he had done before. This time, he would be too late. O'Cahan stayed with Montrose as he started to prepare for the advance to the Scottish-English border. Unfortunately, the increasing collapse of the Royalist forces in England meant that more Scots could now be sent back to resist Montrose and his allies. David Leslie, a leading soldier and Covenanter, attacked O'Cahan's men as they were waking up at an encampment in Philiphaugh on 13 September 1645. It was one year to the day after the Aberdeen massacre. O'Cahan's forces and those of the other Irish divisions who had stayed with Montrose found themselves under surprise attack and hopelessly outnumbered. Within hours they were reduced to less than five hundred, but they fought on valiantly. Montrose, who had camped separately from the Irish, tried to fight his way to their aid, but he was forced back and eventually fled. Many were offended by this desertion, but he may have been advised to do so by his officers. David Leslie offered O'Cahan terms of surrender. If his men laid down their arms and agreed to leave Scotland forever, they would be allowed to go free. O'Cahan agreed to this, but Leslie captured the now unarmed force, and O'Cahan witnessed the execution of virtually his entire army. The women and children who had followed his forces were also brutally executed, many by drowning in the rivers around Philipaugh. Colonels O'Cahan, and Thomas Laghtnan were taken to Edinburgh Castle and hanged from its South Wall without a trial. Aftermath McColla and Montrose fought on, independently of one another. They never met again. In his late seventies Colkitto retook the Isle of Islay, only but was captured on 1 July 1647. He was executed soon afterwards. McColla returned to Ireland where the rebellion continued. McColla fought and died on 13 November 1647 at the Battle of Knocknanuss. Montrose fought on in Scotland until the King was captured and ordered a general Royalist cease-fire. The victorious Covenanters now forced Montrose into exile. He moved through Europe, and later led an attack on the Covenanters on behalf of King Charles II, using an inexperienced army of Danish and Scandinavian mercenaries. He was defeated at Carbisdale, in Scotland on 27 April 1650. Captured a few days later, Montrose was tried and executed in Edinburgh on 30 April 1650. Manus O'Cahan in fiction Marianne Lamont, Nine Moons Wasted 1976