The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746 at Culloden, Highland, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Duke of Cumberland, ending the Jacobite rising of 1745.
The Jacobite Army is often assumed to have been largely composed of Gaelic-speaking Catholic Highlanders. In reality, nearly half of the rank and file were from the more urbanised areas of the Scottish Lowlands. [2] [3] While predominantly Scottish, it also contained some English recruits, the majority deserters from the government army. During the latter stages of the campaign, these were reinforced by detachments of Irish and Scots professionals in French service, mainly from the Royal Ecossais and Irish Brigade. Around 500 fought at Culloden, including 100 reputedly recruited from government troops captured at Fort Augustus in March. [4]
The Jacobites initially relied heavily on the traditional right of Highland chiefs to recruit their tenants for military service. However, this obligation had largely fallen into disuse, and many had to be compelled to serve with threats of eviction. As a result, desertion was an ongoing issue, while the colonels of some Highland regiments considered their men to be uncontrollable. [5] [lower-alpha 1]
A typical Highland regiment was officered by tacksmen, with their subtenants providing the rank and file. [7] [8] Tacksmen served in the front rank, and thus incurred a disproportionate number of casualties, accounting for over 25% of those incurred by the Appin regiment. [7] Although often pictured equipped with a broadsword, shield, and pistol, most of the Highland troops used muskets as their main weapon. [4]
Many Jacobite regiments, notably those recruited from Lowland areas, were organised along conventional European lines, but as with the Highland levies, these were inexperienced and poorly equipped. As the campaign progressed, supplies from France improved their equipment considerably and by April 1746 many were equipped with 0.69 in (17.5 mm) calibre French and Spanish firelocks. [4]
By the time of Culloden, most of the Jacobite cavalry had been disbanded due to a shortage of horses, with only minor elements taking part. Their heavy artillery was also largely absent, with all but one of the cannon present being light 3-pounders. [4]
Commander-in-Chief Charles Edward Stuart
Chief of staff Colonel John William Sullivan
Division | Unit | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Prince's Escort | Fitzjames' Horse: 16 men. Lifeguards: 16 men. | ||
Lord George Murray's Division | Atholl Brigade: 500 men | ||
Cameron of Lochiel's Regiment: ~ 650–700 men [9] | Regarded as one of the strongest Jacobite units. | ||
Stewarts of Appin or Appin Regiment: 250 men [10] | |||
Lord John Drummond's Division | Lord Lovat's Regiment: ~ 300 men [11] | Though it comprised two battalions, only that commanded by Charles Fraser of Inverallochie was present; the other missed the battle by several hours. [12] | |
Lady Mackintosh's Regiment: ~ 350 men [13] | Sometimes referred to as the Clan Chattan Regiment. A composite unit, like the Atholl Brigade, led by Alexander McGillivray of Dunmaglass, many of its officers became casualties at Culloden. | ||
Monaltrie's Battalion of Clan Farquharson : 150 men. | Primarily raised in Braemar and Strathdee, by Francis Farquharson of Monaltrie. [14] Also included a detachment of MacGregors commanded by MacGregor of Inverenzie. [13] | ||
Maclachlans and Macleans: ~ 200 men [13] | Commanded by Lachlan Maclachlan of Castle Lachlan, with Maclean of Drimmin as his deputy. Originally part of the Athole Brigade, Culloden was the first time it operated as a stand-alone unit. [15] | ||
Chisholms of Strathglass: ~ 80 men [16] | Led by Roderick Og of Clan Chisholm, suffered very heavy casualties at Culloden. [15] | ||
Duke of Perth's Division | MacDonald of Keppoch's Regiment. 200 men. | Commanded by Alexander MacDonald of Keppoch. Consisted of MacDonalds of Keppoch, MacDonalds of Glencoe, [lower-alpha 2] Mackinnons, and MacGregors. [13] | |
MacDonald of Clanranald's Regiment: 200 men. | Commanded by MacDonald of Clanranald, younger, who was wounded during the battle. Disbanded at Fort Augustus about 18 April 1746. [15] | ||
MacDonell of Glengarry's Regiment: 500 men. | Commanded by Donald MacDonell of Lochgarry, this regiment included 80 to 100 men from Grant of Glenmoriston and Glen Urquhart. [lower-alpha 3] | ||
John Roy Stuart's Division (reserve) | Lord Lewis Gordon's Regiment | John Gordon of Avochie's Battalion: 300 men. | Commanded by John Gordon of Avochie. [lower-alpha 4] |
Moir of Stonywood's Battalion: 200 men. | Recruited from Aberdeenshire by James Moir of Stonywood. | ||
1/Lord Ogilvy's Regiment: 200 men. | Commanded by Thomas Blair of Glassclune. | ||
2/Lord Ogilvy's Regiment: 300 men. | Commanded by Sir James Johnstone. | ||
John Roy Stuart's Regiment: ~ 200 men. | Commanded by Major Patrick Stuart, who held a commission in the French Army. Raised in Edinburgh, it included deserters from the British Army, and stood in the front line at Culloden, next to the Stewarts of Appin. [18] | ||
Footguards: ~ 200 men. | Commanded by William, Lord Kilmarnock. A composite unit formed in March 1746 by combining the dismounted Lord Kilmarnock's Horse, Lord Pisligo's Horse, and James Crichton of Auchingoul's Regiment, as well as forced recruits from Aberdeenshire, courtesy of Lady Erroll (mother-in-law to Lord Kilmarnock). [19] | ||
Glenbucket's Regiment: 200 men. | Commanded by John Gordon of Glenbucket. | ||
Duke of Perth's Regiment: 300 men. | Commanded by James Drummond, Master of Strathallan, this unit included two companies of MacGregors, commanded by James Mor Drummond. [13] | ||
Irish Brigade | Royal-Ecossais : 350 men. | Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Lewis Drummond. | |
Irish Picquets: 302 men. | Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Stapleton. | ||
Cavalry (Commanded by Sir John MacDonald of Fitzjames' Horse) | Right Squadron | Fitzjames' Horse: 70 men. | Commanded by Capt William Bagot. |
Lifeguards: 30 men. | Commanded by David, Lord Elcho. | ||
Left Squadron | Scotch Hussars: 36 men. | Commanded by Maj John Bagot. | |
Strathallan's Horse: 30 men. | Commanded by William, Lord Strathallan. | ||
Artillery | 11 × 3-pounders. | Commanded by Capt John Finlayson. | |
1 × 4-pounders. | Commanded by Capt du Saussay. |
Cumberland's army at Culloden comprised 16 infantry battalions, including four Scottish units and one Irish. [20] The bulk of the infantry units had already seen action at Falkirk, but had been further drilled, rested and resupplied since then.
Many of the infantry were experienced veterans of Continental service, but on the outbreak of the Jacobite rising, extra incentives were given to recruits to fill the ranks of depleted units. On 6 September 1745, every recruit who joined the Guards before 24 September was given £6, and those who joined in the last days of the month were given £4. In theory, a standard single-battalion British infantry regiment was 815 strong, including officers, but was often smaller in practice and at Culloden, the regiments were not much larger than about 400 men. [21]
The government cavalry arrived in Scotland in January 1746. Many were not combat experienced, having spent the preceding years on anti-smuggling duties. A standard cavalryman had a Land Service pistol and a carbine, but the main weapon used by the British cavalry was a sword with a 35-inch blade. [22]
The Royal Artillery vastly outperformed their Jacobite counterparts during the Battle of Culloden. However, until this point in the campaign, the government artillery had performed dismally. The main weapon of the artillery was the 3-pounder. This weapon had a range of 500 yards (460 m) and fired two kinds of shot: round iron and canister. The other weapon used was the Coehorn mortar. These had a calibre of 4+2⁄5 inches (11 cm). [23]
Captain-General: Duke of Cumberland
Commander-in-Chief North Britain: Lieutenant-General Henry Hawley
Division | Unit | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Escort troop | Duke of Cumberland's Hussars: ~ 20 men. | Made up of Austrians and Germans. | |
Advance Guard (Commanded by Maj-Gen Humphrey Bland) | 10th (Cobham's) Dragoons : 276 officers & men. | Commanded by Maj Peter Chaban. | |
11th (Kerr's) Dragoons : 267 officers & men. | Commanded by Lt Col William, Lord Ancram. | ||
The Highland Battalion: ~ 300 rank and file. | The Highland Battalion consisted of eight companies of soldiers, some regular and some militia. [24] Four of these companies were from the Campbell of Argyll Militia, three of these companies were from Loudon's 64th Highland Regiment and one company was from the 43rd (Black Watch) Highland Regiment. [24] The battalion was commanded by Lt Col John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll of the 64th Highlanders. [24] There was also one non-regimented Independent Highland Company (militia) present at the battle that had been raised by William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland, but it was kept in reserve. [25] [26] | ||
Front Line (1st Division) (Maj-Gen. William Anne van Keppel, Earl of Albemarle) | First Brigade | 2/1st (Royal) Regiment : 401 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col John Ramsay. |
34th (Cholmondeley's) Foot : 339 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col Charles Jeffreys. | ||
14th (Price's) Foot : 304 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col John Grey. | ||
Third Brigade | 21st (Royal North British) Fusiliers : 358 rank & file. | Commanded by Maj Charles Colvill. | |
37th (Dejean's) Foot : 426 rank & file. | Commanded by Col Louis Dejean. | ||
4th (Barrell's) Foot : 325 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col Robert Rich. | ||
Second Line (Commanded by Maj-Gen John Huske) | Second Brigade | 3rd Foot (Buffs) : 413 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col George Howard. |
36th (Fleming's) Foot : 350 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col George Jackson. | ||
20th (Sackville's) Foot : 412 rank & file. | Commanded by Col Lord George Sackville. | ||
Fourth Brigade | 25th (Sempill's) Foot : 429 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col David Cunynghame. | |
59th (Conway's) Foot : 325 rank & file. | Commanded by Col Henry Conway. | ||
8th (Edward Wolfe's) Foot : 324 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col Edward Martin. | ||
Reserve | Duke of Kingston's 10th Horse : 211 officers & men. | Commanded by Lt Col John Mordaunt. | |
Fifth Brigade (Brig John Mordaunt) | 13th (Pulteney's) Foot : 510 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col Thomas Cockayne. | |
62nd (Batereau's) Foot: 354 rank & file. | Commanded by Col John Batereau. | ||
27th (Blakeney's) Foot : 300 rank & file. | Commanded by Lt Col Francis Leighton. | ||
Artillery | 106 NCOs & Gunners 10 × 3-pounder cannon 6 × Coehorn mortars | Commanded by Commander Royal Artillery (CRA): Maj William Belford and Captain-Lieutenant John Godwin. |
See the following reference for source of tables [note 1]
Regiment | Killed | Wounded |
---|---|---|
1st (Royal) Regiment | 0 | 4 |
3rd Foot (Buffs) [27] | 1 | 2 |
4th (Barrell's) Foot | 17 | 108 |
8th (Wolfe's) Foot | 0 | 1 |
13th (Pulteney's) Foot | 0 | 0 |
14th (Price's) Foot | 1 | 9 |
20th (Sackville's) Foot [28] | 4 | 17 |
21st (North British) Fusiliers [29] | 0 | 7 |
25th (Sempill's) Foot | 1 | 13 |
34th (Cholmondley's) Foot | 1 | 2 |
36th (Fleming's) Foot | 0 | 6 |
37th (Dejean's) Foot | 14 | 68 |
59th (Conway's) Foot [note 2] | 1 | 5 |
62nd (Batereau's) Foot | 0 | 3 |
64th (Loudon's) Foot | 6 | 3 |
Argyll Militia | 0 | 1 |
Royal Artillery | 0 | 6 |
Duke of Kingston's 10th Horse | 0 Horses: 2 | 1 Horses: 1 |
10th (Cobham's) Dragoons | 1 Horses: 4 | 0 Horses: 5 |
11th (Kerr's) Dragoons | 3 Horses: 4 | 3 Horses: 15 |
See following reference for source of table [31]
The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby ending the Jacobite rising of 1745.
The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745.
The Battle of Falkirk Muir, or Battle of Falkirk, took place near Falkirk, Scotland, on 17 January 1746 during the Jacobite rising of 1745. A narrow Jacobite victory, it had little impact on the campaign.
Alastair Roy MacDonell of Glengarry (ca 1725–1761; Scottish Gaelic: Alasdair Ruadh MacDomhnaill, was the 13th chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. Brought up as a Catholic and largely educated in France, he was arrested in November 1745 on his way to join the 1745 Jacobite Rising. In 1747, MacDonell became a spy for the British government.
Lord George Murray, sixth son of John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who took part in the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1719 and played a senior role in that of 1745.
Simon Fraser of Lovat was a son of a notorious Jacobite clan chief, but he went on to serve with distinction in the British army. He also raised forces which served in the Seven Years' War against the French in Quebec, as well as the American War of Independence. Simon was the 19th Chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat.
William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan, was a Scottish peer and Jacobite, who died at the Battle of Culloden.
Loudon's Highlanders, or the 64th Highlanders, or Earl of Loudon's Regiment of Foot, was an infantry regiment of the British Army.
The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of the British Army was fighting in mainland Europe, and proved to be the last in a series of revolts that began in March 1689, with major outbreaks in 1715 and 1719.
The Manchester Regiment was a Jacobite unit raised during the 1745 Rebellion and the only significant number of English recruits willing to fight for Charles Edward Stuart in his attempt to regain the British throne for his father. Raised in late November 1745, the majority were captured in December at Carlisle; eleven officers and sixteen members of the rank and file were executed in 1746, over a quarter of all those executed for their role in the Rising.
Lord Lewis Gordon, also known as Lord Ludovick Gordon, was a Scottish nobleman, naval officer and Jacobite, remembered largely for participating in the Jacobite rising of 1745, during which Charles Edward Stuart appointed him Lord-lieutenant of Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.
Sir John William O'Sullivan was an Irish professional soldier, who spent most of his career in the service of France, but is best known for his involvement in the Jacobite rising of 1745, an attempt to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. During the Rising, he acted as adjutant general and quartermaster general of the Jacobite army and had a major influence on the campaign.
The Independent Highland Companies were irregular militia raised from the Scottish clans of the Scottish Highlands by order of the Scottish government between 1603 and 1760 in order to help keep the peace and enforce the law in the Highlands and were recognized as such by the government. The officers of the Independent Highland Companies were commissioned as officers of the British Army but the Independent Companies were not recognized as official regiments of the line of the army. The Independent Highland Companies were the progenitors of the Highland Regiments of the British Army that began when ten Independent Highland Companies were embodied to form the Earl of Crawford's Highland Regiment that was numbered the 43rd Regiment of Foot in 1739.
The siege of Stirling Castle took place from 8 January to 1 February 1746, during the 1745 Rising, when a Jacobite force besieged Stirling Castle, held by a government garrison under William Blakeney.
The Campbell of Argyll Militia also known as the Campbell militia, the Argyll militia, or the Argyllshire men, was an irregular militia unit formed in 1745 by John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll to oppose the Jacobite rising of 1745.
Alexander Macdonald, 17th of Keppoch was a Scottish Jacobite and clan chief who took part in both the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite risings. He was killed at the Battle of Culloden leading a regiment composed largely of members of his clan, the MacDonalds of Keppoch.
The siege of Culloden House took place on the night of 15/16 October 1745 and was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745. 200 men of the Jacobite Clan Fraser of Lovat attempted to capture Duncan Forbes, Lord Culloden who was the Lord President of the Court of Session, the most senior legal officer in Scotland.
The Jacobite Army, sometimes referred to as the Highland Army, was the military force assembled by Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobite supporters during the 1745 Rising that attempted to restore the House of Stuart to the British throne.
John Gordon of Glenbucket was a Scottish Jacobite, or supporter of the claim of the House of Stuart to the British throne. Laird of a minor estate in Aberdeenshire, he fought in several successive Jacobite risings. Following the failure of the 1745 rising, in which he served with the rank of Major-General, he escaped to Norway before settling in France, where he died in 1750.
An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745 is an oil painting painted by Swiss-born artist David Morier which was made between 1746 and 1765. It currently forms part of the art collection of the British royal family. The painting depicts a scene during the 1746 Battle of Culloden, in which a group of Jacobite Army troops charge against a line of government soldiers.
Quoting: Sutherland Bk. i. 405–424