escape the Imperialists who had been reinforced by more cavalry. Siege of Stralsund In 1628 Robert Monro, then a major, along with his cousin, Robert Munro, 18th Baron of Foulis, both led their men at the Siege of Stralsund where they defended the town for six weeks against the Imperialists. One such assault on the city was made on 26 June when Imperialist General, Albrecht von Wallenstein arrived on the scene. The defenders having heard of his arrival expected a severe attack on their position. The assault was made that night between ten and eleven o'clock, directed chiefly against the post guarded by the Highlanders under Major Monro. The enemy advanced with above one thousand men and Highlanders were immediately called to arms, and after a severe battle which lasted for an hour and a half the Imperialists were driven back. However the Imperialists returned and continued to attack until the next morning when they finally forced open the gate and managed to get inside the "outworks" but were finally beaten back by the Highlanders with great loss, with swords, pikes and butts of muskets. The Imperialists retired having lost over a thousand men, while the Highlanders lost nearly two hundred. Relief for the defenders came when Alexander Leslie arrived with contingents of Scots, Swedes and Germans from the Swedish army. Leslie reorganised the defences and was made governor of the city. He used the Highland contingent in a spectacular assault on the enemy which finally broke the siege. As Monro recorded: Sir Alexander Leslie being made governour, he resolved for the credit of his countrymen to make an out-fall upon the Enemy, and desirous to conferre the credit on his own Nation alone, being his first Essay in that Citie. After the siege Major Robert Monro was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. Siege of Schivelbein In 1630, the MacKay and Munro Highlanders had marched to Schivelbein (Schiefelbein, now Świdwin) a small fortified place in Pomerania, known as Schivelbein Castle, in order to obstruct the passage of the Austrians, who were advancing for the relief of Kołobrzeg. They were commanded to hold the town as long as possible and to defend the castle or fort to the last man. How well they fulfilled this task an eloquent Latin Ode tells us, printed in front of Monro's Memoirs and bearing the title: "Schiefelbeinum urbs et arx Marchiae Brandenburgicae a generoso Domino Roberto Munro