On 1 June 1679, a Covenanter force defeated government troops led by John Graham of Claverhouse at Drumclog in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. I regularly pass the small village on my way down south, yet I have never looked at this small action in any detail. A couple of guys from my wargame club are involved in the reenactment society, The Earl of Loudoun's Regiment of Foote, and they were doing a small event near the battlefield today.
By 1679, the Restoration government was persecuting the Covenanters, and Claverhouse, better known to his enemies as 'Bluidy Clavers', had been appointed to disperse conventicles in southwest Scotland. Claverhouse’s dragoons attempted to disperse the Covenanters who had gathered for a conventicle at Loudoun Hill (the site of Robert Bruce's victory in 1307). The Covenanters, despite being outnumbered and less well-armed, took advantage of the terrain. The boggy ground favoured the Covenanters, who used it to neutralise the advantage of the dragoons. The Covenanters, under Robert Hamilton’s leadership, launched a charge outflanking Claverhouse’s dragoons, causing confusion and then rout.
It was a small action, with less than 200 on each side, but it is remembered as a symbol of resistance against religious oppression.
Loudoun's is Scotland's only Civil War reenactment group, with over 100 members. Today's event was small-scale and without any musketry or cannon fire because of the farm the event took place on rear horses. Nonetheless, watching the pike drill and supporting stalls was interesting.
The stalls displayed food, medicine, and surgery during the period.
The battlefield is on a hill above the village, marked by a monument.
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Glasgow Museum's have a painting of the battle, although it could look more accurate to me.
My 15mm Covenanter army for the tabletop is from the earlier Civil War period when the Covenanters were the government of Scotland battling Montrose and King Charles I.
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