I wonder if it could beTHE MASSACRE OF GLENCOE
CHO: Oh, cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe,
And covers the grave o' Donald.
And cruel was the foe that raped Glencoe,
And murdered the house o' MacDonald.They came from Fort William With murder in mind;
The Campbell had orders King William had signed,
"Put all to the sword!” these words underlined --
And leave none alive o' MacDonald.They came in a blizzard; We offered them heat,
A roof o'er their heads, Dry shoes for their feet;
We wined them and dined them; They ate of our meat,
And they slept in the house o' MacDonald.They arose in the night While the men were asleep,
This band of Argyles, Through snow soft and deep;
Like murdering foxes Among helpless sheep,
They slaughtered the house o' MacDonald.Some died in their beds At the hands of the foe;
Some fled in the night, Were lost in the snow;
Some lived to accuse him Who struck the first blow --
But, gone was the house o' MacDonald.
*************
King William had offered a pardon to all "rebellious" Highland clans -- those who supported James II -- provided they swore an oath of allegiance to him by Jan. 1, 1691. But plans were secretly made to punish some of the clans with "fire and sword" and the MacDonalds were one of those clans.
The victims chosen to be made example of were not the large and formidable MacDonald clans of Keppoch or Glengarry, but a small branch living in a narrow valley called Glencoe. Cattle thieving, especially from their neighbors and hereditary enemies, the Campbells, was a way of life for the MacDonalds of Glencoe whose chief was an old white-haired giant of a man called MacIain.
Delayed by a blizzard, old MacIain did not arrive at the spot prescribed for the taking of the oath of loyalty until Jan. 6, 1692. This lateness was used as an excuse and orders were issued, signed by William, for the "extirpation" of the little clan. The task of carrying out the order was given to Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon. He and the troops under him had a deep hatred of the MacDonalds of Glencoe who frequently looted and pillaged Campbell lands.
The troops arrived in Glencoe at the beginning of February asking to be quartered there in the homes of the people as was the custom in those days. Suspecting nothing, the MacDonalds welcomed them agreeably and generously, for Highland hospitality was inviolable for guests no matter what bitterness might exist between them and their hosts.
The troops enjoyed the hospitality for nearly two weeks. Then before dawn on Feb. 13 the troops struck their sleeping hosts. Thirty-six were slaughtered, many in their beds, including old MacIain, including several women and children. The orders had been to kill all the people under 70 years of age, but the assault was bungled. The majority of the clan, about 400 people, fled into the high braes where the bitterly cold weather and snow continued the work of the Argyll pikes and bayonets, and the number who died has never been reliably figured.
There had been more brutal massacres in the Highlands, in some of which the Glencoe men themselves had participated, but at a subsequent inquiry this was considered as "murder under trust", planned and ordered by the King's officials, and a deliberate attempt at genocide. King William's guilt was ignored but some of his officials were punished by being forced to resign their posts! Ironically, survivors of Glencoe would fight alongside Glenlyon men a few years later in helping to put down the 1715 "Rising" by some of the other Highland clans in an effort to restore James II to the throne.
HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 7-Mar-02.
Note: these lyrics are almost the same as those of the Jim McLean song that appears in the Digital Tradition (click). I'll paste those lyrics below for comparison, and to give Jim a chance to correct them and offer comment.
The 2002 version of the Digital Tradition attributes the song to Jim McLean.
-Joe Offer-
GLENCOE
Oh, cruel was the snow that sweeps Glencoe
And covers the grave o' Donald
Oh, cruel was the foe that raped Glencoe
And murdered the house of MacDonald
They came in a blizzard, we offered them heat
A roof for their heads, dry shoes for their feet
We wined them and dined them, they ate of our meat
And they slept in the house of MacDonald
They came from Fort William with murder in mind
The Campbell had orders King William had signed
"Put all to the sword"- these words underlined
"And leave none alive called MacDonald"
They came in the night when the men were asleep
This band of Argyles, through snow soft and deep
Like murdering foxes amongst helpless sheep
They slaughtered the house of MacDonald
Some died in their beds at the hand of the foe
Some fled in the night and were lost in the snow
Some lived to accuse him who struck the first blow
But gone was the house of MacDonald
incident occurred Feb 13, 1692
@Scots @murder @history
filename[ GLENCOMA
RG
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McLean published the song in about 1960. The registered title of the song is "The Massacre of Glencoe," but it is also known as "The Ballad of Glencoe."