Customer Reviews

GLENCOE: The Infamous Massacre 1692

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The first 200 pages were kind of brutal in the detailed account of Scottish history but the last 100 pages were compelling and fascinating. He really gets to details and whys, with interesting theories. Worth a read if you're really, really into Scottish history. Also, listen to "Cold Glencoe" by Rise.

John Sadler will stretch your vocabulary. Further, he uses expressions and figures of speech which are unfamiliar to most Americans. Get by that, however, and he will get you to look at the 1692 Glencoe massacre in a broad perspective.

Sadler provides a detailed look at the history and events which culminated in the devastating massacre at Glencoe. He explains how Highland clans operated and the prejudices held against them by Lowlanders and the English. They lived in a world apart, often considered savage and uncivilized. The clans had many enemies and the MacDonalds ended up bearing the brunt of the anti-Highlander assault. Several military leaders were involved in the issuing of the orders, which were distorted and exaggerated by lower rank men who wanted to get back at the MacDonalds, notably men of clan Campbell.

I enjoyed learning about clan politics and a broad understanding of Scott/English antagonisms during the reign of William and Mary. Many Highlanders were strong Jacobites, they joined Stuart rebellion attempts for years after William's reign was established. The worst part about the Glencoe massacre was the fact that the royal troops had been stationed and quartered in Glencoe for weeks before the definitive orders were given. The men ate and lived out the bitter winter days, and huddled around fires and drank spirits with the families they were later ordered to kill in cold blood. A few of the soldiers refused to follow the orders and deserted, but most went through with it. In total around 1/4 of the Glencoe MacDonald's were killed by a combination of soldier's guns and the bitter cold they faced when they attempted to flee.

Sadler's book was well researched and very readable. One critique is that the book did not contain a map. Reading about all the clans and their glens would have been easier had there been a map or even a sketch of their family strongholds. The photographs of Glencoe are helpful for picturing the events of the massacre, but they don't provide a bigger picture of Scotland. There were several spelling and punctuation errors throughout the book, enough of them to have been noted. Perhaps another read-through before publication would have caught them. Sadler also used wikipedia as a source in his first chapter, not something an academic historian should do. In the intro he did note his lack of Gaelic, and the wikipedia citation is for a translation. Still, he could have found an academic source. Other than these personal critiques I think the book was overall quite good. The narrative flowed well, the events were well explained, and many quotes and eyewitness accounts were given to support Sadler's interpretations. He did include a timeline and a list of the dramatic persons in order to aid the reader in keeping everyone straight. The index is also helpful to find a particular person or place. I enjoyed the book and I learned a lot from it.