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The Battle of
Culloden, 16th April 1746
The Jacobite Army was more
conventional than generally supposed
August
2005
For centuries, many historians have believed that the Government
Force at Culloden
outfought the undisciplined Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince
Charlie. But new excavations at the site of the battle have
revealed that the Jacobites came far closer to victory than most
contemporary accounts suggest. Dr Tony Pollard, of the
Two Men in a Trench programme, and a team from Glasgow
University archaeological research division, have discovered
that the Highlanders came close to breaking the government line
and rewriting history. The almost suicidal attack of the Young
Pretender's 7,000-strong army
forced Cumberland and his troops loyal to George II to turn his
heavy mortars,
previously held in reserve, on to their serried ranks to prevent
a rout of his troops, according to the new evidence. See
Centre for Battlefield Archaeology: projects.
The
Battle of Culloden, on the 16th April 1746 was not a Scots
defeat at the hands of the English as often portrayed, nor was
this
Highland v Lowland or Catholic v Protestant. The
defeated Jacobite Army had French Regular Troops in its ranks.
The Government Army included famous Scottish Regiments:
The
Royal Scots (St Clair's*) (2nd Battalion); The Scots Fusiliers, the Kings Own Scottish Borderers (Semphill's)
and the Argyll Militia.
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Battle Plan Click to enlarge
From jacobites.org.uk Battle Maps
The Battle and its aftermath saw the dismantling of the culture
of the Highland Gael, the Clan system, tartans and the Great
Highland Bagpipe. But one of the witnesses at the Battle,
James Wolfe, would use the descendants of these Highlanders in
the British Army, and the British Army became the custodian of
the Great Highland Bagpipe, kilts and tartans, and some of the
Highland traditions.
*James
St Clair,
their Colonel, an honorary title which he held from
1737-1762, was not in command there as erroneously recorded on a
number of websites. In the custom of the time the Regiment was
known by its Colonel's name. St Clair was by the time of
Culloden a Lieutenant General, having been appointed
Quartermaster General to the British Army in Flanders in 1745
and Commander-in-Chief of an expedition which destroyed the
forts at Quiberon in 1746. He was an Ensign with the 1st Royals
in 1694 but transferred to 3rd Footguards as a Captain in 1714.
Here are two eye witness accounts of the Battle:
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Colonel
Christopher Teesdale, 3rd Buffs, to John Home
London, 15 January 1792 I quitted the army in the year
1762 and have (from the length of time) almost forgot
that I was ever a military man. Now you unconscionable
fellow, you desire me to remember occurrences 46 years
ago. However, I will do my best with regard to the
battle of Culloden, which I believe is what you want to
know. The day before the action the Royal army encamped
within about ten miles of the rebels - it was, I
remember, the Duke of Cumberland's birthday. The rebels
imagining the troops might be induced to make merry on
the occasion came to a resolution to attack the Royal
army in the dark, and certainly a very wise scheme (and
no doubt some of them might have read the description of
the attack made by Leonidas on the Persian camp in the
night,) for certainly an army composed of even the best
militia do not judge
well to oppose themselves to a well provided army, as
the consequence plainly demonstrated. In the dark things
are but on an equal footing; artillery cannot be used,
nor small arms without the risk of killing as many of
your friends as foes; but you know as well as I do why
they did not attack in the dark. I should think it must
have been owing to either the treachery of Lord John
Murray or perhaps his fear of not being well supported.
When daylight began to appear we had information of the
enemy's intention, and they had just begun their
retreat. The Duke of Cumberland then formed the army,
and marched towards the rebels, who only had time to
form on a rising ground on Drummosse or Culloden Moor.
The Royal army marched in three columns and formed
battle (in view of the enemy) in two lines and a corps
d'reserve, with the dragoons on the flanks, and these
moved forward with ten field pieces (short Saxon six-pounders)
in the front, and when we came within reach of cannon
shot our field pieces were got into a bog, so that the
horses were obliged to be taken off, and the soldiers to
sling their arms in order to drag the guns across the
bog, which required
some time. If the enemy thought our artillery could not
be drawn across the bogs their ground was certainly well
chosen, and had they immediately come down with rapidity
the battle would have been fought without cannon, but
they amused themselves with pointing a few guns so ill
served as actually to make our soldiers laugh, for I
well remember their first shot went some distance beyond
our corps d'reserve. As soon as our cannon was clear of
the
bog, Colonel Bedford (a most excellent artillery
officer) began to cannonade with such success that they
were unable to stand it, and came down in a rapid and
determined manner. When Bedford perceived them at proper
distance he then poured in grape shot that mowed them
down in such a manner that their columns only extended
to oppose the 4th and 20th Regiments, in which
regiments they made some havoc. Lieut.-Colonel Martin (a
Sussex man) on the left of the front line, seeing no
part of the rebels opposite the 8th Regiment he
commanded, wheeled the regiment, and took them in flank,
which made terrible havoc, and when they retreated
Kingston's Light Horse did great execution. Their loss
was computed at near three thousand. I saw the field of
battle next day, and think that there could not be many
less,including those killed in the pursuit.
Now with regard to the question, you ask me, I well
remember that, when our army formed in line of battle,
the left of the enemy's front line seemed to extend much
beyond right of our front line, and the Duke of
Cumberland ordered two regiments from the corps
d'reserve (their numbers or names I have forgot) to move
up, one on the right of the Royal Scotch and one on the
right of the Buffs, or 3rd Regiment. I do not suppose 80
men were lost by the Royal Army. Poor Lord Robert Kerr,
uncle of the present Marquis of
Lothian, the handsomest and one of the worthiest men in
the world, was slain. He was a captain in the 4th
Regiment, and the Duke of Cumberland had his major's
commission in his pocket, and said "we will let
Kerr know nothing of the matter till the battle's
over." And now I have acquainted you with all the
particulars which occur to me at present. Had the rebels
marched into the Highlands and not fought the battle,
one-half of the Royal
army must have been destroyed before they could have
been subdued.
P.S. - A letter to me comes free directed Office of
Ordnance. Pray tell me how this corresponds with any
other information you are possessed of. The British
Cavalry consisted of two heavy regiments and the Duke of
Kingston's Light Horse. The enemy had some French
cavalry and pickets of the Irish Brigade. The pretender
did not come down with his troops, which was shabby.
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The
"Royal Scotch" referred to are St Clair's Regiment,
The Royal
Scots (The Royal Regiment) and the Regiment brought up from the
reserves were Pulteney's.
The same family would later give its name to
Pulteneytown in
Wick and the famous Caithness Malt,
Old
Pulteney.
Click for a picture
"Broadsword against Brown Bess"by
Chris
Collingwood
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Major James Wolfe to William Sotheron
Inverness, 17 April 1746
The Duke engaged with the rebel army, and in about an
hour drove them from the field of battle, where they
left near 1500 dead; the rest, except prisoners, escaped
by the neighbourhood of the hills.
The rebels posted themselves on a high boggy moor, where
they imagined our cannon and cavalry would be useless;
but both did essential service. The cannon in particular
made them very uneasy, and after firing a quarter of an
hour, obliged them to change their situation and move
forward some 100 yards to attack our front line of Foot,
which they did with more fury than prudence, throwing
down their firearms, and advancing with their drawn
swords. They were however repulsed, and ran off with the
greatest precipitation, and the Dragoons falling in
amongst them completed the victory with much slaughter.
We have taken about 20 pieces of cannon in the field and
700 prisoners, amongst which are all the Irish piquets,
and broadswords, plaids innumberable.
Orders were publicly given in the rebel army, the day
before the action, that no quarter should be given to
our troops. We had an opportunity of avenging ourselves,
and I assure you as few prisoners were taken of the
Highlanders as possible.... May they ever be punished in
the same manner who
attempt the like!
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Major Wolfe was ADC to General Cumberland
"The defeat of the Jacobite forces at Culloden on 16th
April 1746 not only signalled the end of civil war and
rebellion, but ushered in a period of indiscriminate repression
within Scottish Gaeldom by the forces loyal to the Whig
government. The immediate aftermath of the '45 was marked by
genocidal clearance verging on ethnic cleansing; by banditry as
a form of social protest; and by cultural alienation as chiefs
and leading gentry abandoned their traditional obligations as
protectors and patrons in pursuit of their
commercial aspirations as proprietors."
A stringent new Disarming Act was passed on 12th August 1746 and
was rigorously enforced. It banned the possession of weapons and
the peculiar tartan dress of the Highlander. Legislation was
further enacted (totally in contravention of the Treaty of
Union) to abolish the Heritable Jurisdictions, and the estates
of attainted rebels were forfeited. In 1752 roughly a quarter of
them were annexed 'inalienably' to the crown, under the
management of commisioners.
Plans were made for the costly programme of building and
repairing strongholds such as the massive new Fort George at
Ardersier (still used to this day), begun in 1748 and not
completed until 1769 at a cost of £100,000.
As one historian has put it, these measures "amounted to no
less than a wide-ranging attack on the Highlander's
culture". "
Joe
Taylor on the 2001 Exhibition on Culloden at the National Army
Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea
Jacobite Banners
Most of the the captured
Colours and banners were burnt by the Public Hangman in
Edinburgh but a list survives which can be found
here and some illustrations
here and
here.
One which has provoked Sinclair Interest is "a
piece of blue silk with a St.Andrew Saltire and with a motto
Commit the Work to God", close to the Sinclair Motto "Commit
thy work to God". Stuart Reid in
Highland Clansman 1689-1746
writes it is possible this
banner was carried by one of the companies of the
Earl of
Cromartie's Regiment at Embo near Golspie.
Participants
There is a
Muster Roll of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Army 1745-46,
which records the names of many of those out for the Prince, but
no similar reference for those who fought on the Government
side. Canadian Clan Genealogist, Wanda Sinclair has found
one individual record:
St. James Protestant Cemetery, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada
"Here lieth interred the Body of James Sinclar who was born in
Scotland in the year 1732(?) and who died in this Town on the 29
March .... . He served under the Duke of Cumberland and was
present at the battle of Culloden in 1746. He afterwards served
at the Siour (?) of Lewisburgh in 1758 and under the illustrious
Wolfe at the taking of Quebec in 1759. He also distinguished
himself as an officer in the British Militia during the blockade
of Quebec in the years 1775-76 and he died a magistrate of this
District and was much respected."
Links:
Full text of "[Culloden papers] More Culloden papers"
The Battle of Culloden 1746
Lady Anne Mackintosh | Mapping Memorials
to Women in Scotland
Clan Chattan (Lady Mackintosh's Regiment
at Culloden)
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