but released when Waller argued his professional expertise was more important than his reliability. Parliament compromised by allowing him to join the Covenanter army in North East England commanded by the Earl of Leven. In February 1645, he returned to Scotland as Major General and served with William Baillie against Montrose in the 1645 Highland campaign. Although his detached operations were conducted with great skill, an attempt to surprise Montrose at Auldearn in May 1645 failed. As his men moved into position in heavy rain, they fired off their muskets to clear damp powder and the warning allowed the Royalists to launch a devastating counter attack. Urry was one of the last to leave the field but lost nearly half his force and resigned due to ill health. In June 1648, the Covenanter faction known as the Engagers agreed to restore Charles I and entered the Second English Civil War. Urry joined the Scottish army but was captured at Preston in August. He managed to escape to the Dutch Republic and the exiled court of Charles II, proclaimed King by the Kirk Party after the Execution of Charles I in January 1649. However, this was subject to conditions and since Charles wanted to avoid making any more concessions than absolutely necessary, he looked for alternatives. Encouraged by minor Royalist revolts in Inverness and Atholl, on 20 February 1649 he appointed Montrose Captain General in Scotland, with Urry as his deputy. However, many of his advisors mistrusted Montrose, viewed the attempt as doomed and thus more likely to weaken his position with the Covenanters than strengthen it. The revolt failed to attract support from within Scotland and ended in defeat at the Carbisdale in April 1650. Montrose and Urry were captured, while Charles was forced to disavow them by the Scottish government; Montrose was executed on 12 May, Urry beheaded outside the Old Tolbooth, Edinburgh on 29th. Historian Trevor Royle suggests "he strove to give his best service to whoever was paying him at the time...but could never decide which side to back, and paid for that failing with his life". References Sources Further reading Year of birth unknown 1650 deaths Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War Scottish generals Executed Scottish people People from Aberdeenshire Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War Covenanters People executed by the Kingdom of Scotland by decapitation Military personnel from Aberdeenshire