Battle of Invernahavon
Who Fought
Around 400 Camerons; Clan Chattan (Mackintosh, Macpherson, and Davidson), initially numerically superior but weakened by the withdrawal of the Macphersons
History & Significance
The Battle of Invernahavon was a Scottish clan battle between the Clan Cameron and the confederation of Clan Chattan that consisted of the Clan Mackintosh, Clan Macpherson, and Clan Davidson amongst others. Some sources give the date as 1386, others as 1370.
During the chiefship of Lachlan Mackintosh, 8th chief of Clan Mackintosh, a feud had raged for some years with the Clan Cameron, apparently over the disputed lands of Glenlui and Loch Arkaig. Each side had raided each other's lands, lifting property.
In 1370, it is recorded in the Mackintosh MSS (manuscript), that around 400 Camerons made a raid into Badenoch and when they were returning home with their captured booty they were overtaken at Invernahavon by the Clan Chattan who were led in person by the Mackintosh chief.
In the first engagement, Mackintosh was defeated by the Camerons despite having a numerically superior force. This was apparently because there had been a dispute among the Clan Chattan between the Macphersons and Davidsons over who should have command of the right wing of their force, which was the post of honour. The Mackintosh chief favoured the Davidsons and as a result the Macphersons withdrew in disgust. Thus with the loss of the Macphersons, Mackintosh's force together with the Davidsons was numerically inferior and was totally defeated by the Camerons.
However, soon after the Macphersons rejoined the battle and attacked the Camerons turning their victory into a defeat. The Camerons then retreated towards the Pass of Drumochter, skirting the end of Loch Ericht then turning westwards towards the River Treig. In the author's introduction to the Lochiel Memoirs published in 1842, it is stated that the Mackintosh chief had sent a man to taunt the Macphersons as cowards for not fighting the Camerons which subsequently coerced them back into the battle. According to Lachlan Shaw, the leader of the Camerons was one Charles Macgilony who was killed in the battle. However, Alexander Mackintosh-Shaw states that this is contrary to the tradition of the locality that the chief of the Camerons, Dhomhnuil Duibhe, commanded in person.
According to Lachlan Shaw the Battle of Invernahavon gave occasion to the Battle of the North Inch in Perth in 1396 that was also fought between the Clan Chattan and Clan Cameron. Alexander Mackintosh-Shaw also stated that it is highly likely that the combat at Perth had some connection with that at Invernahavon.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Invernahavon lies on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.
The most dramatic turn of the battle came when the Macphersons, having withdrawn in fury over the slight to their honour, were reportedly coaxed back into the fight by a man sent by the Mackintosh chief to taunt them as cowards. Their return to the field reversed a complete Cameron victory, driving the Camerons into retreat northwards towards the Pass of Drumochter and westwards towards the River Treig, with their leader Charles Macgilony, according to Lachlan Shaw, slain in the fighting.
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- Battle of Invernahavon · Wikipedia
- Battle of the North Inch · Wikipedia