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Issue 28 - Britain's last battle

History & Heritage

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Scotland Magazine Issue 28

Scotland Magazine Issue 28
September 2006

 

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Britain's last battle

This year marks the 260th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden, a pivotal point in British Civil War. Sally Toms looks at how events unfolded

Britain's last battle (Issue 28)
On April 16, 1746 the last Jacobite army was bloodily defeated on Culloden Moor – bringing to an end not just eight months of rising, but also 100 years of religious and political debate.

Culloden was not a fight between the English and Scots, rather the forces of the Jacobites, who supported the claim of Charles Edward Stuart to the throne (aka Bonnie Prince Charlie, grandson of the Catholic James VII and II); and the Royal Army which supported the Protestant Hanoverian sovereign, King George II.

The result of the battle was not a foregone conclusion. Both armies consisted of professional as well as non-professional soldiers, and until Culloden the Jacobite army had gone undefeated.

During the 17th and 18th centuries there was growing political unrest amongst the powers of Europe. Within Britain itself, there had been a series of dramatic struggles for power. The Stuart King, Charles I was executed in 1649. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 put an end the Stuart line of succession and, on the death of Queen Ann in 1714, the Elector of Hanover, great-grandson of James VI and I, took the throne.

Jacobites believed that the Stuarts, of whom Queen Ann was the last in the direct line, were the “god-given” ruling family and they were prepared to use military might to win the Stuart throne back.

From the Jacobite Court in France, Prince Charles, without the support of his exiled father, James, or the French King, Louis XV, was encouraged to plan an expedition to Scotland to start a rising. With two ships, he set sail from Nantes bound for the Highlands of Scotland. He stepped on Scottish soil for the first time on July 23, 1745.

Though staggered by a couple of major refusals, the Prince’s support grew and an army of Highlanders gathered to him. He famously raised the Stuart standard and read a proclamation at Glenfinnan on August 19.

Charles convinced his army that English Jacobites would stage a rising and the French would invade to assist them.

The Prince’s army marched to Edinburgh and routed General Cope’s Government forces at Prestonpans on September 21, 1745. The Jacobite Army was well equipped and provisioned at this stage and more than a match for Cope’s force who were raw recruits.

Whilst some Jacobite generals wanted to consolidate in Scotland, the Prince wanted the British crown. The Jacobite forces pressed south.

His army of around 5,000 invaded England on November 8, 1745 and advanced through Carlisle and Manchester to Derby, a position where they appeared to threaten London. At this stage it was even reported that King George II and his court were preparing to flee abroad.

English Jacobites joined the flag on the way south, though fewer than was hoped for. Also the French support, promised by the Prince, failed to appear.

The Government, meanwhile, had begun to take the rising more seriously and had recalled its forces from the continent. The armies of General George Wade and of the King's second son, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland were marching towards the Young Pretender.

The Jacobite general Lord George Murray and the Jacobite Council of War insisted on returning to join their growing force in Scotland and on December 6, 1745 they withdrew. The Prince was not happy with this decision and petulantly gave command to Murray.

At Clifton Moor, the Jacobites rearguard, under Murray, met with the Duke of Cumberland’s vanguard; both sides claimed the victory, but the Jacobites lost some weapons and supplies. The Jacobites left a garrison at Carlisle, but it was soon taken by the Duke’s forces.

At the battle of Falkirk, on January 17, 1746, the Jacobite forces routed the Government army and continued to press north.

By this time the Jacobite army had run out of funds, and was demanding resources with menace. The weather was bad, even by the Highlanders’ standards, and combined with the increasing proximity to home, prompted many desertions.

The Government forces, however, were well-resourced, strong and confident under the Duke’s leadership.

The Jacobite Army split to pursue differing objectives. One force went up the east coast to secure the ports, another went into the Great Glen. The main force, of around 5,000 men, went north to Inverness, and besieged Blair Castle unsuccessfully.

The Duke believed the Jacobite soldiers would scatter into the Glens. He and his army of around 8,000 moved east to Nairn, where they camped on the night of April 15.

As an alternative to fighting on Culloden Moor, the Jacobite army attempted to repeat the success of Prestonpans by carrying out a surprise attack on the Duke’s camp at night.

But the half-starved Highlanders were still two miles short of Nairn by dawn andhad to march back.

This had a huge demoralising effect on the Prince’s soldiers, already weak with hunger and exhaustion, and many began to drift away in search of food and rest.

On the morning of the battle the Government army, well rested, was on the move at the same time as the Prince and his men were arriving back at Culloden. The Government army reached the battlefield around midday and arrayed themselves in two lines to face the Jacobite force.

For the Prince, events went from bad to worse. The weather was very poor with a gale driving sleety rain into the faces of the Jacobites. He is said to have dithered when Cumberland's superior artillery began to batter the Jacobite lines, and the delay proved costly in men killed or wounded.

He had also chosen to fight on unsuitable ground and when eventually the Prince ordered the famed Highland Charge, the boggy ground caused the centre to veer right creating a bottleneck that obstructed the following regiments.

Despite this, the right flank of the Jacobites managed to break through the first line of Government troops but was halted by Cumberland's second line of defence.

Outmanoeuvred and outgunned, the uncoordinated Jacobites were forced to retreat.

In a total of about 60 minutes the Duke was victorious. Around 1,250 Jacobites were dead, a similar number were wounded, and 558 prisoners were taken. Cumberland lost about 52 dead and 259 wounded among his Government forces.

The Jacobites were defeated, finally and brutally and so were the aspirations of the Stuarts to the throne of Britain.

The Battle of Culloden was an event of immense importance for Britain. It strengthened the Union and succession of the House of Hanover and ended 100 years of dispute over the monarchy, eliminating the challenge of the House of Stuart.

But the immediate aftermath of the battle was bloody. The Government wanted revenge after defeats at Prestonpans and Falkirk, and wanted to crush the Jacobite threat once and for all.

Known Jacobites were arrested and show trials held as a clear warning to others.

Highland areas known to have supported the Prince were subjected to a brutal military occupation.

Asequence of legislation followed which would transform the Scottish Highlands: the Clan chiefs lost their legal powers and the right to bear arms; the playing of pipes and wearing a kilt or tartan became a criminal offense.

The Prince went on the run for several months on the West Coast and Western Islands, before making a dramatic escape to France disguised as Flora Macdonald’s maid. Despite a few fruitless attempts, Prince Charles Edward Stuart never again threatened the British government. He died in Rome in 1788, at the age of 67.

Today, the Culloden battlefield is a site of pilgrimage and tourism that continues to evoke strong emotion.

However, the current visitor centre at Culloden is outdated and no longer able to cope with the 250,000 people who visit the site annually.

This year, The National Trust for Scotland will launch a major appeal to support the development of its new Culloden Battlefield Memorial Centre.

Having already secured more than £6.5 million in grants, the public appeal aims to raise a further £500,000 towards the centre, which will include a world-class exhibition and high-quality education facilities.

The restoration of the battlefield will also be undertaken, restoring it to the condition that it was in at the time of the battle and to more accurately present the battle lines with minimalist interpretation on the site.

The new centre is designed to interpret the battle sensitively, using the latest research to reflect what really happened on that day, April 16, 1746.

Information
Culloden Battlefield Memorial Project
There are many ways that you can support the Culloden Appeal. For more details phone the Trust on +44 (0)131 243 9433 or visit the Culloden Battlefield Memorial Project website at: www.culloden.org.uk