[a] The intersections between family relationships and politics were extremely complex in this period; his younger brother, John Buchan of Cairnbulg became a Colonel in the army of William III, which required him to be a Protestant.

Like other Scots who chose a military career, lack of a regular standing army meant taking service abroad and in 1668 Buchan was commissioned in the 'Régiment de Douglas,' a long-standing Scottish mercenary unit.

[5] Buchan returned to Scotland in 1682 when he was appointed to the Earl of Mars' Regiment, later the Royal Scots Fusiliers; he helped defeat Argyll's Rising in June 1685 and was promoted Colonel in July 1686.

This in turn meant siege equipment and skills not common in a force primarily composed of Highlanders; without them, the only option was a low level guerrilla war that inevitably placed the main burden on the civilian population.

Mackay kept up the pressure through the winter of 1689/90 by capturing strongholds like Blair Castle and building fortifications like Fort William while extremely harsh weather conditions led to severe food shortages.

[13] It contained significant pockets of supporters including clansmen loyal to Colonel John Farquharson based at Inverey Castle; Buchan managed to assemble several hundred men but lacked the means to attack Aberdeen itself and his forces once again dwindled away.

[15] Buchan carried the blame for the failure of the 1690 campaign and never held command again; in 1703, he was allowed to return home under a general amnesty but remained in contact with the exiled Stuarts and in 1707 surveyed the defences of Inverness at the request of Jacobite agent Nathaniel Hooke.