Knox wrote to the lawyer Thomas Hamilton explaining these events and his actions after accusations that his inaction and sloth had led to the capture of the castle by the MacDonalds. He said his negotiation for the castle's surrender had stalled, and he had found it difficult to hire boats to take him from Arran to Dunyvaig during the harvest time. The MacLeans and McLeods of Harris refused to serve with him, and he could raise no more than seventy men, of whom fifty were waged soldiers and twenty followers of the lairds of Ardincaple and Ranfurly.
Knox wrote to lawyer Thomas Hamilton detailing these events and his subsequent actions after being accused of inaction and laziness leading to the MacDonalds' capture of the castle. He explained that his attempts to negotiate a surrender had failed, and he faced difficulties in hiring boats during harvest season to transport himself from Arran to Dunyvaig. The MacLeans and McLeods of Harris refused to assist him, leaving him with only seventy men, including fifty paid soldiers and twenty followers of the lairds of Ardincaple and Ranfurly.