"Good luck figuring out what happened at the Haughs of Cromdale or the Battle of New Orleans from the songs."
What better sources to go to to learn how historical incidents were historically manipulated to win wars ?
Nobody said you need to treat the songs as gospel - they are records of aspirations more than they are accurate records
Much of formal history is just that as they are finding out in Ireland as anniversaries and centenarys hit the fan - The Great Famine being the most revealing to date
Jim