The
Jacobites and the Rising of '45
Weel,
ye've come tae find oot what a Jacobite is...
Jacobite
is the term that was used for Scottish supporters of the exiled
King James of Scotland and later his son the Bonnie Prince (Prince
Charlie) who were attempting to reclaim the Scottish throne from
the English. Jacobus or Jacob is Latin for James, hence his followers/supporters
were known as Jacobites. The Scottish Jacobites consisted largely
of Highland clansmen during the first Rising in 1715 and ending
in the mid-1700's with the failed second Rising, the Rising of
1745.
THE
BATTLE OF CULLODEN
The
end for the Jacobites occurred in a quiet place called Culloden
Moor (known more locally as Drummossie Moor), near Inverness, Scotland,
when their Heilan Army was utterly decimated by the English Army
under the Duke of Cumberland. Jacobite clansmen present at the
battle included three branches of the MacDonalds (Glengarry, Keppoch
and Clanranald), the Camerons, Robertsons, Stuarts, MacGregors,
Gordons, MacPhersons, Frasers, MacIntoshes, MacLachlans and MacLeans,
to name a few. One Reserve Highland Regiment, that of the Campbells,
fought on the side of the English, with much to gain against their
highland brothers in the event of an English victory. In the eyes
of the English, all Jacobites were traitors to the King of England
and were to be dealt with accordingly.
As
was often the case, the highlanders were outnumbered (about 5,000
Scots to over 8,000 English) even though the potential fighting
force of the Highlands at the time has been estimated at nearly 33,000
able-bodied, fighting men. This handicap though had often had
been to the advantage of the highlanders and many battles had
been won under such circumstances (i.e.; the Battle of Prestonpans
that sent the English Army running).
The
Bonnie Prince and his Heilan Army had been met with nothing but
success since their campaign had begun. But at Culloden, an ill-fated
and ill-timed decision had been made to charge the English that
lay in formation across the boggy Culloden moor rather than wait
for the highlanders to fully assemble and plan their assault.
It
was cold and raining and the highlanders had just finished two
days of marching with little rest and little food in their bellies.
Many of the men that were to take part in the battle were either
just arriving or had not yet made it to the field at all. A number
of the Prince's generals had advised against the charge as the
men were too weary and they were going to have to make it across
the wet moor in order to engage the English. Yet, the Prince's
second hand man, O'Sullivan, thought otherwise and convinced Charlie
that they needed to charge. An appeal to retreat and fight another
day was dismissed and soon the signal was given to charge. After
several failed attempts to get the men to charge, the highlanders
finally began spilling out onto the moor in their tartan plaids
and blue bonnets that were capped with a white Cockade feather.
[Burial
cairn at Culloden erected for the fallen Clansmen]
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As
they charged, wave upon wave of highlanders were brutally cut
down by an endless hail of English musket fire (grape shot) before
they even neared the English lines. Cannon fire from the English
was also to wreak havoc among the charging highland men and in
less than an hour about 1,000 Highland clansmen lay dead or wounded
on the cold and wet bog of Culloden moor.
With
victory at hand, the English went to work mopping up the hapless
Jacobites. Every wounded and dying highlander, both young and
old, were executed (either shot or impaled with bayonets) as they
lay bleeding and defenseless on the battlefield where they fell
or in hay fields or barns where they had sought refuge after fleeing
the doomed battle.
An
estimated 500 highlanders would be killed as the Redcoat dragoons
scoured the area on horse and on foot hunting for survivors and
any remnants of the highland army. This unusual and particularly
brutal treatment of a defeated force occurred after Cumberland
had informed his men that the Scots were not going to excise quarter
(mercy) if the Scots had won. Cumberland based this on a letter
which he claimed had been written by the Scots giving instructions
to their men to not give the English any quarter. It is interesting
to note that Prince Charlie had his surgeons administer to the
English wounded at Prestonpans before they were to get to his
own wounded men. Whether the letter was real or a forgery, no
quarter was given to the Scots as the English went about their
butchery in the aftermath of the battle with gusto. The scene
was to become so blood-thirsty that many innocent men, working
and living in Inverness, were accused of being Jacobites on the
spot and executed.
Several
of the primary Scottish Jacobite leaders were also caught and
summarily beheaded in London. Others that escaped sought exile
in France while the Prince made his way back to Rome where he
turned to the bottle for solace and ended his days in a drunken
stupor. As the coming months wore on, the remaining Jacobites
as could be found were either imprisoned or were banished to the
British colonies in America. Some would return to Scotland, many
would not.
So,
the Rising of 1745 ended off with not just the final and fatal
blow to the Jacobite cause, but also the last hope for the Scottish
of riding themselves of the English forces that would now fully
and ruthlessly rule their once mighty realm of Scotland. Culloden
was also to signal the beginning of the end (the final blow fell
during the Highland Clearances) for the highland way of life as
Chieftains were stripped of their lands, titles, rights and honor.
At this time the English also instilled the Disarming Act which
banned the Highlanders in Scotland from possessing weapons, the
wearing of any tartan (including kilt and plaid), speaking the
Gaelic and playing of the highland Bagpipe (which the English
deemed an instrument of war). The penalty for breeching this law
was death.
Follow
the links below to learn more about the Battle of Culloden:
Full Story of Culloden |
Battle of Sheriffmuir &
leading up to Culloden
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