Dumbarton stayed in France until 1678, apart from a short period during the 1664-67 Second Anglo-Dutch War when his unit was based at Chatham dockyard. The diarist Samuel Pepys met him in Rochester and recorded that "Here in the streets, I did hear the Scotch march beat by the drums before the soldiers, which is very odde." In 1667, the regiment was accused of looting after the Medway Raid and ordered back to France; while awaiting transport, over 700 of the 1,500 men deserted. In October 1669, Dumbarton was so badly wounded in a duel his death was reported in the newspapers.