Battle of Allt Camhna The Battle of Allt Camhna was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1586 between the Clan Gunn and Clan Mackay against the Clan Sinclair . Background . In 1585 a meeting took place at Eglin , Scotland between George Gordon , 1st Marquess of Huntly , Alexander Gordon , 12th Earl of Sutherland , George Sinclair , 5th Earl of Caithness and Hugh Mackay of Strathnaver . The purpose of the meeting was to repair relations which had become damaged between the Earl of Sutherland , Earl of Caithness and Hugh Mackay due to actions by the Clan Gunn and Hugh Mackay in Assynt , both having gone there on the orders of the Earl of Caithness . It was decided at the meeting that the Clan Gunn should be " made away " , because they were judged to be the principal authors of these " troubles and commotions " . However both Hugh Mackay and George Sinclair , Earl of Caithness were unwilling to attack their old allies the Clan Gunn and therefore departed from the meeting at Eglin . In consequence , in 1586 , George Gordon , Marquess of Huntly came north to Sutherland , the lands of his cousin , Alexander Gordon , 12th Earl of Sutherland . He sent a message to both Hugh Mackay and George Sinclair , Earl of Caithness to meet him there . The Earl of Caithness met with the Gordon Earls of Huntly and Sutherland but Mackay did not and was denouunced as a rebel by Sutherland . At this meeting an agreement was made that George Sinclair , Earl of Caithness , chief of Clan Sinclair would expel the Clan Gunn from the lands of Sutherland and Caithness . The Clan Sinclair gathered under the command of Henry Sinclair who was cousin of the Earl of Caithness and also the uncle of William and Hugh Mackay . Having been informed of the proceedings at this meeting , the Clan Gunn gathered their forces and prepared for battle . They were joined by William Mackay and a strong force from the Clan Mackay . William Mackay proposed to attack the men of the Clan Sutherland but this was overruled by the Clan Gunn who opted to fight the Clan Sinclair of Caithness instead . Account of the battle of Allt Camhna . Historian Sir Robert Gordon ( 1580 – 1656 ) , who was living at the time of the battle and was a close relative of John Gordon , Earl of Sutherland wrote an account of the battle in his book the " Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland " : " So having the advantage of the hill , they set upon the enemy with a resolute courage . The Caithness - men came short with their first flight of arrows ; by contrary , the Guns spared their shot until they came hard to the enemy , which then they bestowed among them to great advantage . In the end the clan Gun overthrew the Caithness - men at Auldgown , upon the borders of Caithness , the year 1586 , and killed seven score of their most resolute men , with their captain Henry Sinclair , cousin to the Earl of Caithness , and uncle to Hugh and William Mackay . William Mackay was sore for the slaughter of his uncle , Henry Sinclair , whom he knew not to be there till he was slain ; but afterwards in the chase William Mackay spared no man . The Caithness host had been all destroyed , had not the darkness of the night favoured theirflight . Hugh Mackay was then in Caithness , with Earl George ; but the inhabitants of Caithness understanding that his brother , William Mackay was with the clan Gun at the conflict of Auldgown , they sought for Hugh Mackay to slay him ; whereupon he was forced in all haste to flee secretly into Strathnaver , thereby to eschew their present fury . " Aftermarth . Shortly after the Battle of Allt Camhna the Clan Gunn was defeated at the Battle of Leckmelm by the Clan MacLeod , the Clan Sutherland and the Mackay of Aberach branch of the Clan Mackay .