Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-08
Flora Macdonald.

Mosr readers are familiar with the
story of Flora Macdonald's heroic rescue
of Prince Charles Edward, but there are
few who associate hor with our Revolu-
tionary War. The following extract Is
from Amelia +. Barr's interesting arti-
Gle entitled "A Romance of the Hebri-
des," in Harper'S Mdgdzine:
On her return TO Skye she was mar.
ried to young Macdonald Of Kingsburgh,
and on the death Of his father became
the lady of Kingsburgh But the estate
was greatly impoverished by war, fines
and unstinted hospitality, and when all
hopes of the Stuarts' return had been
abandoned, Flora and her husband re-
solved TO emigrate TO che Carolinas. 1t
was at this time they had visit from
DIR. johnson, and 1t was very amusing
to find Flora writing to a friend two
weeks before it, saying, " am expect
ing from the mainland Mr.. Boswell, and
one Mr.. johnson, a gay young English
buck, with him."
The Macdonalds settled near Halifax,
in North Carolina, and seem to have
been regarded as the head Of a large
Scotch emigration scattered around that
vicinity. Unfortunately the Revolution
ary War broke out before they had be-
come attached to their new home, and
Macdonald, who had given his alle-
glance to the house of Hanover when
Charles's cause became dead and hope
less, transferred with it the rigid LOYALTY
that had been so marked a character
istic of his race. A soldier of a long
line of soldiers, and an intense partisan
of loyalty, he was quite unable to SYM
pathize with republican ideas, or to see
any reason in popular rights.
He raised first the royal or Tory
standard in the Carolinas, and, it is
said, was urged into active warfare by
his wife. A regiment of Highlanders,
known as the Eighty-fourth, was
formed, Flora's husband being its
Colonel, and her eldest son, lad of six
teen, one of its Captains. The first
fight between it and the colonists took
place at MOore's Creek, February %,
l776. Early at daybreak the shrill
notes of the bagpipes called the High
landmen to battle, but Macdonald was
seriously i'll, and had to depute the COM
mand to Macleod and Campbell. Both
were killed at the very first onset, and
the battle-which was the initial one of
bhC AAbNOlhllOll III 4NOl I'll Val
brilliant victory for the colonists under
Generals Moore and Caswen.
After the battle of Moore's Creek,
Flora's husband remained some time a
prisoner in Halifax Jail, and on his re-
lease served with his regiment in Cana
da. During these years Flora endured
many hardships, and at the close of
the war General Macdonald retired on
half-pay, and they returned to their
home in the barren, cloudy mountains
of Skye.
Their homeward journey was not un-
eventful. They were attacked by a
French privateer, and a severe conflict
took place. Flora remained on deck
during the whole battle, succoring and
stimulating the sailors by her heroic
speeches and behavior. Her foot slip
ped in the blood which covered the
deck, and she fell and broke her arm;
but not even this calamity induced her
to leave the scene until satisfied that her
services were no longer needed.
She rejolced greatly to be once again
in the wild desolate freedom of the
Hebrides, and she never more left them
As a wife she had shared all her hus-
bands dangers and labors; as a mother
she strove with passionate earnestness
to make her five sons worthy of their
illustrious name. Every one of them
became soldiers. Charles, the eldest,
was a Captain in the Queens Rangers.
"There lies the most finished gentle
man of my family and name," said
Lord Macdonald, when he saw him
lowered into the grave. Alexander,
also an officer, was lost at sea. The
third son, Ranald, famous for his hand
some person and elegant manners, had
a professional character equal to his
personal one, and was Captain of ma
rines; James was an officer in the Brit
ish Legion; and John, the youngest,
rose to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel
Flora retained to the last her beauty.
her vivacity, and her spirit. She died
on the 9th of March, 1870, at the age of
seventy years. Her winding sheet was
actually one of those in which Prince
Charles had slept at Kingsburgh.
.