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Looking back: The Battle of Culloden


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Cullodenn Battlefield Visitors centre..Clea Warner,National Trust for Scotland general manager for the north-west region and Raoul Curtis-Machin, Operations Manager for Culloden Battlefield..Picture: Gary Anthony..
Cullodenn Battlefield Visitors centre..Clea Warner,National Trust for Scotland general manager for the north-west region and Raoul Curtis-Machin, Operations Manager for Culloden Battlefield..Picture: Gary Anthony..

The grandson of King James VII of Scotland and James II of England and Ireland, was “the lad who was born to be king”, as the song goes. But his dream of restoring the Stuart monarchy was destroyed on dark Drumossie moor 275 years ago this week.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart’s standard was drenched in blood on April 16, 1746, at the Battle of Culloden, the last major battle fought on British soil.

Following their victory at Falkirk that January, the reduced Jacobite army retreated northwards pursued by the British Army led by the king’s second son, William Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland.

When the attackers reached Forres unscathed, the grip was tightening. A failed Jacobite night attack on the British at Nairn led to the final conclave, finally resolving a dispute over monarchy which had lasted 60 years.

Cumberland, who had gained a military reputation by leading the infantry attack on the French at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745, moved his army on to the moor in four columns, following advance reconnoitring from his Argyll Militia.

Many Jacobites were scavenging for food and missed the call to battle while hundreds of others were on missions elsewhere in the north.

The first line of the Jacobite army saw the Atholl regiments on the right flank, next to Camerons, the Stewarts of Appin, Frasers, Mackintoshes, Macleans, Maclachlans, Farquharsons, Stuarts and on the left flank, the Macdonalds.

The second line comprised various mounted regiments, regular regiments of Scots and Irish from the French Army, and several further clan regiments.

The Royal Scots Fusiliers were among Cumberland’s front-line troops, with Campbell’s Highlanders in the second line.

It is a myth that the battle was fought between a modern army and the Highland clans. The Jacobite army was organised along regimental lines and was drilled using a mixture of French and British tactics. They were heavily armed with 2500 French and Spanish muskets.

Many of the Jacobite units were from lowland Scotland plus Irish and Scottish soldiers in the French service, while a group of English volunteers also lined up on the Prince’s side.

Meanwhile, some 1800 Scots were in Cumberland’s army, which totalled some 8000 men, an advantage of more than 1000 on their opponents.

James Wolfe had his men hunker down behind the wall leading forward from Cumberland’s left flank, and their six pounder guns and mortar battery had a clear line of sight as they rained fire into the Jacobite ranks 300 yards away.

With the bombardment inflicting heavy casualties on the Jacobites, the Prince ordered the charge. Led by MacGillivray of Dunmaglass and his Mackintosh men, this surge broke two British regiments, forcing Cumberland to rush four second-line regiments to fill the breach.

Under heavy fire, however, the Jacobite advance weakened. Gallant MacGillivray died in a bitter final stand at the Well of the Dead.

On the left, the regiments of Keppoch and Clanranald made a bold attempt to open up the Hanoverian right. Keppoch was wounded, rose again but was fatally shot. Clanranald took a ball in the head.

Macdonald troops made it to within 15 yards of the enemy line but withering fire prevented them closing to their preferred hand to hand combat.

As the gaps opened on the Jacobite left, Cobham’s dragoons made a cavalry charge, swiftly backed by two squadrons of Kingston’s Horse. At the same time, 500 dragoons successfully attacked the Jacobite rear right. Cumberland’s cavalry were soon in full cry on both flanks.

But the Royal Ecossais, a Franco-Scottish regiment led by Lord George Murray, resisted a bid to encircle them and held off the British infantry to allow the Macdonalds to retreat.

Defeat, however, was becoming inevitable. The Royal Ecossais continued to hold their own but when it became clear onrushing dragoons were likely to capture Prince Charles, his officers rushed him to safety.

Many Jacobites fled down the road to Inverness, pursued and cut down. Cumberland was to write: “Major General Bland made a great slaughter and gave quarter to none.”

The Jacobites sustained more than 1000 fatalities in the battle and many more later. Some 250 Hanoverian soldiers were killed or wounded in a battle which lasted less than an hour.

On April 19, the Royal Ecossais and Fitzjames’ regiments surrendered at Inverness, and the Battle of Culloden became history.

READ: https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/free-tickets-still-available-for-online-battle-of-culloden-c-235085/


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