Editing Battle of Killiecrankie (section)

==Initial military actions==
{{Location map many|UK Scotland|caption = Key locations; Killiecrankie campaign|relief=yes|border = black| width = 230| float = left
|label = Duart Castle|pos=left|lat_deg= 56.28|lon_deg = -5.31
|label2 = Stirling|pos2=top|lat2_deg= 56.116|lon2_deg = -3.94 
|label3 = Dundee|pos3=right|lat3_deg= 56.47|lon3_deg = -2.99 
|label4 = Edinburgh|pos4=bottom|lat4_deg= 55.953|lon4_deg = -3.189
|label5 = Killiecrankie|pos5=top|lat5_deg=56.745|lon5_deg = -3.779 
}}
William's military commander in Scotland was General [[Hugh Mackay (general)|Hugh Mackay]], head of the veteran Dutch [[Scots Brigade]]. His force of 3,500 included the Brigade regiments of Mackay, Balfour and Ramsay, the English Hastings Regiment and two newly raised Scots units. When [[Ewen Cameron of Lochiel]] learned of William's landing, he began recruiting men to fight for James; but the short-term nature of clan warfare meant they needed to be put to use as soon as possible.{{sfn|Fritze|Robison|1996|p=68}}

In April, Dundee joined him at [[Glen Roy|Glenroy]] and on 18 May, took his force of around 1,800 Highlanders and attempted to bring Mackay to battle. He failed to do so and returned in June, after which most of the clansmen went home, leaving him with less than 200 men.{{sfn|Macpherson|1775|pp=357–358}} On 27 June, Dundee wrote to the [[Earl of Melfort]] asking for reinforcements; the loss of [[Kintyre]] after the [[Battle of Loup Hill]] made resupply from Ireland extremely difficult, and the letter details alternative landing spots. As time went on, his position weakened due to continued defections – the surrender of [[Edinburgh Castle]] on 14 June being especially discouraging.{{sfn|Macpherson|1775|pp=360–366}}

His requests for additional resources were denied, partly due to an internal dispute with the Catholic 'Non-Compounders', who dominated James's court in Ireland and urged him to refuse any concessions to regain his throne. Dundee and other Scottish Jacobites were mostly Protestant 'Compounders', for whom concessions were essential, and thus viewed with suspicion. The only reinforcements sent to Scotland were 300 Irish soldiers under the Catholic [[Alexander Cannon (general)|Alexander Cannon]], who landed near [[Duart Castle]] on 21 July.{{sfn|Szechi|1994|pp=30–31}}

A 'Jacobite' garrison under Patrick Stewart of Ballechin occupied [[Blair Castle]], a strategic point controlling access to the [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]] and seat of [[John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl]]. This illustrates how many families balanced both sides; claiming ill-health, Atholl went to England, leaving his eldest son, John Murray, to 'besiege' his ancestral home. Stewart himself was a trusted family retainer and one of Atholl's key lieutenants in the suppression of [[Argyll's Rising]] in 1685.{{sfn|Kennedy|2016|p=8}}

In late July, Jacobite reinforcements arrived at Blair; Murray withdrew and Mackay moved north to support him, with somewhere between 3,600 and 5,100 troops. Seeing a chance to intercept, Dundee set out with his available forces, ordering the clans to follow "with all haste." Lochiel's sons were sent to raise additional levies; he and 240 Camerons plus Cannon's Irish contingent reached Blair on 26 July.{{sfn|Lenman|1995|p=48}}