Highbridge Skirmish

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Highbridge Skirmish was the first engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745 between government troops and Jacobites loyal to Prince Charles Edward Stuart. It took place at Highbridge, Lochaber, on the River Spean on 16 August 1745, and marked the commencement of hostilities between the two sides.

Shortly after Prince Charles had landed he met up firstly with the Donald Cameron of Lochiel and the Chief of the Clan MacDonald of Clan Ranald. As the Jacobites were amassing their forces the Governor of Fort Augustus despatched two companies of the Second Battalion of the Royal Scots regiment under the command of a Captain (later General) Scott. They were to reinforce the government garrison at Fort William. The government troops, some 85 men strong, marched along the road which had been built by the government to link the two forts directly. They met no resistance until they reached High Bridge over the River Spean. The bridge itself had been completed by General Wade less than ten years previously, as part of a network of military roads designed to facilitate troop movements across the Highlands.

On the Bridge, Major Donald MacDonald of Tir nan dris with a mere 11 men and 1 piper, all of the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, stood armed with swords and muskets, ready to meet the approaching enemy. It is said that by using the now demolished High Bridge Inn as cover, leaping and skipping about, moving from place to place, and extending their plaids between one another to give themselves a formidable appearance, the Jacobites deceived Captain Scott into thinking they were of a larger number. Captain Scott halted his men and sent forward a sergeant and servant to negotiate but both were taken prisoner. Scott then ordered his men to retreat and they began marching back the way they came. As they did so, they were fired on from both sides of the road. Captain Scott's men returned fire but he and his men were forced to change direction and move off the road.

Before this fire had been opened, bands of Jacobites were proceeding in the direction of the bridge to assist in the attack. Captain Scott continued his march rapidly along the side of Loch Lochy, and when he reached the east end, he observed some Jacobites on a hill at the west end of Loch Oich, where they had assembled apparently for the purpose of intercepting him on his retreat. Disliking the appearance of this body, which stood in the direct way of his retreat, Scott resolved to throw himself for protection into Invergarry Castle, the seat of the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, and accordingly crossed the isthmus between the two lochs. This movement, however, only rendered his situation more embarrassing, as he had not marched far when he perceived another body of Jacobites, the Macdonells of Glengarry, coming down the opposite hill to attack him. In this dilemma he formed his men into a hollow square, and proceeded on his march. Meanwhile, MacDonald of Keppoch's men, headed by the chief, hastened the pursuit.

The ground they fought on

The site of Highbridge Skirmish lies on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Highbridge Skirmish

Caledonian Canal, Gairlochy Locks, lighthouse and signal lamp

Scheduled monument · ~1.9 mi

Gairlochy Locks, Lighthouse and Signal Lamp is a scheduled monument in Inverness-shire, forming part of the Caledonian Canal's critical infrastructure. The locks sit upon fault zone bedrock comprising mylonitic rock and fault-breccia, geological features that reflect the ancient tectonic disturba…

Caledonian Canal,Moy Swing Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Moy Swing Bridge is a moy swing bridge on the Caledonian Canal in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland. The bridge exemplifies the engineering solutions developed for the Canal's construction in the early nineteenth century, which requir…

Old House of Keppoch,motte 250m SE of Keppoch

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~4.5 mi

Old House of Keppoch is a medieval motte situated 250 metres south-east of Keppoch in Inverness-shire. The motte represents a form of fortification typical of the 11th to 13th centuries, consisting of an artificially raised mound designed to provide a defensive vantage point and support a timber…

Caledonian Canal,Neptune's Staircase,canal locks,Banavie

Scheduled monument · ~6.1 mi

Neptune's Staircase is a flight of eight canal locks at Banavie in Argyllshire, Scotland, forming the most dramatic section of the Caledonian Canal. Completed in the early nineteenth century, the locks descend steeply from Banavie towards Loch Eil, raising or lowering vessels by a total of 64 fee…

Caledonian Canal,Corpach Locks and Basin

Scheduled monument · ~7.2 mi

Corpach Locks and Basin is a major engineering work on the Caledonian Canal in Argyllshire, Scotland. The locks and basin form the sea-level terminus of the canal system, managing the transition between freshwater and tidal waters. The structure sits upon psammite bedrock of the Loch Eil Group, f…

Fort William, fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~7.6 mi

Fort William is an Iron Age fort located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The site occupies a naturally defensive position, its bedrock composed of ancient metasedimentary schist formed during the Neoproterozoic and belonging to the Moinian sequence. This metamorphic foundation provided a stable bas…

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• Highbridge Skirmish · Wikipedia