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 communicated with lawyer Thomas Hamilton regarding these events and his actions following allegations that his lack of initiative and sluggishness led to the MacDonalds' capture of the castle. He mentioned that his efforts to secure a surrender had been unsuccessful, and he encountered challenges in hiring boats during harvest season to transport himself from Arran to Dunyvaig. The MacLeans and McLeods of Harris declined to cooperate with him, resulting in him being able to assemble seventy men, comprising fifty paid soldiers and twenty followers of the lairds of Ardincaple and Ranfurly.