Description:

A  skirmish between Government troops and Covenanter forces in 1679. The Covenanters had gathered for an illegal religious service, or “conventicle,” but word of the meeting reached Sir John Graham of Claverhouse, who had recently been ordered by the king to crack down on such gatherings. Claverhouse assembled his dragoons and confronted the Covenanters in what became known as the Battle of Drumclog, where his forces were decisively defeated. Buoyed by their victory, the Covenanters went on to greater feats—several thousand marched into Glasgow, ousted the garrison, and by June 6 had seized control of the city. Their triumph, however, was fleeting; within two weeks, the tide had turned against them (Battle of Bothwell Bridge).