PREFACE

The Battle of Culloden, which took place on 16th April, 1746, is to this day surrounded by myths and inaccurate accounts. It was not a war between Scotland and England. It was not a war between Catholics and Protestants. It was, however, a dynastic struggle between two different royal houses: the house of Stuart and the house of Hanover.

The battle was the final act in the long-running series of events that became the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. There is no doubt that the rebellion led to the largest uprooting of Highlanders in history, and the complete alteration of the highland way of life. The resulting battle sounded the death toll for the clan system, and events like the Highland Clearances became ripple effects of the battles outcome. Not only was the Highlands of Scotland changed forever, but so was the new world, as many thousands of highlanders went overseas in the 150 years after the battle.

To this day, in countries like the United States, where over half of the signatories on the Declaration of Independence were Scottish, many place names exist because of the displaced highlanders. They opened up huge areas of North America, Australia and New Zealand. In fact, the city of Wellington in New Zealand still has over 50% of it's population of Scottish descent.

It is very easy to romanticise the Jacobite Rebellion and it's leader, Bonnie Prince Charlie The Victorians loved these tales, and over the years the reality of the cause and it's outcome became rather clouded and misrepresented. Bonnie Prince Charlie, born in Italy and brought up in France, had never been to Scotland, had no military experience and quite obviously was not interested in Scotland or the Scottish throne. His arrival on the west highland coast forced many clans to pledge their support even though many of them, including the much respected Cameron of Lochiel had gave concerns.

However the Victorians presented the story of the Battle of Culloden in later years, some truths are inescapable. The majority of the highland clans were Presbyterian, not Catholic like the Prince, and did not support his cause. Had he gained the support of all the highland clans, it is widely recognised that he would have access to nearly 50,000 fighting men, not 5000. These men who did fight for him were indeed brave and loyal highlanders, sadly being used by the prince for his own ends.

After landing on the west coast, he gathered his forces near Glenfinnan, and slowly made his way down through Scotland, through Edinburgh, down to Manchester where he only received some 300 supporters, and as far as derby, only 100 miles from London. Promised French assistance to overthrow England had fallen through, and wild rumours of huge Hanoverian armies in hot pursuit finally persuaded the Prince to turn back.

His 5000 strong army of brave highlanders made their way back up through the country, and finally wound up near Inverness, with a 9000 strong Hanoverian army led by William Augustus the Duke of Cumberland, massing near Nairn, just a few miles away.

This account is of the events immediately before the battle itself, describing the last tragic moves that spelled the end for the highland army. However, all highlanders paid the terrible price for his actions, not just the supporters of his cause.

BACKGROUND OF THE BATTLE

The battle of Culloden was the culmination of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion led by Charles Edward Louis Philippe Casimir Stuart, otherwise known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. His Grandfather was James VII of Scotland and II of England, who was forced to leave power and rule in 1688. He never returned to Scotland, and died in France in 1701.

His son, the would-be James VIII of Scotland, made an attempt to return to the Scottish coast in 1708, one year after the act of union between Scotland and England, with a reasonably large army composing of French troops and a number of ships. However, it was not to be, as at the last minute a substantial English fleet of ships turned up and he was forced to return to France.

In 1715, yet another attempt on his behalf was made by the Earl of Mar which resulted in the battle of Sheriffmuir. Although James VIII arrived in Scotland later that year, he did not enjoy support and again left for France in 1716. He never returned.

In 1745, Charles Edward Stuart, eldest son of James VIII, landed in Scotland to claim his right to his grandfathers throne. The Jacobites, so-called after the latin for James, Jacobus, were led by the inexperienced and Italian-born Charles into the final attempt to restore a Stuart king. The 1745 Jacobite rebellion had begun.

William Augustus, the son of the Hanoverian king George II, was the man charged with the task of ending the Jacobite rebellion and the Stuart bid for power. He was a brutal man, full of confidence, known for his cruel and heartless methods, and although somewhat inexperienced himself, commanded the Hanoverian Army. After the battle of Culloden he would become known in the highlands as 'The Butcher'- a reflection of his barbarous treatment of wounded Jacobite men and local people following the confrontation.

A flower was named after him in England called 'Sweet William', and predictably a weed in Scotland bore the name 'Stinking Willy'. He also lent his name to the highland settlements of Fort William and Fort Augustus, and was to be revered by the British Government and King George II as the saviour of Hanoverian rule in the face of an evil Jacobite attempt against them.

Opinions in Scotland, even among non-Jacobites, would be very different. His actions ensured that the whole of the highlands, over a long period of time, would pay the price for the Jacobite cause and his arrival was the beginning of the end for the old highland way of life.

NIGHT MOVES

The 15th of April, 1746, was the 25th birthday of William Augustus the Duke of Cumberland. His army was now camped near Nairn, some 11 miles east of the Jacobite army position. Reports were that the Hanoverian army was in a celebratory mood and drinking brandy to mark the Duke's birthday. According to the Prince, and possibly to reason, the last thing the Duke's army would be expecting was attack.

The Prince devised a plan for a dawn attack on the camp, believing the Hanoverian troops would be somewhat 'hung-over' and tired after their night of drinking and celebration. However, Lord George Murray the Jacobite commander-in-chief, was not too enthusiastic about the proposed attack. No doubt he was concerned about the condition of the Highland army, many of which had now wandered off to find food or a place to sleep. He also felt that reinforcements should arrive before any move was made at all.

However, before long, a scouting patrol brought news that the Hanoverian camp did indeed appear to be quiet and relaxed. A regiment led by MacDonell of Keppoch also arrived, boosting the confidence of Lord George Murray and the credibility of the Prince's idea. The plan was to split the Jacobite army into two divisions. They would proceed towards the Hanoverian camp under the cover of darkness and out of sight from any place of activity or residence. The first division, led by Lord George Murray would attack the camp from the rear and the left flank, while the second division, Led by the Duke of Perth and the Prince would carry out an attack on the front of the camp.

The concerns that Lord George Murray had about the condition of the Jacobite men were to become more evident as the men were mustered for the attack. For starters, only 4000 men turned up and many of them were severely demoralized and disheartened as well as cold, tired and very hungry. The Jacobite supply lines were a sham, lacking in co-ordination and administration. Officers were sent out to assemble the wandering Jacobite soldiers for the attack, but many point-blank refused to return without food and sleep. Now Lord George was re-thinking the idea again, and his concerns were expressed to the Prince. These concerns fell on deaf ears, it seems, as Lord George Murray was ordered to commence the movement of the Jacobite army towards the Hanoverian camp as planned.

Much of the Highlands is covered in boggy marsh or peat ground, which is difficult to walk on for any distance at the best of times, and was no different for the Jacobite army. Progress was frustratingly slow and tiring, with some sections of the army, namely the highlanders, making faster headway as they were more used to the conditions. Consequently they were ordered numerous times to slow down and allow the rest to catch up. By the time the hour of attack, 2.00am, had arrived, they were only at Knockanbuie, three miles short of their intended destination.

Although the ground after this point begins to improve, the commander-in-chief Lord George Murray made the difficult decision to cancel the attack altogether. The advance was dependant on the element of surprise and it was felt that the delays in arriving to the point of Knockanbuie would remove this advantage.

The Prince was further behind and it it not known if he was aware of or approved the decision taken by Lord George Murray. Nevertheless, the Jacobites began their long and difficult march back to, taking the same route they had followed down. At 6.00am on the morning of 16th April, 1745, they arrived back at Culloden, even more exhausted, hungry and demoralized than before. Many of the men lay in the heather and began to sleep, while still more made off in search of food. The rest those men had was much needed, but as they slept on that cold Highland morning, the 9000 strong government army was heading towards them and their encounter on the moor at Culloden.

THE DECISIVE DAY

At 5am on the morning of 16th April, 1746, the Hanoverian army began to march toward it's foe on Culloden Moor. The Jacobites, on the other hand, were mostly asleep or resting after their dreadful night march on Cumberland’s camp near Nairn. The Prince and his commanders heard the news of the approaching army around 8.00am, and were taken by surprise. Frantic preparations were made to gather the wandering men and wake those who were asleep. A rapidly organised line was to be deployed for defensive purposes on the moor with some of the 5000 men now mustered. However, the objections of some officers including Lord George Murray to the proposed battle site were to be made evident to the Prince.

The old Highland Charge was the usual form of attack at the time. This simply involved placing the clansmen on a hill in a higher position than the opposing force. The clansman would then charge down the hill, screaming and yelling, brandishing their swords, clubs, knives, etc, frightening the living daylights out of their foe. The problem was that Culloden Moor, as the name suggests, is flat and unsuitable for a fully effective Highland charge. It was, however, very suitable for the cannons that Cumberlands army were hauling towards the Jacobites. Again Lord George Murray objected to the battle site but Prince Charles refused to make any alterations, perhaps with too much confidence in the ability of his Highland army, and due to his lack of experience, a severe misunderstanding of the better-equipped Hanoverian force.

Many people in the Highlands of Scotland today believe that the cause would have been better fought in a 'guerrilla warfare' style, drawing the enemy into the hills that the clansmen knew well and mounting a series of devastating night attacks over a period of a week or so. This would have made the Duke's army unable to use their cannon and the confusion and fear of night attacks would no doubt have caused desertion and disarray amongst the government ranks. Alas, this was not to be.

Assembled in two hastily-organised lines, with a small reserve at the rear, the Jacobite army waited for their enemy to arrive. They didn't have to wait too long. Around 11.00am, they caught sight of the Duke's army, which drew up about a mile away from the Jacobites and went into battle formation. After waiting for something to happen, the Duke drew his 9000-strong force to a position 500 meters from the Jacobite front line. His formation was well thought out and his men carefully placed. At 1.00pm, the two armies faced each other across the bleak Culloden Moor, the rain and sleet driving into the faces of the Jacobite ranks.

A shot pounded out from one of the Jacobite cannon, and the Hanoverian artillery responded. The battle of Culloden Moor had begun. Cumberlands artillery were accurate and efficient, their guns pounding the Jacobite ranks. A switch to Grape-shot, a bag of smaller shot designed to take down large numbers of men, proved to do its duty. Instead of one cannon-ball, forty or fifty smaller missiles hurtled towards the Jacobites with every shot. They devastated the highland army, cutting down men where they stood.

At this time, no orders had been given to Advance in the highland army and the men were getting extremely frustrated. This proved too much for the Mackintoshes, who led the right wing into a full charge against a hail of fire from the Government troops. They met and broke through the Hanoverian front line, only to be stopped in their tracks by the bayonets and muskets of the second line. The highlanders charged for all their worth, jumping over each other to attack in an attempt to break the enemy formation.

With the Macdonald charge now on and being met by Cumberlands horses, terrible losses were being inflicted on the Jacobite army. It became apparent after a short while that the whole battle had turned to the Hanoverian favour, and so the orders were given to fall back and leave the field. The Jacobite losses were estimated at around 1200 men, with the remainder splitting up and heading to the hills. The Prince took flight on his horse, calling in to see Lord Lovat . He had been on the fence throughout the whole affair, but his hospitality toward Charles was to get him executed soon afterwards.

Heading westward to meet a ship bound for France, the prince rode off. Some of his army re-gathered at Ruthven shortly afterwards, but they were instructed to disband and seek shelter. Some say that this army was over 5000, larger than the actual Jacobite army at Culloden. However, the story goes, when the news came that the Prince himself has abandoned the cause, the highlanders threw their swords away in the heather in disgust.

The casualties reported by Cumberlands men were just over 300 dead and wounded, a small dent in his force of 9000 men. His forces showed no mercy on the battlefield either, killing every Jacobite they could find that lay wounded. This earned him the nickname 'the butcher'. They then set off down to ransack Inverness, taking control of the small highland township and imprisoning some Jacobites in a church. Rape and pillage was rife, with the Hanoverian troops being described as "uncontrollable and vicious" by a local minister at the time.

The Jacobites had made several crucial mistakes; the night march, the flat moor unsuitable for the Highland charge, the lack of heavy weapons and the correct ammunition, all coupled with starving and demoralised troops, nearly dropping on their feet with tiredness. The last battle to be fought on British soil was over and now the highlands of Scotland would pay the price for the Jacobite rebellion.

AFTERSHOCKS OF CULLODEN

After the defeat of Prince Charles' Jacobite on the bleak Culloden Moor, the government forces devastated the glens with fire and sword. New laws were enacted to destroy those features of Highland life which had made the Jacobite rising possible and soldiers patrolled the highlands to enforce them. Jacobite chiefs were in exile, and their estates were forfeited to the Crown, to be administered by Government agents. When the heritable jurisdictions, the right of chiefs to hold court to try their clansmen, were all abolished, this law and the steps taken to disarm the Highlanders did much to destroy the authority of the highland clan chief, making him no longer a dispenser of justice, no longer a military leader.

The act of carrying weapons and wearing highland dress, which was typical of this legislation, was strictly applied for ten years, although it was not repealed until 1782. People had to swear this oath:

"I, (name), do swear as I shall answer to God at the great day of judgement, I have not, nor shall have in my possession any gun, sword, pistol or arm whatever, and never use tartan, plaid, or any part of the highland garb; and if I do so, may I be cursed, may I never see my wife and children, father, mother or relations, and lie without a Christian burial in a strange land, far from the graves of my forefathers and my kindred; may all this come across me if I break my oath."

The reports of officers in the Highlands to the commander-in-chief, Scotland, in 1752 reveal the activities of Government forces:

"The patrolling party surprised and took one Donald MacDonald. He had a large French musket, loaded with shots and slugs. I tried to find out whose gun it was, but could make nothing of him. I sent him to Inverness with two men. He has since been tried before the sheriff and sentenced to undergo the penalty of the law."
Capt. A. Trapaud

"The Corporal an Glen Strathfarrar took up one Hugh Fraser for wearing the philabeg (kilt). As soon as they crossed the Dejag, which was scarce fordable, the prisoner let drop his philabeg in the river under cover of his great coat. I sent him prisoner to the sheriff-substitute in Inverness and after examination he was set at liberty."
Capt. A. Trapaud


"Seeing some people armed, driving cattle on the north side of Loch Lyon, I examined them and found them to be dealers in Cattle from Breadalbane. Their names were McNab and McIntyre. They had passes and protection from Lord Breadalbane for carrying arms."
Lieut. Alex Tennant

"I am much of your opinion, that, without the considerable aid of foreign troops, the Highlanders will never stir. The spirit of revenge is prevalent amongst them but the risk is too great without help; however we ought to be cautious and vigilant. We ought to have a good store of meal in the forts, plenty of entrenching tools, and a few well-chosen posts in the middle of those clans most likely to rebel, with a force sufficient to entrench and defend themselves, and with positive orders never to surrender."
Letter to Captain Rickson at Inverness from James Wolfe in 1755. Wolfe had fought at Culloden and was to die victorious in the battle of Quebec against the French in 1759.

A Final Thought

Today, in the modern highlands, there is still strong feeling about the battle and the resulting effects. There are various opinions over the rights and wrongs of the whole affair, but there is no doubt that Bonnie Prince Charlie was no hero - in fact he was only interested in his own ends. For most highlanders he was the harvenger of doom for the highland way of life, and his actions changed the highlands of Scotland forever.- SM