Stand - off at the Fords of Arkaig The Stand - off at the Ford of Arkaig occurred in September 1665 at Achnacarry , about northeast of Fort William , Scotland . The Chattan Confederation led by the Clan Mackintosh assembled an army to challenge Clan Cameron in a 360 year - old dispute over the lands around Loch Arkaig . After a week of stalemate , the long - running feud was ended by a deal in which the Camerons bought the land from the Mackintoshes . Background . 14th century . The Camerons and Mackintoshes had disputed the ownership of lands around Loch Arkaig and in Glen Loy to the south since the beginning of the 14th century . According to Mackintosh tradition , before 1291 the land had belonged to Dougal Dall MacGilleCattan , chief of the ancient Clan Chattan . In that year , his daughter Eva married Angus Mackintosh , 6th chief of Clan Mackintosh , uniting the two clans in the Chattan Confederation . Angus and Eva lived in Glen Loy for a few years before Angus had to flee from the Lord of Islay , into exile in Badenoch . The Camerons then occupied the lands , provoking about 360 years of feuding over the area . The clans fought their first battle , the Battle of Drumlui , in either 1330 or 1337 . William Mackintosh , the son of Angus and Eva , had his right to the lands confirmed by charters from John of Islay , Lord of the Isles in 1337 and from King David II in February 1359 . These charters and the marriage formed the basis of the Mackintosh claim on the lands , even though they were occupied by the Camerons for many years . 1660s . Lachlan Mackintosh of Torcastle became chief of Clan Mackintosh in 1660 , and immediately pursued his clan ' s ancient claim to the land . In 1661 he obtained a decree from Parliament assigning the lands to him , whilst Ewen Cameron of Lochiel was at Court pushing his claims to Ardnamurchan and the area around Loch Sunnart on the West Coast . In a letter dated 7 June 1661 the Lord Chancellor of Scotland , Lord Glencairn , wrote from London to the " Lord President and Lords of Session " in Edinburgh telling them to freeze Mackintosh ' s action until they heard again from the King , as he had a scheme to resolve the problem and reward Cameron for his loyalty ( Glencairn and Cameron had played large parts in the Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654 ) . No more was heard from the Court , so in July 1662 Mackintosh obtained a Decree of Removal against the Camerons in the area . Cameron sought an audience with the King , pointing out that the Camerons would not leave their ancient lands peacably . The King was unwilling to interfere directly in the affairs of Parliament , so a letter was written on his behalf to the Earl of Middleton , another veteran of the uprising and now Lord High Commissioner to the Scottish parliament . This letter , dated 30 May 1662 , urged Middleton to find a peaceful resolution . Meanwhile a warrant had been issued for Cameron ' s arrest , but he persuaded the Privy Council to defer it for a few weeks , allowing him to return home to Lochaber . Later that summer Mackintosh petitioned for a Commission of fire and sword against Cameron , unsuccessfully at first but in 1663 he had the whole of Clan Cameron declared outlaws . The commission against Cameron authorised various noblemen to implement it , but when approached by Mackintosh , they all told him to accept the financial compensation that had already been offered to him by Cameron . So Mackintosh decided to take matters into his own hands and having failed to induce his neighbours to join him , resorted to bribery to get them on his side . Meanwhile in January 1665 , the Duke of Rothes , Lord Chancellor of Scotland , ordered the Commission of Fire and Sword into abeyance until the Privy Council had decided what to do . Both Cameron and Mackintosh appeared before the Privy Council and agreed to be bound by its decision . Initially the Council told them to agree a sum of compensation between themselves , but when this proved impossible , the Council ordered Cameron to pay Mackintosh 72 , 000 merks ( about £3600 in English money of the time ) . Mackintosh tried to leave Edinburgh in secret , but was arrested and bound to keep the peace . However as soon as he got home , he called on the Chattan Confederation to launch an expedition into Lochaber . Some of his friends tried to dissuade him , but Mackintosh ignored them and led 1500 men to the south end of Loch Lochy . Cameron assembled a force from his own clan joined by MacGregor men , a clan that had served Glencairn in 1653 - 4 , and a small party of MacIans of Glencoe . They numbered 300 bowmen , plus 900 men armed with guns , broadswords and targe shields . They then marched for Cameron ' s home at Achnacarry , which is in a strategic position on the south bank of the River Arkaig , on the isthmus between Loch Arkaig and Loch Lochy . Stand - off . On 16 September 1665 , Mackintosh marched through the wood of Glastermore to Clunes before taking up position in what is now known as Caig Parks north of the River Arkaig . Cameron ' s men withdrew across the river to Achnacarry , securing the only ford on the river . For two days the armies faced each other across the river . Having no boats , Mackintosh started to move his force up the side of Loch Arkaig , getting as far as Achnasaul . Cameron entrenched 50 men at the ford , and then moved the rest of his force west to face Mackintosh across the loch . Meanwhile , the Earl of Argyll had sent 300 Campbells under John Campbell of Glen Orchy , later Earl of Breadalbane , with orders to end the dispute with force if necessary . He started negotiations with Mackintosh , who retreated east a little , setting camp opposite the island of Eilean Loch Airceig , but no agreement was found that day . On the 19th , a settlement was agreed by friends of the two parties , but Mackintosh refused to accept the terms , even when his men refused to fight for him . Mackintosh and his army marched back to Clunes . On the morning of the third day , he agreed to a deal in which he sold the land to the Camerons for 72 , 500 merks , and his friends paid the extra money he wanted themselves . Meanwhile Campbell had encountered a party of men under Cameron of Erracht , whom Cameron had sent across the loch by boat the night before . Cameron had started on a march with the rest of his men to the western end of Loch Arkaig and back down the north bank , to surprise the Mackintosh army from the west . En route Cameron met Campbell , who told him of Mackintosh ' s agreement . Cameron wanted to continue his march until Campbell threatened to join his men with the Mackintosh army and set all the forces of the Earl of Argyll against the Camerons . Aftermath . On the 20 September 1665 , Cameron crossed the river to meet with his former enemy at the House of Clunes and to sign a contract for the sale of Loch Arkaig and Glen Loy , with Cameron and six friends paying in three instalments over two years . Along with 24 of their leading clansmen , the two chiefs saluted each other , drank together , and exchanged swords to mark the end of the feud . That afternoon Mackintosh marched in good order north from Clunes to Laggan . Tradition had it that in more than three centuries , " a Mackintosh and a Cameron had never even spoken together " , which of course ignored alliances such as that at the Battle of Inverlochy ( 1431 ) . The Camerons considered it something of a Pyrrhic victory , as the pursuit of their claim to Arkaig and Glen Loy over the years had cost them lands worth four times as much . Cameron had problems raising the money , and was offered a loan by the Earl of Atholl in an attempt to curb the power of Argyll , but Argyll offered a similar loan at lower interest . However there were strings attached , Cameron had to pay £100 Scots in feu - duty and to acknowledge Argyll as superior of the lands . The Camerons were still paying rent to Argyll ' s factor in 1749 .