The Scottish covenanters Author:James Taylor Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The little band, now amounting to fifty horse and about two hundred foot, surprised Turner in his bed at Dumfries, and seized him, but made no attempt to take ve... more »ngeance upon him for his cruelties. CHAPTER III. Dalziel—Bullion Green—The Boot—Hugh M'Kail—Accusation against Sharp—Persecution of the Covenanters—The Cabal— Lauderdale—The Indulgence—An Armed Conventicle. The news of the insurrection alarmed the members of the Privy Council, who despatched against the insurgents a body of two thousand foot and five hundred horse, with four pieces of cannon. The command of these troops was entrusted to General Thomas Dalziel, " the Haynau of the Scottish Persecution." He was bred to the profession of arms—had fought at Worcester, where he was taken prisoner, and committed to the Tower, but made his escape to the Continent. He spent several years in the service of the Czar of Muscovy, where his natural ferocity and brutality had been greatly increased. He was a fanatical Royalist, and from the day of the execution of Charles I. he had never shaved his beard, which hung down white and bushy almost to his girdle. While Dalziel was marching to Glasgow to meet the insurgents, they were making their way through the upper part of Galloway into Ayrshire, exposed to " the great rains and coldness of the weather." At the Bridge of Doon they were joined by Colonel Wallaceof Achauns, a brave and experienced soldier, who had fought with much distinction on the side of the Parliament in the great Civil War. He was accompanied by Major Learmont, Captain Arnot, and Captain Paton of Meadowhead, who had all been trained under Gustavus Adolphus, and had fought in the Royal cause along with Dalziel at the battle of Worcester. Wallace was at once appointed to take the command, and, by his skilful ...« less