1151: Cath Chromdhail (2)
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Cath Chromdhail (2)
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu bhaile Chromdhail faisg air Baile nan Granndach. Bha cath an sin anns a’ bhliadhna sia ceud deug is naochad (1690). Bha am Màidsear-Seanalair Tòmas Buchan os cionn arm nan Seumasach. Bha na Seumasaich a’ feuchainn ri Seumas VII a chur air ais air an rìgh-chathair.
As t-Earrach bha na daoine trang air obair-fearainn. Mar sin, cha b’ urrainn do Bhuchan armailt mhòr a chur ri chèile. Bha dùil gum biodh còrr math is mìle saighdear aige, ach dh’fhalbh feadhainn dhiubh. Tha cuid dhen bheachd nach robh aige ach ochd ceud saighdear. Bha iad ann am meadhan na Gàidhealtachd – ann am Bàideanach is Srath Spè. Bha iad air an rathad don ear-thuath far an robh iad an dòchas tuilleadh shaighdearan a lorg. Bha iad a’ leantainn Uisge Spè leis an t-sruth.
Ged a bhuineadh e do Shiorrachd Obar Dheathain, bha Buchan air a bhith thall thairis airson ùine mhòr. ʼS dòcha nach robh e cho eòlach air suidheachadh na h-Alba ʼs a bu chòir. Thug na h-oifigearan Albannach aige rabhadh dha – gun a bhith a’ dol seachad air Uisge Neithich. Ach cha do ghabh e ris a’ chomhairle aca. Chum e dol seachad air Uisge Neithich gus an do ràinig e Crom Dhail.
Thog an armailt aige campa an sin air an latha mu dheireadh dhen Ghiblean. ʼS dòcha gun robh cuid de na h-oifigearan a’ fuireach ann an Caisteal an Leathann-ruigh, a tha an-diugh na thobhta.
Gu mì-fhortanach dhaibh, bha armailt na bu mhotha aig an riaghaltas a’ teannadh dlùth. Bha i fo chomannd an Ridire Thòmais Mhic an Lèigh a bha stèidhichte ann an Inbhir Nis. Ràinig iad bruach thall na h-aibhne gu sear air far a bheil Baile nan Granndach an-diugh. Cha robh eadar iad fhèin agus armailt nan Seumasach ach Uisge Spè. Agus bha gu leòr de na saighdearan air muin-eich. Cha bhiodh an abhainn a’ cur stad orra.
Sheinn cuideigin an clag anns an eaglais mar rabhadh. Thòisich na saighdearan Seumasach air gluasad gu talamh na b’ àirde. Ràinig iad leathad a tha a’ dol a dh’ionnsaigh Beinn Chromdhail. Agus sin far an robh an t-sabaid fhuilteach. Cha do sheas na Seumasaich fada.
Gu fortanach dhaibh thàinig ceò a-nuas orra bhon mhonadh. Chuir sin stad air a’ mharc-shluagh bho bhith gan leantainn. Agus theich feadhainn aca. Ach chaill na Seumasaich mu leth dhen armailt aca, eadar mairbh agus prìosanaich.
Air blàr a’ chatha an-diugh, thathar a’ comharrachadh ‘Clach nam Pìobair’ – clach a sheasas leatha fhèin. Thathar a’ cumail a-mach gun do sheinn pìobairean an cuid phìoban an sin mar bhrosnachadh do na saighdearan. Is iongantach mura robh iad air am marbhadh le saighdearan an riaghaltais.
B’ e Cath Chromdhail an cath mòr mu dheireadh ann am Breatainn anns an t-seachdamh linn deug. Thug e gu crìch iomairt nan Seumasach ann an Alba mus do dh’èirich iad a-rithist ann an seachd ceud deug is còig-deug (1715) às leth mac Sheumais VII.
Cha robh cùisean uile-gu-lèir seachad airson Sheumais VII le Cath Chromdhail, ge-tà. Lean an seann Rìgh air airson greis ann an Èirinn. Ach dìreach dà mhìos an dèidh a’ chall ann an Cromdhail bha Cath na Bóinne ann an Eirinn, far an do chaill Seumas gu dubh. Trì mìosan an dèidh sin, theich e don Fhraing. Cha do thill e a-chaoidh.
Faclan na Litreach: Baile nan Granndach: Grantown-on-Spey; cath: battle; rìgh-chathair: throne; Bàideanach is Srath Spè: Badenoch and Strathspey; Caisteal an Leathann-ruigh: Lethendry Castle; leathad: slope; Beinn Chromdhail: The Cromdale Hills; blàr a’ chatha: battlefield; Cath na Bóinne: The Battle of the Boyne.
Abairtean na Litreach: As t-Earrach bha na daoine trang air obair-fearainn: in the Spring people were busy with agricultural work; cha b’ urrainn do Bhuchan armailt mhòr a chur ri chèile: Buchan could not create a large army; air an rathad don ear-thuath far an robh iad an dòchas tuilleadh shaighdearan a lorg: on the way to the north-east where they were hoping to find more soldiers; bha iad a’ leantainn Uisge Spè leis an t-sruth: they were following the River Spey downriver; thug na h-oifigearan Albannach aige rabhadh dha: his Scottish officers warned him; gun a bhith a’ dol seachad air Uisge Neithich: not to go past the Nethy River; an latha mu dheireadh dhen Ghiblean: the last day of April; bha armailt na bu mhotha aig an riaghaltas a’ teannadh dlùth: a bigger government force was coming close; fo chomannd an Ridire Thòmais Mhic an Lèigh: under the command of Sir Thomas Livingstone; bruach thall na h-aibhne: the far bank of the river; bha gu leòr de na saighdearan air muin-eich: many of the soldiers were on horseback; sheinn cuideigin an clag anns an eaglais mar rabhadh: somebody rang the bell in the church as a warning; sin far an robh an t-sabaid fhuilteach: that’s where the bloody fighting was; thàinig ceò a-nuas orra: mist came down upon them; leth dhen armailt aca, eadar mairbh agus prìosanaich: half of their army, between dead and prisoners; is iongantach mura robh iad air am marbhadh: it’s likely they were killed; thug e gu crìch iomairt nan Seumasach: it brought the Jacobite campaign to an end; cha robh cùisean uile-gu-lèir seachad: matters were not entirely over.
Puing-chànain na Litreach: Clach nam Pìobair: the stone of the pipers. This by all accounts refers to pipers in the plural. The Ordnance Survey Name Book says it is where ‘the pipers of the Scottish Army [sic] sat during the progress of the battle’. In modern Gaelic we would default to Clach nam Pìobairean, looking for a broad end to a noun in the genitive plural but the name dates, at least according to tradition, to 1690 and follows a model where the genitive plural is the same as the nominative singular form of a noun (although this generally applies to nouns with broad endings).
Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Cha do thill e a-chaoidh: he never returned.
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Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri An Litir Bheag 847
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