the Dornoch Firth. The outposts of Lord Loudoun were surprised, and he himself was compelled to retreat westwards, and finally disbanded his forces. Some time afterwards Murray learned that the Atholl country was in the hands of the government, Blair Castle, as well as the houses of the fencers, being occupied by detachments of the royal troops. To free it from the indignity he set out in March with a picked force of seven hundred men, and, on reaching Dalnaspidal on the 10th, divided them into separate detachments, assigning to each the task of capturing one of the posts of the enemy before daybreak, after which they were to rendezvous at the Bridge of Brurar, near Blair. The contrivance was attended with complete success, except in the case of Blair Inn, the party there making their escape to Blair Castle. The commander, Sir Andrew Agnew, thereupon sent out a strong force from the castle to reconnoitre, and Murray, the first at the rendezvous, accompanied with but twenty-four men, was all but surprised. His readiness of resource was, however, equal to the occasion. Placing his men at wide intervals behind a turf wall, and ordering the banners to be displayed at still wider distances, and the pipes to strike up a defiant pibroch, he so alarmed the royal soldiers that they beat a hasty retreat towards the castle. On the arrival of the different detachments of his men he proceeded to invest the castle, but when the garrison were nearly at the last extremity he was on 31 March called northwards to Inverness, owing to the approach of the Duke of Cumberland.
Murray was entirely opposed to making a stand against Cumberland at Culloden, for the simple reason that the ground, which was favourable both for cavalry and artillery, afforded no opportunity for utilising to the best advantage the highland mode of attack. He therefore advised that meanwhile a retreat should be made to the hills to await reinforcements, and when overruled in this, stipulated for a night attack as affording the only possible chance of victory. On the afternoon of 15 April 1746 the insurgents commenced their march towards the army of the duke, encamped about ten miles distant round Nairn, but their progress was so slow that Murray, who commanded the first line, took upon him during the night to discontinue the march, on finding that it would be impossible to reach the duke's camp before daylight. Convinced that it would be 'perfect madness' to attack 'what was near double their number in daylight, where they would be prepared to receive them' (Letter in Lockhart Papers, ii. 2), he advised that they should at least retire to strong ground on the other side of the water of Nairn ; but the prince reverted to his original purpose, and resolved to await the attack at Culloden. The orders issued by Murray before the battle contained the injunction that 'if any man, turn his back to run away, the next behind such man is to shoot him,' and that no quarter should be given ' to the elector's troops on any account whatsoever' (printed in Ray, History of the Rebellion, pp. 343-4). The aide-de-camp of the prince while conveying the message for the attack was shot down, and Murray, discerning the impatience of the highlanders, took upon him to issue the command. He led the right wing, and, fighting at the head of the Atholl men, broke the Duke of Cumberland's line, and captured two pieces of cannon. While advancing towards the second line he was thrown from his horse, which had become unmanageable, but ran to the rear to bring up other regiments to support the attack. So deadly, however, was the fire of the duke's forces that their second line was never reached, and in a short time the highlanders were in, full retreat.
After the battle Murray, with a number of the highland chiefs, retired to Ruthven, and Badenoch, where they had soon a force of three thousand men. On 17 April he sent a letter to the prince, in which, while regretting that the royal standard had been set up without more definite assurances of assistance from the king of France, and also 'the fatal error that had been made in the situation chosen for the battle,' he resigned his command (Hist. MSS. Comm. 12th Rep. App. pt. viii. p. 74). On learning, however, that the prince had determined to give up the contest and withdraw to France, he earnestly entreated him to remain, asserting that the highlanders 'would have made a summer's campaign without the risk of any misfortune.' As these representations failed to move the prince's resolution, Murray disbanded his forces and retired to France. According to Douglas -he arrived at Rome on 27 March 1747, where he was received with great splendour by the Pretender, who fitted up an apartment in his palace for his reception, and introduced him to the pope (Scottish Peerage, ed. Wood, i. 153). He also proposed to allow him four hundred livres per month, and endeavoured to secure for him a pension from the French court (Hist. MSS. Comm. 12th Rep. pt. viii. p. 75). There was, however, a current rumour that the prince deeply resented the terms in which he had resigned his command, and although the prince himself always professed his full
