Battle of Philiphaugh

Battle of Philiphaugh
Part of Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Memorial to the Battle of Philipaugh
Date 13 September 1645 Location Philiphaugh, 2 miles from Selkirk, Scotland Result Decisive Covenanter Victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Covenanters
Commanders and leaders
Marquis of Montrose	Sir David Leslie
Strength
100 horse 600 musketeers 100 levies	6000 horse and dragoons 1000 foot
Casualties and losses
500	minor
Location within Scotland

The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Civil War near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquis of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates.

When the Covenanters became allies of the English Parliamentarians, Montrose was given a commission as King Charles's Lieutenant General in Scotland. He was able to raise an army consisting of regiments of Irish soldiers sent to Scotland by the Irish Confederates and shifting numbers of Highland clansmen. With these troops, Montrose had won a remarkable series of victories in the year preceding the Battle of Philiphaugh. The last of these was at Kilsyth, which destroyed the last Covenanter army in Scotland and put the lowland towns at his mercy.

Montrose refused to allow his army to loot Glasgow, instead accepting a sum of £500 from the Town Council as pay for his soldiers. He then summoned a Parliament to be held in Glasgow. The Council complained at the cost which would be involved and asked to be excused the levy of £500. Montrose agreed, leaving his army without pay. Although Montrose intended to strike into England to aid the King's cause there, the Highlanders under Alasdair MacColla who made up most of Montrose's infantry refused to go any further south leaving their traditional foes, the Campbells, in their rear. At the same time, Montrose appointed the former prisoner, the Earl of Crawford as his Lieutenant General of Horse. Most of his horsemen were Gordons under Lord James Aboyne. Affronted by Crawford's appointment, they too left the army.