In the final days of the 1715 rising, as James Francis Edward Stuart prepared to sail from Montrose in February 1716, government forces advanced rapidly northward. A government cavalry patrol reached the outskirts of Montrose just as James was embarking. Jacobite cavalry covering the harbour skirmished with the government advance horse to give the King time to reach his ship. James sailed with the Earl of Mar and a small personal escort, leaving the remainder of the Jacobite army leaderless. The skirmish at Montrose harbour was a desperate rearguard action to prevent the government capturing the Pretender himself.
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