In the Pass of Killicranky
In the Pass of Killicranky - context Summary
Battle of Killiecrankie Evoked
Wordsworth’s short piece recounts the Battle of Killiecrankie, contrasting disciplined veteran troops with sudden Highland charge by shepherds and herdsmen. The poem praises the ferocity and effectiveness of the Highlanders and the leadership of Dundee, while criticizing rigid, mechanistic warfare. It imagines English soldiers craving such decisive, dramatic victory and wishes the enemy would meet a similarly inglorious fate, framing the battle as both awe-inspiring and shameful.
Read Complete AnalysesSIX thousand veterans practised in war's game, Tried men, at Killicranky were arrayed Against an equal host that wore the plaid, Shepherds and herdsmen.--Like a whirlwind came The Highlanders, the slaughter spread like flame; And Garry, thundering down his mountain-road, Was stopped, and could not breathe beneath the load Of the dead bodies.--'Twas a day of shame For them whom precept and the pedantry Of cold mechanic battle do enslave. O for a single hour of that Dundee, Who on that day the word of onset gave! Like conquest would the Men of England see; And her Foes find a like inglorious grave.
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