Battle of Loch nan Uamh during the Jacobite ’45

On 3 May 1746, three Royal Navy warships sailed into Loch nan Uamh in Arisaig and engaged two French privateers that had arrived to deliver weapons and money for the Jacobites and to inquire into the whereabouts of Charles Edward Stuart and the current situation of the Jacobite rising.

The French privateers, Bellone (34 guns) captained by Antoine Rouillé and Mars (32 guns) captained by Claude Lory had sailed from Nantes carrying a cargo of muskets, ammunition, gunpowder, money and casks of brandy for Charles Edward Stuart’s Jacobite army. On 30 April 1746, they anchored in Loch nan Uamh in Arisaig and began to unload their cargo.

The crew of the vessels took fire from parties of Jacobite highlanders on the shore who believed they were Royal Navy vessels and the mistake was realised when the ships raised the French flag. Both captains were unaware of the Jacobite defeat at Culloden on 16 April and soon found themselves taking on board Jacobite fugitives including the Duke of Perth, his brother Lord John Drummond, Lord Elcho and John Cameron of Lochiel. Upon learning of the dire circumstances, Rouillé and Lory refused to deliver the money ashore but were compelled by threats of violence to hand it over.¹

In late April, His Majesty’s Ship Greyhound (20 guns) commanded by Captain Thomas Noel had sailed from Belfast to the western highlands to assist with anti-Jacobite operations. On 1 May while anchored in Aros Bay off the Isle of Mull, Captain Noel received information about two French ships anchored in Loch nan Uamh. The following morning Greyhound, accompanied by Baltimore (14 guns) captained by Commander Richard Howe, made sail for Arisaig and was joined en route by Terror (14 guns) captained by Commander Robert Duff. At daybreak on 3 May, they sailed into Loch nan Uamh.²

Shortly after 0400, the engagement began with Greyhound closing in with Mars which had remained at anchor before delivering a devastating broadside which inflicted heavy casualties. Major Hales of the Royal Ecossais was on the quarterdeck of Mars when Greyhound began to open fire. The captain of the marines called on him to throw himself on his face, however Major Hales answered that he was not in the habit of doing that, and was killed by roundshot.³ Greyhound then turned to engage Bellone firing another close-range broadside which caused casualties and badly damaged the vessel’s foremast. Bellone then returned fire on Greyhound as Baltimore and Terror joined the fight.

Sailing between Mars and Bellone, Baltimore received cannon and small arms fire from both vessels and Commander Howe took a musket ball to the head. Believing that their captain had been killed his crew carried him below deck, however on receiving medical attention from the ship’s doctor he soon showed signs of life. The musket ball was removed, his wound was bandaged and he returned to his post.⁴

The wind drove the French vessels to the southern end of the loch where they cast anchor. The Royal Navy ships stood off and cannonaded them for a few hours before Greyhound, which had taken on additional crew from Baltimore and Terror, closed with Bellone in an attempt to board the vessel. The boarding attempt was repulsed and Greyhound sailed out of the loch.⁵

At around 0900 Greyhound, Baltimore and Terror withdrew from the action after suffering extensive damage to their masts and rigging on account of the French gunners firing high as was their custom. The Royal Navy had suffered 4 men killed and over 10 wounded. The French privateers remained masters of the loch but had suffered severe hull damage and had taken heavier casualties as a result of the Royal Navy gunners firing low into the decks to disable guns and crew. The French had lost over 95 men killed.⁶ Greyhound, Baltimore and Terror sailed to Aros Bay to carry out repairs, while Mars and Bellone carried out emergency repair work to their hulls.

During the action a number of Macdonalds and Macleans helped themselves to some of the cargo that had been landed, with Coll Macdonald of Barisdale and his followers carrying off 240 casks of brandy and a large amount of money. The Macleans from Mull stole one of the French longboats which was loaded with brandy and some money.⁷ Seeing that the clansmen were plundering the supplies, Rouillé and Lory refused to deliver anymore ashore and after the repair work was complete they set sail for France on the evening of 3 May.

What was left of the money was taken into the care of John Murray of Broughton, who had served as the private secretary to Charles Edward Stuart, and he arranged for its transport to Loch Arkaig from where it was to be distributed among the Jacobite clan chiefs.⁸ After Broughton was arrested care of the money passed to Donald Cameron of Lochiel and then Cluny Macpherson. What happed to the money is unknown and it is rumoured to still to be hidden at Loch Arkaig.

From Aros Bay, Captain Noel sent his dispatch to Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull to be forwarded on to Inveraray. His intention now was to re-join the fight with the French ships as soon as the repair work was done and he sent messages to Furnace and Raven to join him. A dispatch was also sent to Captain Caroline Frederick Scott who commanded at Fort William informing him of the weapons and money that had been landed, in the possibility that his garrison might be able to seize them.

Early in the morning of 6 May, Greyhound, Baltimore and Terror, having repaired their masts and rigging in the best manner they could, set sail again for Loch nan Uamh intending to continue the fight. Joined en route by Raven (12 guns) captained by Commander Edward Parker and Furnace (8 guns) captained by Commander John Fergussone, they arrived there at around noon and discovered that the French privateers had sailed off.

They then proceeded to sail on to the Isle of Canna to ascertain the whereabouts of the French ships and were informed there that they had passed by on the 4th en route to the Isle of Barra. They searched around the coast of Barra and then sailed on to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis before Captain Noel ordered Baltimore to sail to Dublin for repair work.⁹

On 9 May, Captain Fergussone of Furnace received intelligence that arms and money were being stored in the home of Archibald Macdonald of Barisdale on Loch Nevis. Fergussone sent a party of sailors and Argyllshire militia ashore to burn the house and they returned to the ship having seized 150 muskets. The following day a shore party from Furnace skirmished with a party of Macdonalds at Loch Ailort and then returned with over 600 muskets and cases of ammunition.¹⁰

Terror and Furnace returned to Loch nan Uamh on 19 May with parties of Argyllshire militia sent ashore to search for the arms and ammunition that had been delivered by the French privateers. Around eighty muskets and twenty barrels of gunpowder were found. They burnt the home of Angus Macdonald of Borrodale where Charles Edward Stuart had spent his first night on arriving on the mainland on 25 July 1745.¹¹

It was from Loch nan Uamh that Charles Edward Stuart departed from Scotland on 20 September 1746.

Notes:

1. The Scots Magazine, vol 8, 1746, p 238. ↩︎
2. RA CP/MAIN/14 f.337-337a: Captain Robert Duff to Archibald Campbell, 4 May 1746, Aros Bay; SP 54/31/6B: Captain Thomas Noel’s dispatch; Captain Noel to Major-General John Campbell, The London Gazette, 13 May 1746, no. 8536. ↩︎
3. Extract from the Diary of David, Lord Elcho, published in: Henrietta Taylor (ed) A Jacobite Miscellany, (Edinburgh 1938). ↩︎
4. The Gentleman’s Magazine, September 1799, Vol 86, p 805. ↩︎
5. David, Lord Elcho, A Short Account of the Affairs of Scotland in the Years 1744, 1745, 1746, p 442. ↩︎
6. Extract from the Diary of David, Lord Elcho. ↩︎
7. The Scots Magazine, vol 8, 1746, p 238. ↩︎
8. Intelligence from Mingary Castle, The London Gazette, 27 May 1746, no. 8540. ↩︎
9. ADM 106/1029/14: Captain Richard Howe’s report. ↩︎
10. RA CP/MAIN/14 f.399-399c: Captain John Fergusson to William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, 12 May 1746. ↩︎
11. RA CP/MAIN/16 f.59-59b: Captain John Fergusson to William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, 11 June 1746, Tobermory Bay. ↩︎

Cite this article: Ritchie, N. S. (3 May 2025). Battle of Loch nan Uamh during the Jacobite ’45. Jacobite Wars. https://www.jacobitewars.com/articles/battle-of-loch-nan-uamh/