter. The ground, however, was taken up by others, and 

 Montrose, young, ambitious, conscious of ability, and aspiring to 

 renown such as only the Sovereign could satisfy, broke with the 

 Covenant, and threw himself with all his native ardour on the 

 side of the King. He urged the King to strike a blow in Scot- 

 land, offered his services to reduce the country to obedience, and 

 after much delay, on 1st February, 1644, obtained the commis- 

 sion which he ardently desired — to be Lieutenant-General for his 

 Majesty in Scotland. 



Shortly thereafter, collecting troops in England, and trusting 

 to augmentation on the other side of the Border, he thought to 

 rush Scotland, the old border town of Dumfries, the centre of 

 the Covenanting interest in the south, being the first object of 

 attack. An accession of troops from the counties of Cumberland 

 and Westmoreland joined him at the Border ; and Lord Herries, 

 who with his retainers also joined his company, having intelli- 

 gence of the mo\ements transpiring, gave information that the 

 enemy were gathering to man Dumfries, and advised that with a 

 view to intercepting them Montrose should hasten the march. 

 This advice being followed, the Royalist forces arrived at their 

 destination while the town was yet defenceless, and after some 

 parley it was surrendered without a blow being struck; where- 

 upon, with sound of trumpet and banners displayed, the royal 

 standard was raised aloft. 



An express dated from Dumfries, the 17th April, 1644, 

 informed the Court of the success of his Majesty's arms, and 

 the Royalists were accordingly exultant. But the joy was short- 

 lived, for the armv of the Covenant two days later reached Dum- 

 fries, Lord Callander being chief in command, and Montrose, 

 having failed to secure the support expected from the Royalist 

 Scottish nobility, was compelled to beat a hasty retreat to Eng- 

 land. This to the Earl was a bitter fate. He gave instructions 

 to Lord Ogilvie to narrate to the King the circumstances of the 



