Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/384

376 THE HIGHLAND FORTS July conditioned, which will serve us about a week. This evening sent off another party of 40 men for another prize of bullocks, to pass the Narrows of Carron and get off the rebels estates all they can. The rebels wrought hard part of the evening. 26 March. We fired slowly at their batteries on the Hills : and as they fired but from two guns we concluded we had dismounted the third. This afternoon our boats returned with cattle and sheep from nigh Ardshiels, also four prisoners, one of which wounded. The party burnt two rebellious villages on Appin's estate. This night Capt. Scott went out and dammed up some drains near our walls in hopes of rainy weather, to make a small inundation. Also with some pioneers raised the glacis, or rather a parapet, to seven feet, for want of pallisadoes could not make a right covered way. But still this will prevent the rebels seeing the foot of our walls. 27 March. At daybreak the rebels opened their new battery of four embrasures, but only with three guns, 6-pounders, with which they fired very briskly. We plied them well with our mortars and guns, silenced one gun before eight in the morning. About nine we set their battery magazine on fire, which blew up. Their fire was mostly laid at our build- ings, which they could not reach very low. We had this day two men a little bruised, and the Governor's horse wounded in the stable. Thus for eight days siege and pretty smart firing with guns, and three hundred 6-inches shells thrown at us we have lost but one man killed, 7 wounded and 2 bruised. We are all in good spirits and hope to give a good account of ourselves. 1 27 March. Evening. Capt. Melvill of the Argyllshire Militia sailed for Inverayra with letters to H.R.H. the Duke's aide-de-camp with an account of our proceedings. We gathered all the splinters of the rebels shells thrown at us and broke them small to serve for grape-shot. 28 March. The rebels began very smartly with 6-pounders. Our watering parties had skirmishes with the rebels and drove them up hill and brought our water unmolested. 29 March. They had all this night a large fire at the Burying Ground, and in the morning saluted us with redhot shot from thence, which at first burnt some of our fellows fingers, who went to lift the shot, till they became more wary. And from their other batteries fired very fast. Also threw thirty or forty 6-inches shells amongst us. We returned the salutes with our great mortars and our 12-pounders, as not choosing to fire any 6-pounders, that they might not return those shot back to us. By seven in the morning we silenced their 4-guns battery and plied the Churchyard battery well with shells, for we could not see the muzzles of the gims. Towards ten the fire grew hotter on both sides. Towards noon slackened. We watered under cover of a party. Governor Campbell wounded (in crossing over from one side of the bastion to the other) by a musket ball. They continued their red shot all day long and fired some pieces of iron bars and gate-hooks, &c., made hot. 30 March. As our sentries were calling the hours and ' all was well ' the rebel sentries on their 4-guns battery made answer : ' Yes, God damn 1 Captain Scott sent off the first part of his Diary to General Campbell this day.