1.
Jacobite risings
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The series of conflicts takes its name Jacobitism, from Jacobus, the Latin form of James. The major Jacobite risings were called the Jacobite rebellions by the ruling governments, the first Jacobite rebellion and second Jacobite rebellion were also known respectively as the Fifteen and the Forty-five, after the years in which they occurred. Although each Jacobite rising had unique features, they were part of a series of military campaigns by Jacobites attempting to restore the Stuart kings to the thrones of Scotland and England. James II was deposed in 1688 and the thrones were claimed by his daughter Mary II jointly with her husband, after the House of Hanover succeeded to the British throne in 1714, the risings continued and intensified. They continued until the last Jacobite rebellion, led by Charles Edward Stuart, was defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. This ended any hope of a Stuart restoration. During the 17th century, the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland suffered political, the Commonwealth ended with the Restoration of Charles II, re-establishment of the Church of England and the imposition of an Episcopalian church government. In 1685, Charles II was succeeded by his Roman Catholic brother, James saw Covenanters as troublemakers and initially tried to end their influence in Scotland. Jamess half-hearted attempts to woo the Presbyterians seemingly did not win him popularity among that section of society either. They remembered his earlier suppression of them and did not believe him to be sincere in his recognition of Presbyterianism. Although these actions were unpopular, at first the majority of his subjects tolerated these acts because James was in his 50s. It seemed that Jamess reign would be short and the throne would soon return to Protestant hands, in 1688, however, Jamess young second wife, Mary of Modena, gave birth to a boy, Prince James, who was promptly baptized a Roman Catholic. Due to English and Scottish succession laws, Prince James immediately supplanted his older sisters as heir to the throne. Now the prospect of a Catholic dynasty on the English, Scottish and Irish thrones seemed all, the Immortal Seven invited Jamess daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange to depose James and jointly rule in his place. On 4 November 1688, William arrived at Torbay, England, after he landed, James fled London, returned and finally left for France on 23 December. In February 1689, the Glorious Revolution formally changed Englands monarch, Scotland was slow to accept William, who summoned a Convention of the Estates which met on 14 March 1689 in Edinburgh. It reviewed a conciliatory letter from William and a haughty one from James, on Jamess side, a modest force of 50 horsemen gathered by John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee was in town. Graham attended the convention at the start but withdrew four days later when its support for William became evident, the convention set out its terms and William and Mary were proclaimed monarchs at Edinburgh on 11 April 1689
2.
Jacobitism
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The movement took its name from Jacobus, the Renaissance Latin form of Iacomus, the original Latin form of James. Adherents rebelled against the British government on several occasions between 1688 and 1746, the strongholds of Jacobitism were parts of the Scottish Highlands and the lowland north-east of Scotland, Ireland, and parts of Northern England. Significant support also existed in Wales and South-West England, the Jacobites believed that parliamentary interference with the line of succession to the English and Scottish thrones was illegal. Catholics also hoped the Stuarts would end recusancy, in Scotland, the Jacobite cause became intertwined with the clan system. The emblem of the Jacobites is the White Cockade, White Rose Day is celebrated on 10 June, the anniversary of the birth of the Old Pretender in 1688. From the second half of the 17th century onwards, a time of political, the Commonwealth ended with the Restoration of Charles II. During his reign the Church of England was re-established, and episcopal government was restored in Scotland. The authorities attempted some accommodation with Presbyterian dissidents, introducing official Indulgences in 1669 and 1672 and this was particularly true of the followers of the Reverend Richard Cameron, soon to be known as the Cameronians. The government increasingly resorted to force in its attempts to out the Cameronians. The reigns of the last three Stuart Kings – Charles I, Charles II and James II and VII – were marked by growing Royal resistance to this developing consensual model of government. In part the Kings were inspired by the development of Royal Absolutism in contemporary Europe, exemplified particularly strongly by their neighbour and contemporary, Louis XIV of France. In part, however, the apologists of royal authority based their claims on a just assessment of the powers claimed by England, in 1685, Charles II was succeeded by his Roman Catholic brother, James II and VII. In addition to sharing his familys absolutist views of government, James attempted to introduce religious toleration of Roman Catholics, in Seventeenth-century Europe, being a religious outsider meant being a political and social outsider as well. James tried to encourage the participation in life of Roman Catholics, Protestant Dissenters. Such attempts to broaden his basis of support succeeded in antagonising members of the Anglican establishment, in England and Scotland, James attempted to impose religious toleration, which helped the Catholic minority but alarmed the religious and political establishment. Then in 1688 Jamess second wife had a boy, bringing the prospect of a Catholic dynasty, on 4 November 1688 William arrived at Torbay, England. When he landed the next day, at Brixham, James fled to France, in February 1689, the Glorious Revolution formally changed Englands monarch, but many Catholics, Episcopalians and Tory royalists still supported James as the constitutionally legitimate monarch. Forces of Cameronians as well as Clan Campbell Highlanders led by the Earl of Argyll had come to bolster Williams support, the convention set out its terms and William and Mary were proclaimed at Edinburgh on 11 April 1689, then had their coronation in London in May
3.
Scottish clan
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A Scottish clan is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Most clans have their own patterns, usually dating from the 19th century. The modern image of clans, each with their own tartan, historically, tartan designs were associated with Lowland and Highland districts whose weavers tended to produce cloth patterns favoured in those districts. Many clans have their own chief, those that do not are known as armigerous clans. Clans generally identify with geographical areas originally controlled by their founders, sometimes with a castle and clan gatherings. The most notable gathering of recent times was The Gathering 2009 and it is a common misconception that every person who bears a clans name is a lineal descendant of the chiefs. Many clansmen although not related to the chief took the surname as their own to either show solidarity. Most of the followers of the clan were tenants, who supplied labour to the clan leaders, thus by the eighteenth century the myth had arisen that the whole clan was descended from one ancestor, with the Scottish Gaelic of clan meaning children or offspring. The word clan is derived from the Gaelic word clanna, meaning children, however, the need for proved descent from a common ancestor related to the chiefly house is too restrictive. Clans developed a territory based on the men who came to accept the authority of the dominant group in the vicinity. A clan also included a group of loosely related septs – dependent families – all of whom looked to the clan chief as their head. According to the former Lord Lyon, Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, Clans with recognised chiefs are therefore considered a noble community under Scots law. A group without a recognised by the Sovereign, through the Lord Lyon, has no official standing under Scottish law. A chief of a clan is the person who is entitled to bear the undifferenced arms of the ancestral founder of the clan. The clan is considered to be the chiefs heritable estate and the chiefs Seal of Arms is the seal of the clan as a noble corporation, under Scots law, the chief is recognised as the head of the clan and serves as the lawful representative of the clan community. Historically, a clan was made up of everyone who lived on the chiefs territory, through time, with the constant changes of clan boundaries, migration or regime changes, clans would be made up of large numbers of members who were unrelated and who bore different surnames. Often, those living on a chiefs lands would, over time, a chief could add to his clan by adopting other families, and also had the legal right to outlaw anyone from his clan, including members of his own family. Today, anyone who has the surname is automatically considered to be a member of the chiefs clan
4.
Kingdom of France
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The Kingdom of France was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Western Europe. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe and a great power since the Late Middle Ages and it was also an early colonial power, with possessions around the world. France originated as West Francia, the half of the Carolingian Empire. A branch of the Carolingian dynasty continued to rule until 987, the territory remained known as Francia and its ruler as rex Francorum well into the High Middle Ages. The first king calling himself Roi de France was Philip II, France continued to be ruled by the Capetians and their cadet lines—the Valois and Bourbon—until the monarchy was overthrown in 1792 during the French Revolution. France in the Middle Ages was a de-centralised, feudal monarchy, in Brittany and Catalonia the authority of the French king was barely felt. Lorraine and Provence were states of the Holy Roman Empire and not yet a part of France, during the Late Middle Ages, the Kings of England laid claim to the French throne, resulting in a series of conflicts known as the Hundred Years War. Subsequently, France sought to extend its influence into Italy, but was defeated by Spain in the ensuing Italian Wars, religiously France became divided between the Catholic majority and a Protestant minority, the Huguenots, which led to a series of civil wars, the Wars of Religion. France laid claim to large stretches of North America, known collectively as New France, Wars with Great Britain led to the loss of much of this territory by 1763. French intervention in the American Revolutionary War helped secure the independence of the new United States of America, the Kingdom of France adopted a written constitution in 1791, but the Kingdom was abolished a year later and replaced with the First French Republic. The monarchy was restored by the great powers in 1814. During the later years of the elderly Charlemagnes rule, the Vikings made advances along the northern and western perimeters of the Kingdom of the Franks, after Charlemagnes death in 814 his heirs were incapable of maintaining political unity and the empire began to crumble. The Treaty of Verdun of 843 divided the Carolingian Empire into three parts, with Charles the Bald ruling over West Francia, the nucleus of what would develop into the kingdom of France. Viking advances were allowed to increase, and their dreaded longboats were sailing up the Loire and Seine rivers and other waterways, wreaking havoc. During the reign of Charles the Simple, Normans under Rollo from Norway, were settled in an area on either side of the River Seine, downstream from Paris, that was to become Normandy. With its offshoots, the houses of Valois and Bourbon, it was to rule France for more than 800 years. Henry II inherited the Duchy of Normandy and the County of Anjou, and married Frances newly divorced ex-queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, after the French victory at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214, the English monarchs maintained power only in southwestern Duchy of Guyenne. The death of Charles IV of France in 1328 without male heirs ended the main Capetian line, under Salic law the crown could not pass through a woman, so the throne passed to Philip VI, son of Charles of Valois
5.
Kingdom of Great Britain
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The Kingdom of Great Britain, officially Great Britain, was a sovereign state in western Europe from 1 May 1707 to 31 December 1800. It did not include Ireland, which remained a separate realm, the unitary state was governed by a single parliament and government that was based in Westminster. Also after the accession of George I to the throne of Great Britain in 1714, the early years of the unified kingdom were marked by Jacobite risings which ended in defeat for the Stuart cause at Culloden in 1746. On 1 January 1801, the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland were merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom, the name Britain descends from the Latin name for the island of Great Britain, Britannia or Brittānia, the land of the Britons via the Old French Bretaigne and Middle English Bretayne, Breteyne. The term Great Britain was first used officially in 1474, in the instrument drawing up the proposal for a marriage between Edward IV of Englands daughter Cecily and James III of Scotlands son James. The Treaty of Union and the subsequent Acts of Union state that England and Scotland were to be United into one Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain. However, both the Acts and the Treaty also refer numerous times to the United Kingdom and the longer form, other publications refer to the country as the United Kingdom after 1707 as well. The websites of the UK parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the BBC, additionally, the term United Kingdom was found in informal use during the 18th century to describe the state. The new state created in 1707 included the island of Great Britain, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, both in existence from the 9th century, were separate states until 1707. However, they had come into a union in 1603. Each of the three kingdoms maintained its own parliament and laws and this disposition changed dramatically when the Acts of Union 1707 came into force, with a single unified Crown of Great Britain and a single unified parliament. Ireland remained formally separate, with its own parliament, until the Acts of Union 1800, legislative power was vested in the Parliament of Great Britain, which replaced both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In practice it was a continuation of the English parliament, sitting at the location in Westminster. Newly created peers in the Peerage of Great Britain were given the right to sit in the Lords. Despite the end of a parliament for Scotland, it retained its own laws. As a result of Poynings Law of 1495, the Parliament of Ireland was subordinate to the Parliament of England, the Act was repealed by the Repeal of Act for Securing Dependence of Ireland Act 1782. The same year, the Irish constitution of 1782 produced a period of legislative freedom, the 18th century saw England, and after 1707 Great Britain, rise to become the worlds dominant colonial power, with France its main rival on the imperial stage
6.
Charles Edward Stuart
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This claim was based on his status as the eldest son of James Francis Edward Stuart, himself the son of James VII and II. Charles is perhaps best known as the instigator of the unsuccessful Jacobite uprising of 1745, the uprising ended in defeat at the Battle of Culloden, effectively terminating the Jacobite cause. Jacobites supported the Stuart claim because they hoped for religious toleration for Roman Catholics, Charless flight from Scotland after the uprising has rendered him a romantic figure of heroic failure in some later representations. In 1759 he was involved in a French plan to invade Britain, Charles was born in the Palazzo Muti, Rome, Italy, on 31 December 1720, where his father had been given a residence by Pope Clement XI. He spent almost all his childhood in Rome and Bologna and he had a privileged childhood in Rome, where he was brought up Catholic in a loving but argumentative family. Regaining the thrones of England and Scotland for the Stuarts was a constant topic of conversation in the household, principally reflected in his fathers often morose and his grandfather, James II of England and VII of Scotland, ruled the country from 1685 to 1688. He was deposed when Parliament invited the Dutch Protestant William III and his wife Princess Mary, King James eldest daughter, Many Protestants, including a number of prominent parliamentarians, had been worried that King James aimed to return England to the Catholic fold. Since the exile of James, the Jacobite Cause had striven to return the Stuarts to the thrones of England and Scotland, Charles Edward played a major part in the pursuit of this goal. In 1734, Charles Edward observed the French and Spanish siege of Gaeta, the invasion never materialised, as the invasion fleet was scattered by a storm. By the time the fleet regrouped, the British fleet realised the diversion that had deceived them, undeterred, Charles Edward was determined to continue his quest for the restoration of the Stuarts. In December 1743, Charless father named him Prince Regent, giving him authority to act in his name, eighteen months later, he led a French-backed rebellion intended to place his father on the thrones of England and Scotland. Charles had hoped for support from a French fleet, but it was damaged by storms. The Jacobite cause was supported by many Highland clans, both Catholic and Protestant. Charles hoped for a welcome from these clans to start an insurgency by Jacobites throughout Britain. He raised his fathers standard at Glenfinnan and gathered a large enough to enable him to march on Edinburgh. The city, under the control of the Lord Provost Archibald Stewart, while he was in Edinburgh a portrait of Charles was painted by the artist Allan Ramsay, which survives in the collection of the Earl of Wemyss at Gosford House. On 21 September 1745, he defeated the government army in Scotland at the Battle of Prestonpans. The government army was led by General Sir John Cope, by November, Charles was marching south at the head of approximately 6,000 men
7.
Lord George Murray (general)
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Lord George Murray was a Scottish Jacobite general, most noted for his 1745 campaign under Bonnie Prince Charlie into England. Lord George was the son of John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl. Born at Huntingtower near Perth, Murray joined the army in Flanders in 1712 at the age of eighteen, Lord Charles was taken captive at Preston, but following the collapse of the rising, Lord George escaped with Tullibardine to South Uist, and thence to France. Murray was wounded on the day of combat whilst commanding the Jacobite right wing. He spent the few months hiding in the Highlands and later made his way towards Rotterdam where he arrived in May,1720. Little is known of Murrays life on the continent, some scholars have theorised that he served in the Sardinian army, though the supporting evidence has drawn much criticism. He returned to Scotland in 1724 when the Duke of Atholl died, following this, Lord George leased from his brother the old family property of Tullibardine in Strathearn. The government pursued a strategy of weakening the Jacobite sympathies of elite families by acts of clemency, in 1728, he married Amelia, daughter and heiress of James Murray of Strowan and Glencarse. They had three sons and two daughters, on 21 August, Murray accompanied his brother the Duke to pay his respects to Sir John Cope, the commander of the government troops. During this visit, Cope appointed Murray Deputy-Sheriff of Perthshire, given his later affiliations, it has been suggested both that Murray acted with duplicity towards Cope and that his hesitation regarding Charles was genuine. In September, when Charles was at Blair Castle, Murray publicly espoused the Jacobite cause, Murray disagreed with Charles plans to invade England and counseled against them. The army, however, were unhappy with his replacement, the Duke of Perth, and so Charles quickly reinstated Murray, who commanded the army on its march towards Derby. Whilst occupying the city on 5 December, Murray urged the Prince to retreat, citing the lack of support from France, Murray now commanded the support of the council and so the retreat was agreed upon, but Charles was furious at the decision and never forgave Murray. His Memoire of the Rebellion 1745-1746 lays the blame for the failure on Charles refusal to follow the advice of Murray, Murray, however, was kept busy with battle near Falkirk where he defeated General Hawley. Sickness and desertion were beginning to take their toll on his force, however, Charles was forced to acquiesce, angering him yet further, and causing him to accuse Murray of being a traitor. Murrays failure to capture the Atholl stronghold, Blair Castle, did nothing to refute this, though seems to be little other than rumour. In April, the Jacobite army was near Inverness and Charles decided to battle to Cumberland. He took up a position on the bank of the Nairn river at Culloden Moor
8.
John O'Sullivan (soldier)
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Sir John William OSullivan was an Irish soldier in the service of France. He was born in County Kerry in 1700 and educated in Paris and Rome, there and on the Rhine he earned the reputation of an able captain in guerrilla warfare. However, by the time of the Battle of Culloden it was said of OSullivan that and this led to quarrels between Lord George and the prince over the chaos in the armys administration and the choice of the ground for the battle, which had been chosen by OSullivan. In short, the ground could not have been worse for the Jacobite Army, flat, open, treeless, devoid of shelter and ideal for the deployment by the Government forces of its cannon and cavalry. The battlefield was bordered by two walls, but despite the appeals from Lord George to have these demolished, OSullivan refused the request and it was said that OSullivan hadnt even inspected the ground, deeming it unnecessary and believing it to be a good field. In the days leading up to the battle further chaos within the Highland Army had ensued, despite his position as the armys quartermaster-general, OSullivan had failed to provide the correct type of ammunition for its small number of cannon. In addition, food rations were meager or non-existent leading to many within the Jacobite Army having not eaten for two prior to the battle. What amounted to rations had been left behind with the armys small stock-pile of ammunition in Inverness, however, there is a degree of contention regarding this. In Bonnie Prince Charlie in Moidart, 1745-46, Tim Roberton asserts that the orders were from Lord George Murray and not from OSullivan. This is further supported in Culloden Moor and the Story of the Battle, the Prince declined to decide on a matter on which he felt imperfectly informed. He, however requested the MacDonald chiefs to concede the point on this occasion, which agreed to do. Ranged against the disciplined, rested and well nourished troops of the Duke of Cumberland and his Government forces, whilst the entire blame cannot be directed at OSullivan alone, his numerous shortcomings can be seen as very much a contributory factor. Despite the catastrophe at Culloden, OSullivan remained one of Prince Charles most trusted advisers, OSullivan was knighted by James III. Further information regarding OSullivan is sparse, however he married Louise Fitzgerald in 1749 with whom he had a son, Thomas OSullivan, who went on to become a Major in the Irish Brigade. Sir John OSullivan is thought to have died in the early 1760s, robert Chambers, History of the Rebellion of 1745–6
9.
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
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Prince William Augustus KG KB FRS, was the third and youngest son of George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, and Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and he is often referred to by the nickname given to him by his English Tory opponents, Butcher Cumberland. Despite his triumph at Culloden, he had an unsuccessful military career. Following the Convention of Klosterzeven in 1757, he never held active military command and switched his attentions to politics and horse racing. William was born in Leicester House, in Leicester Fields, Westminster, London and his godparents included the King and Queen in Prussia, but they apparently did not take part in person and were presumably represented by proxy. The young prince was educated well, his mother appointed Edmond Halley as a tutor, another of his tutors was his mothers favourite Andrew Fountaine. At Hampton Court Palace, apartments were designed specially for him by William Kent, Williams elder brother Frederick, Prince of Wales, proposed dividing the kings dominions. Frederick would get Britain, while William would get Hanover, from childhood, he showed physical courage and ability, and became his parents favourite. He was enrolled in the 2nd Foot Guards and made a Knight of the Bath aged four, in December 1742, he became a major-general, and, the following year, he first saw active service in Germany. George II and the martial boy shared in the glory of the Battle of Dettingen, after the battle he was made a lieutenant general. As it became clear that the French intention was to take Tournai, Cumberland advanced to the relief of the town, in the resulting Battle of Fontenoy on 11 May 1745, the Allies were defeated by the French. Saxe had picked the battleground on which to confront the British, Cumberland ignored the threat of the woods when drawing up his battle plans, and instead concentrated on seizing the town of Fontenoy and attacking the main French army nearby. Following the battle Cumberland was frequently criticised for his tactics, particularly the failure to occupy the woods, in the wake of the battle, Cumberland was forced to retreat to Brussels and was unable to prevent the fall of Ghent, Bruges and Ostend. His appointment was popular, and caused morale to soar amongst the public, recalled from Flanders, Cumberland proceeded with preparations for quelling the Stuart uprising. The Jacobite army had advanced southwards into England, hoping that English Jacobites would rise, however, after receiving only limited support such as the Manchester Regiment, the followers of Charles decided to withdraw to Scotland. Cumberland joined the Midland army under Ligonier, and began pursuit of the enemy, carlisle was retaken, and he was recalled to London, where preparations were in hand to meet an expected French invasion. Arriving in Edinburgh on 30 January 1746, he at once proceeded in search of Charles and he made a detour to Aberdeen, where he spent some time training the well-equipped forces now under his command for the next stage of the conflict in which they were about to engage. He trained his troops to hold their fire until the enemy came within firing range, fire once
10.
John Cope (British Army officer)
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Sir John Cope KB was a British general and member of parliament. Although a successful officer in the Wars of the Spanish and Austrian Succession, Cope was the oldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Cope of Icomb, Gloucestershire. His grandfather disapproved of his fathers marriage and entailed the family estate so that John could not inherit it when his father died, John was educated at Westminster School around 1700, and appointed page to Lord Raby, then ambassador at Berlin, in 1706. Raby commissioned Cope a cornet in his regiment, the Royal Regiment of Dragoons in 1707, Cope was committed to the care of General Stanhope, who appointed him an aide-de-camp in 1708. These connections secured Copes rapid advance and he purchased a captaincy in Wades Regiment of Foot in 1709, which he shortly thereafter exchanged for one in Lord Peterboroughs Regiment of Dragoons. On 7 October 1710, he became captain and lieutenant-colonel in the 3rd Foot Guards, on 1 April 1712, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of Macartneys Regiment of Foot, but immediately exchanged to the same position, on 2 April, in Wynnes Regiment of Foot. He was breveted a colonel in 1713, with effect from 17 November 1711. Copes rise during the war had been rapid, and he had also married Jane, with the later he had one son, James Cope Cope received the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 2nd Foot Guards in 1715, and of the 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards in 1720. He now sought to enter Parliament on the Government interest, a steady supporter of Robert Walpole, he was returned for Queenborough in the 1722 election. At the 1727 election, he was put in for Liskeard instead and his rise in the army continued, he was appointed colonel of the 39th Regiment of Foot in 1730, and transferred to the 5th Regiment of Foot in 1732. He unsuccessfully contested Orford in the 1734 election, promoted brigadier-general in 1735 and appointed colonel of the 9th Regiment of Dragoons on 27 June 1737, he obtained a seat at Orford in a by-election in 1738. Promoted major-general on 2 July 1739, Cope became colonel of the 7th Regiment of Dragoons on 12 August 1741 and he did not stand in the 1741 election. In the summer of 1742, he went abroad with the Pragmatic Army under Field-Marshal Lord Stair to fight in the War of the Austrian Succession. He led the line of cavalry at the Battle of Dettingen. In 1745 in his role as Commander-in-Chief in Scotland, Cope was in command of the government forces at the Battle of Prestonpans and was defeated by the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart and his men broke and ran as the result of a highland charge. The battle is commemorated by Adam Skirvings heavily mythologized song Heigh, johnnie Cowp, are ye wauken yet. However, Cope was later court-martialled and exonerated of such charges, anyone who scrutinizes it closely can only conclude that the Board was correct. Cope is said to have made a large amount wagering that his replacement would be defeated by the clans just as he had been, though cleared of any charges, Cope never commanded in the field again and died in 1760
11.
Henry Hawley
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Lieutenant General Henry Hawley was a British Army officer who entered the army in 1694. He was born about 1685 and was given a commission in the army aged 9 years old and he saw service in the War of Spanish Succession as a captain of Eries Foot. After Almanza he returned to England, and a few years later had become lieutenant-colonel of the 19th, with this regiment he served at Sheriffmuir in 1715, where he was wounded. Four years later he accompanied George II and Stair to Germany, George II was the last British monarch to lead his army into battle. Becoming lieutenant-general somewhat later, he was second-in-command of the cavalry at Fontenoy, less than a month later Hawley suffered a severe defeat at Falkirk at the hands of the Jacobite insurgents. This, however, did not cost him his command, for the Duke of Cumberland, after the end of the Forty-Five he accompanied Cumberland to the Low Countries and led the allied cavalry at Lauffeld. He ended his career as governor of Portsmouth and died at that place in 1759 and he was buried in the parish church of St Mary in Hartley Wintney in Hampshire, near his family home, West Green House. James Wolfe, his brigade-major, wrote of General Hawley in no flattering terms, the troops dread his severity, hate the man and hold his military knowledge in contempt, he wrote. But, whether it be true or false that he was the son of George II, Hawley was always treated with the greatest favour by that king. This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh. Henry Hawley in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, doi,10. 1093/ref, odnb/12696
12.
Highbridge Skirmish
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The Highbridge Skirmish was the first engagement of the Jacobite Rising of 1745 between British Government troops and Jacobites loyal to Prince Charles Edward Stuart. It took place at Highbridge, Lochaber, on the River Spean on 16 August 1745, shortly after Prince Charles had landed he met up firstly with the Chief of Clan Cameron of Lochiel and the Chief of the Clan MacDonald of Clan Ranald. They were to reinforce the government garrison at Fort William, the government troops, some 85 men strong, marched along the road which had been built by the government to link the two forts directly. They met no resistance until they reached High Bridge over the River Spean, the bridge itself had been completed by General Wade less than ten years previously, as part of a network of military roads designed to facilitate troop movements across the Highlands. On the Bridge, Major Donald MacDonald of Tir nan dris with a mere 11 men and 1 piper, all of the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, stood armed with swords and muskets, ready to meet the approaching enemy. Captain Scott halted his men and sent forward a sergeant and servant to negotiate, Scott then ordered his men to retreat and they began marching back the way they came. As they did so, they were fired on both sides of the road. Captain Scotts men returned fire but he and his men were forced to change direction, before this fire had been opened, bands of Jacobites were proceeding in the direction of the bridge to assist in the attack. In this dilemma he formed his men into a hollow square, meanwhile, MacDonald of Keppochs men, headed by the chief, hastened the pursuit. The Royal Scots eventually found themselves surrounded on all sides by the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch. MacDonald of Keppoch advanced alone to Scotts party, required them to surrender, and offered them quarters, but assured them, soon after the chief of Clan Cameron of Lochiel arrived and took charge of the prisoners, whom he carried to his own house at Achnacarry. It is said that the Jacobites did not lose a man, later that day, Tir nan dris presented Captain Scotts captured grey gelding to Prince Charles at the raising of his standard at Glenfinnan. This incident marked the commencement of the 1745 Jacobite uprising against the Hanoverian crown, the High Bridge itself was superseded by a later bridge in 1819, and collapsed in 1913
13.
Siege of Ruthven Barracks (1745)
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The Siege of Ruthven Barracks that took place in August 1745 was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 29 August 1745 a force of 300 Jacobite rebels marched on the Government held Ruthven Barracks, the barracks were under the command of Sergeant Terrance Molloy who had with him only 14 private soldiers. The Jacobites came to the gate of the barracks and demanded that Molloy surrender, Molloy was defiant and refused despite the Jacobites telling him that they would hang him and his men if he refused. The Jacobites then retreated some distance, at nightfall 150 Jacobites returned and attacked the barracks. They set fire to the gate but the defending soldiers managed to put it out. The man who started the fire was spotted and became an early victim, at about half past three in the morning the Jacobites withdrew. Sergeant Molloy then agreed to speak to two of the Jacobite leaders but he still refused terms of surrender, however Molloy did agree to allow the Jacobites to remove their dead and wounded. The Jacobites had lost two men dead and several others wounded, the Government soldiers had only lost one man dead when he raised his head above the parapet despite orders to keep his head down. The Jacobites then left Ruthven but not without stealing many provisions from the residents of Ruthven Village, Sergeant Molloy was immediately promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. On 10 February 1746,300 Jacobites returned to attack Ruthven Barracks again, Siege of Ruthven Barracks Jacobite risings Jacobite rising of 1745
14.
Battle of Prestonpans
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The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The battle took place at 4 am on 21 September 1745, the Jacobite army loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart and led by his son Charles Edward Stuart defeated the government army loyal to the Hanoverian George II led by Sir John Cope. The inexperienced government troops were outflanked and broke in the face of a highland charge, the victory was a huge morale boost for the Jacobites, and a heavily mythologised version of the story entered art and legend. Initially known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, it was fought at Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland on that towns borders with Tranent, Cockenzie. As part of the War of the Austrian Succession, George II had sent most of the British army to the continent of Europe to do battle with their long-time enemy, the French. In May 1745 at the Battle of Fontenoy, both suffered heavy casualties, but the French carried the day and forced the allied British. Maintaining the offensive, the French invaded and captured a number of Flemish towns through 1745, with only 6,000 troops left in England, and the majority of those on the continent having been recently defeated, Charles Edward Stuart saw an opportunity to re-open the Jacobite Rising. He mounted a campaign to take Scotland and England with an eye towards reclaiming what he considered to be his fathers two kingdoms. Sir John Cope, the general commanding the government forces in Scotland, actually commanded less than 4,000 men, most of his troops were recently raised and inexperienced. Acting on this advice, Cope marched with his infantry and artillery towards Fort Augustus in the central Highlands to overawe the Highland clans and he found that supposedly well-affected clans were evading calls to take up arms on behalf of the government, using a variety of excuses. On 25 August Cope heard that the army, whose strength he overestimated, was preparing to oppose him at Corryarrack. He turned about and marched instead to Inverness, Prince Charless officers briefly considered pursuing Cope, but instead they decided to march into the Lowlands, which Cope had left almost undefended. They reached Perth on 4 September, where the Jacobite army was joined by two prominent Highland nobles, the 3rd Duke of Perth and Lord George Murray, who was appointed Lieutenant General, on 11 September, Prince Charless army resumed its advance south. The regiment of dragoons opposing them retreated in disorder to Edinburgh, brigadier Thomas Fowke had recently arrived at Edinburgh to take charge of the cavalry and some reinforcements. He decided that the two regiments of dragoons he took over were in no state to face the Jacobite army and ordered a further retreat, which was marked by unnecessary panics and alarms. On 16 September, some of Prince Charless army captured the city with little or no fighting, Cope meanwhile had marched to Aberdeen, where he had urgently ordered ships to proceed and embark his army. On the day Edinburgh was captured, his troops began to disembark at Dunbar, despite the poor state of his cavalry and artillery, Cope determined to engage the Jacobite army. He had good intelligence that the Jacobite army numbered just under 2,000 men, mostly composed of fit and hardy men and his officers apparently believed that the rebels would never attack a single force including both infantry and cavalry
15.
Siege of Carlisle (November 1745)
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The siege and capture of Carlisle was an important event of the 1745 to 1746 Jacobite Uprising. Jacobite forces loyal to Prince Charles Edward Stuart captured the city of Carlisle and Carlisle Castle on 14 -15 November 1745, Charles Stuart had decided to meet and attack him on hilly grounds between Newcastle and Carlisle. Leaving a sufficient force to blockade Carlisle he departed with the remainder of his army on the morning of 11 November 1745. Stuart reached Brampton at about ten oclock and despatched a party of horse led by a Colonel in the direction of Hexham to reconnoitre, the Colonel returned with news that General George Wades march to Hexham had been false. Charles waited at Brampton for two days without hearing anything of Wade, a council of war was then held at which several opinions were offered. One opinion was that Charles should march to Newcastle and give battle to Wade. Some of the thought that this would be a dangerous move. Other opinions included returning to Scotland until they were joined by a body of Jacobite allies. Lord George Murray was a respected Jacobite commander whose father, the Duke of Atholl in fact supported the British Government, lord George opposed all of these views and proposed that half of their force should stay at Brampton while the other half besieged Carlisle. James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth supported Murrays opinion and offered to take charge of the force to attack Carlisle if Murray took command of the blockade. The attacking party left the body of the Jacobite army in Brampton, cutting down wood in Corby and Warwick parks to make scaling ladders. On 13 November at about noon, the regiments appointed for the blockade, lord George Murray took up his quarters at Harbery and posted his men in the villages around the city to stop all communication with it. The besieging party broke ground during the evening within musket shot of the city walls, the citys garrison constantly fired upon the attacking force but as the Jacobites were operating under the shroud of night they received no injuries. The Jacobites soon brought up all of their cannon which consisted of thirteen pieces to attack the town with, alarmed by the preparations of the Jacobites and the state of affairs within the city a meeting of the English inhabitants was held and it was decided to surrender the town. For seven days the inhabitants of the town were kept in constant alarm by the Jacobites presence in Brampton followed by the siege, many of the inhabitants refused to defend the town due to illness and many numbers of them were leaving by slipping over the walls. A white flag was exhibited from the walls and a messenger was despatched to the Duke of Perth to request terms, however, Prince Charles refused to grant any terms to the city unless Carlisle Castle was surrendered as well. Colonel Durand, the commander of the castle, agreed to surrender the fortress along with the town and this capitulation was signed by the Duke of Perth and Colonel Durand on the night of 14 November 1745. The next morning of the 15th, the Duke of Perth, Carlisle Castle however was not given up until the next morning
16.
Clifton Moor Skirmish
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The Clifton Moor Skirmish took place between forces of the United Kingdom Hanoverian government and Jacobite rebels on Wednesday 18 December 1745. Charles began his retreat from Derby on 6 December 1745 and this is sometimes claimed as the last battle on English soil, but there are numerous other claimants such as the Battle of Graveney Marsh, fought in 1940. In this article, dates are given in the Julian calendar in use in England at the time, the Jacobite army stayed on the first night of retreat at the town of Ashbourne, Derbyshire. They reached the town of Leek the following day, however, Leek being too small to accommodate the entire army, Elchos and Pitsligos horse and Ogilvys and Roy Stuarts regiments of foot, went to the town of Macclesfield where they stayed the night. The remainder of the army which had stayed at Leek came to Macclesfield the next day, on the 9th both of the Jacobite divisions met on the road to Manchester and entered the city as one body. The Jacobite army left Manchester on the 10th and reached Wigan that night, the next day they reached Preston where they stayed until the 12th. James Drummond, the Duke of Perth, was dispatched with 100 horse to travel north, the Prince and his Jacobite army arrived in Lancaster on the evening of the 13th. Charles had decided to stay and fight at Lancaster, a survey of the surrounding ground at Lancaster was carried out by the Jacobite commanders Lord George Murray and Cameron of Lochiel. Charles changed his mind and decided to continue with their march back north, the government forces under Wade and the Duke of Cumberland had not arrived in Macclesfield until the 10th of December, the day the Jacobites had arrived in Wigan. At Macclesfield the duke received intelligence that the Jacobites had left Manchester that day, leaving Lancaster on the 15th, Charles army was scarcely out of the town when some of the government horse entered it. The Jacobite army entered Kendal that night, where they were met by the Duke of Perth, on the advice of Murray the Jacobite army then marched to the village of Shap where they passed the night from the 16th-17th. On the 17th, on orders from Charles, the Jacobite army marched to the village of Clifton, on the morning of the 18th the Jacobite rearguard left Shap. It had not proceeded far when some parties of English light horse were seen in the distance on the eminences behind the rear-guard, Lord George Murray notified the circumstances to Charles at Penrith, but it was believed that these were militia and the information was treated lightly. A body of between 200 and 300 horse of the Duke of Cumberlands forces formed on Thrimby Hill in front of the rear-guard to make a stand, the government party was observed marching two and two abreast on the top of the hill. They disappeared to form themselves in order of battle behind the eminence, at this time two of the companies of Roy Stuarts regiment, which the Duke of Perth had attached to the artillery, were at the head of the column. The guns and ammunition wagons followed, behind the two companies of the same regiment. The Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry regiment, which marched with Lord George Murray at its head, was in the rear of the column. Believing, from the number of trumpets and kettle-drums, that the British army was at hand
17.
Siege of Carlisle (December 1745)
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The Siege of Carlisle took place during the Jacobite rising of 1745–46 after Charles Edward Stuart was forced to retreat north back into Scotland. The Jacobite garrison left to hold Carlisle surrendered to overwhelming Hanoverian forces under the Duke of Cumberland, the prisoners were held in a dungeon in Carlisle Castle without food, water or sanitation facilities until they were brought out for execution. The so-called licking-stones, where desperate prisoners licked the walls to obtain some moisture, the executions were staggered, with some of the officers sent to London to be hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason. Siege of Carlisle The Bonnie Banks o Loch Lomond
18.
Siege of Fort Augustus (December 1745)
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The first siege of Fort Augustus took place in December 1745 and was part of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. A force of 600 men from the recently formed Independent Highland Companies, the Clan Fraser had originally supported the British Government during the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 -1716. However, during the rebellion of 1745 -1746 a large number of them supported the Jacobite cause, Lord Lovat had allowed his son to go off with a band of Frasers to join the Jacobite leader Prince Charles. The idea was that Lord Lovat would be made a hostage for the behavior of his clan. However, Lord Lovat who had agreed to this move escaped from his home at Castle Downie. This move was to any more of the Clan Fraser joining his son. Lord Lovat made the excuse that he could not govern his son and some of the young men of his name
19.
Battle of Inverurie (1745)
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For the battle of the same name during the Wars of Scottish Independence see, Battle of Inverurie. The second Battle of Inverurie took place on 23 December 1745 and was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745 in Scotland, Lord Lewis Gordon had been raising Jacobite forces and had managed to create two battalions. James Moir of Stoneywood commanded one battalion and Gordon of Abbachy commanded the other, Lord Lewis Gordon had also raised a considerable sum of money, but he was thwarted by his brother, Cosmo George Gordon, 3rd Duke of Gordon, who supported the British Government. MacLeod gained support from George Munro, 1st of Culcairn with 200 men, Lord Lewis Gordon ordered his men to fall back to Aberdeen where he was joined by a number of men from Forfarshire and Kincardineshire. He was also joined by Lord Drummons French troops who had just landed in Montrose, later he was also joined by 300 men of the Clan Farquharson as well as his own two battalions under James Moir of Stoneywood. The Laird of Grant fearing for his own country decided to return home, MacLeod however thought otherwise, he advanced and occupied the town of Inverurie,16 miles north-west of Aberdeen. Lord Lewis Gordon on hearing of MacLeods incautious movement was determined to attack his opponent, Lord Lewis Gordon moved from Aberdeen on 23 December with 1,100 men and 5 pieces of cannon which had been taken off a ship in the harbour. At about four oclock in the afternoon the French party, who had marched by the bank of the River Don, dashed into the river. They then attacked the Macleods on the south-west side of Inverurie, the MacLeods opened fire from the ditches and from behind walls, but were outnumbered, and being vigorously pressed, they gave way and retreated, and were pushed back to Elgin. The chief of the MacLeods gathered his men, and while retreating, an account of MacLeods actions are given in contemporary documents the Culloden Papers which belonged to Forbes of Culloden. 20th century historian Ruairi MacLeod gives an account of the Battle of Inverurie in volume LIII of the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, Ruairi MacLeod states that the rebel advance was led by the French Picquets, crossing the river Urie at the ford south of Inverurie. MacLeod brought about 60 of his men to the ford to engage them and it was here that the rebels lost most of their casualties, MacLeod then brought 300 men together at the south of the town and fired three or four volleys. The rebels then crossed the river, although 100 of them deserted, the MacLeods then retired down the main street of Inverurie, leaving all their possessions behind, turning once to fire. At the north of the town they turned more to fire. According to Ruairi MacLeod the Government troops lost seven dead, five killed in battle, the Government troops suffered fifteen wounded with the enemy, seven wounded brought back to Elgin and fifty-nine taken prisoner. The rebels concealed their number of dead but a Jacobite present at the battle admitted fourteen dead and a Government officer estimated that the rebels had lost between 30 -40 dead. Many of MacLeods men were killed, and about fifty were taken prisoner, including two of his allies who were a Gordon, the younger son of Gordon of Ardoch. Also taken prisoner was John Chalmers, formerly Principal and Professor of Kings College, most of the MacLeods including their chief retreated safely back to their own country
20.
Battle of Falkirk Muir
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During the Jacobite rising of 1745, the Battle of Falkirk Muir on 17 January 1746 was the last noteworthy Jacobite success. The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Historic Environment Act 2011, lieutenant General Henry Hawley led his troops from Edinburgh to relieve Blakeney. The Jacobite army was 8,000 strong, the largest assembled throughout the Rising and they were pitched against a regular Hanoverian army. The battle itself was a hectic and scrambling affair, fought in a storm of wind and torrential rain, the Jacobite army left Glasgow on 3 January in two columns. One column of six Highland battalions, led by Lord George Murray marched towards Falkirk, via Cumbernauld, instead he turned north before reaching Falkirk and moved just outside Stirling in Bannockburn. Murray stationed Lord Elcho at Linlithgow with a detachment of cavalry to patrol the road to Edinburgh, Charles Edward Stuart moved another column to Bannockburn via Kilsyth. There he set his headquarters and resided at Bannockburn House as the guest of Sir Hugh Paterson, Lord John Drummond set forth from Perth with four thousand men and heavy artillery. Now boasting a force of 8,000 men the Jacobites sent a drummer to Stirling on 5 January demanding the surrender of the town, a garrison of 500 militiamen responded by shooting at the drummer who then ran for his life. Three days later the council agreed to surrender. Yet, Stirling Castle itself was held by a garrison of trained militiamen and troops under the command of Major General William Blakeney. Thereupon Charles Stuart ordered the castle to be besieged and he entrusted this task to a French artillery expert of Scottish descent, Monsieur Mirabel de Gordon. Gordon chose a location in digging trenches for the Jacobite cannons, lower. Following the victory at Falkirk the cannon would be destroyed after firing a single shot, because of the mans demonstrated incapacity, the Scots afterward referred to Mirabel as Mr. Admirable. At the same time, dissension arose as the Highland chiefs resented Charles Stuarts decision to not hold councils, also causing concern was Charless continued drinking. As this went on, General Hawley brought an army of 13,000 from Newcastle upon Tyne to Edinburgh, Lord Elcho fell back to Falkirk where he met Lord George Murray. Hawley advanced with his army of 6,000 on 15 January, intending to relieve Stirling Castle, whereupon Murray. The Jacobites planned for battle on 15 January at Plean Muir and they were expecting an attack from Hawleys forces, but it never came. Hawley was encamped at Falkirk, and showed no signs of moving, thus, on the morning of 17 January, the Jacobites planned an offensive
21.
Siege of Stirling Castle (1746)
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The Siege of Stirling Castle took place in Stirling, Scotland between 18 January 1746 and 1 February 1746, and was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745. The castle was defended by British-Hanoverian Government troops against the besieging Jacobites, on 14 September the Jacobites squeezed through the space between the extremity of the Touch Hills and the castle rock, bringing them within range of Blakeney’s artillery. Blakeney opened fire at the Jacobite’s white flag hoping to hit the Chevalier himself and he fired four times but without success, the cannon being only a 6-pounder and at a distance of a mile and a half. The people of Stirling then emerged to watch the Jacobites pass through St. Ninians on the far side of the narrows. The Prince and the Jacobites had at that time no intention of conflict with the Red coats in Stirling Castle, by 26 December 1745 Prince Charless army were in Glasgow, and they departed from there on 3 January 1746. Charless military priority was now to seize Stirling Castle which commanded the high-arched Stirling Bridge which was the lowest permanent crossing of the River Forth, the regular garrison of Stirling had actually been reduced to bolster the forces at Edinburgh. However Major General William Blakeney could call on the service of the regulars,320 of militia, his Volunteer Battalion of 200 men. The castle was strong both by its nature and also thanks to a recent programme of re-fortification, the town of Stirling surrendered to the Jacobites on 8 January 1746 and this freed the expert gunner Colonel James Grant to bring three 4-pounders to bear on Stirling Castle. Instead on 19 January 1746 Prince Charles left Lord George Murray with the regiments in Falkirk. The Prince accepted Mirabelle de Gordon’s advice and in doing so is probably the tactical mistake that can be most firmly pinned on him, the siege works on Gowan Hill fell chiefly on the Irish Picquets, who suffered daily casualties from snipers and bombs from the coehorn mortars. One of the Jacobite cannon barrels was found afterwards to have been hit no less than nine times, on hearing of the Duke’s arrival, Prince Charles sent his Secretary of State, Sir John Murray of Broughton to Lord George Murrray at Falkirk to prepare a battle plan. During the Jacobite’s retreat from Stirling to St Ninians, the church of St Ninians was blown up and it was believed by the local Presbyterians that it had been blown up deliberately, but it is more likely that it was blown up when the powder was being removed. One of the Protestant Jacobites, John Cameron, who was minister to the regiment of Cameron of Lochiel, was passing by the church in open carriage when it blew up. He was in the company of the wife of Murray of Broughton who was thrown from the chaise and was concussed, nine of the townspeople and a number of Jacobites were buried in the ruins of the church. Jacobite rising of 1745 Stirling Castle
22.
Siege of Ruthven Barracks (1746)
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The Siege of Ruthven Barracks that took place over the 10 –11 February 1746 was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745. In August 1745 the Jacobites had unsuccessfully laid siege to the barracks being repulsed by a group of Government soldiers. However the Jacobites returned in February 1746 this time equipped with cannon, after the Government surrender the Jacobites burned Ruthven Barracks, although the damage must have been slight because they were still in use afterwards. Siege of Ruthven Barracks Jacobite risings Jacobite rising of 1745
23.
Moy, Highland
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The village of Moy is situated between the villages of Daviot and Tomatin, in the Highland region of Scotland. It sits beside Loch Moy and used to have a station on the Inverness. On 16 February 1746 Charles Edward Stuart spent the night at Moy Hall, sure enough, during the night several hundred Hanoverian troops were detected marching down the road. The Mackintosh defenders started beating their swords on rocks, jumping from place to place, thinking that they had been ambushed, the British troops retreated to Inverness, an event known as the Rout of Moy. There was only one casualty of this incident, the piper for the Hanoverian troops, possibly a McCrimmon of the famous MacCrimmon piping family, was killed
24.
Siege of Inverness (1746)
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The Siege of Inverness took place in February 1746 and was part of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. By early February 1746 John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, supporter of the British government had nearly 2000 men under his command, the Independent Companies were then transported over the Cromarty Firth, then over the Dornoch Firth and into Sutherland without loss. The Old Fort George had somewhat cramped lines of defence, with the tower of the tower house still standing inside the newer bastioned rampart. However, OSullivan noticed that the foundations were unstable and made the bastion facing the bridge vulnerable to mining and that evening OSullivan and Colonel James Grant set their men to work in opening the mine. They built an emplacement on the Bara Hill overnight, and on the morning of the 20 February they opened fire with their cannon. Major George Grant with good reason, feared that the rampart would be blown up beneath him and this did however cost the life of one of his French sergeants who was inspecting a demolition charge that had hung fire. The two Government Independent Highland Companies that had captured were later reformed after the Battle of Culloden
25.
Siege of Fort Augustus (March 1746)
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The Siege of Fort Augustus was a conflict that took place over two days in 1746 during the Jacobite rising of 1745. A rebel Jacobite force succeeded in taking the fort from British-Hanoverian forces in March 1746, the Jacobites then used cannons that they had captured at Fort Augustus to lay siege to Fort William. The Jacobites were fortunate in that Fort Augustus had been designed more, for ornament than strength, as a demonstration of the Hanoverian presence in the Scottish Highlands. The fort was sited and the curtain walls were feeble. Further, vital installations on the fort were installed in full view in conical towers on top of the four bastions, the government garrison of Fort Augustus was no more powerful than that that had been in Fort George, consisting of three companies of Guises 6th Regiment. However, the governor of the fort, Major Hu Wentworth, the troops who were placed in the barracks were evicted by a straightforward assault by French troops who were led by Lieutenant Colonel Walter Stapleton. This enabled the Jacobite Colonel James Grant to open his first trenches against the fort on 3 March 1746, the result was that the explosion breached the bastion beneath, laying the fort open wide to an assault and the governor of the fort surrendered without further ado. He was later court-martialed and dismissed from service for doing so, culloden Moor and the Story of the Battle - Chapter 1 - Events Before the Battle
26.
Siege of Fort William
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The siege of Fort William, Scotland was part of the Jacobite rising of 1745. The siege began on 20 March 1746 and lasted for two weeks, prior to the siege the Jacobites had forced the surrender of Fort Augustus after a siege of just two days, from where they proceeded to Fort William with cannons they had taken from Fort Augustus. After the Jacobites successful siege of Fort Augustus attention of both sides shifted towards Fort William which was the last remaining strong point in the Great Glen. The Duke of Cumberland apparently looked upon it as the fort in the Scottish Highlands of any consequence. Fort William was more solidly built than Fort Augustus and its shape was calculated to take advantage of the cover afforded by the head of Loch Linnhe. Fort Williams armament consisted of six 12-pounder cannon, eight 6-pounders, seven smaller pieces, there was also plenty of ammunition but the fort did not have a permanent supply of water. On 25 February 1746, the government garrison of the fort began demolishing the town of Maryburgh so as to clear a field of fire. However, nothing could be done to stop the besiegers using the outlying heights, the garrison was supported by the sloop of war Baltimore and she had been joined by the bomb vessel the Serpant on 15 February. In their letters they both claimed many war crimes had been committed against them by the Campbells, including the burning of 400 homes in a single day. The Jacobites focused their seaward blockade down Loch Linnhe at the Corran Narrows and it was reported that the Jacobites had two men killed and many wounded during this action. The Jacobites opened fire on the fort on 20 March and the scheme of attack was carried out by Mirabelle de Gordon who put the weight on artillery. On the 22 March, the Jacobites sent a drummer to Captain Scott with a letter requiring him to surrender, the 6-inch guns apparently caused Captain Scott some concern but his gunners were hammering back effectively. It was impossible for the Jacobites to get near to the ramparts of the fort without being seen because the nights were clear, the only chance they had of getting to grips with the enemy was when parties left the fort for water. The Jacobites became frustrated and there were feuds between the Camerons and the MacDonalds of Keppoch, as well as between the Highlanders and the French as a whole, there were also apparently feuds between John Murray of Broughton who was the Princes Secretary and almost everyone else. MacDonald of Keppoch had apparently threatened to beat Murray with a stick, on 27 March the Jacobites unmasked a battery of four 6-pounder pieces on the ground above the Governors garden, and so the emphasis of attack shifted from the mortars to the cannon. On the 28 March the Jacobites opened up an artillery attack east of the fort with red-hot shot with the aim of making the interior of the fort untenable. Further missiles included cold roundshot, grapeshot, old nails and red-hot lengths of notched iron that were intended to lodge in the timbers, the relief between the Camerons and MacDonalds of Keppoch was apparently muddled, leaving the battery unprotected at the crucial moment. As a result the government sortie was able to spike two of the Jacobites 6-inch mortars and a 6-pounder cannon and they were also able to capture and bring back two more 6-inch mortars and three French 4-pounder cannons
27.
Siege of Blair Castle
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The Siege of Blair Castle was a conflict that took place in Scotland in March 1746 and was part of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. In February 1746, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, arrived at Perth in command of the king’s army, the Duke sent two detachments from several regiments of infantry to secure the area of Atholl. One detachment of 200 men, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Webster, was sent to occupy Castle Menzies, home of the chief of the Clan Menzies and this was in order to secure passage of the Tay bridge. A second detachment of 300 men commanded by Sir Andrew Agnew, 5th Baronet, Blair Castle was the seat of James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl. James Murray actually supported the British government, but most of his clan supported the Jacobite House of Stuart and were under the command of his brother Lord George Murray. On the morning of 17 March, all of the detached outposts surrounding the castle were taken by surprise and captured by the Jacobites, the rebel Jacobites then proceeded to fire at the castle from close range. The government garrison, now reduced to about 270, was ordered to different parts of the castle with orders not to unless they were attacked. They sent a summons to the castle requiring Andrew Agnew to surrender the castle, garrison, military stores, the terms of surrender were refused by Agnew. On 19 March, Agnew sent out a man on horse in an attempt to reach the Earl of Crawford, however, this was assumed to have failed when a short time later a Jacobite was seen on the horse the messenger had been riding. On 1 April, news reached the garrison that Lord George Murray and this is believed to have been because Murray had received an order to join the forces of the young pretender Charles Edward Stuart near Inverness. On 2 April, George Lindsay-Crawford, 21st Earl of Crawford and it turned out that the man sent out by Agnew had fallen from his horse when being fired at by the Jacobites. The messenger escaped on foot and was able to contact with Crawford. Agnews men had been close to starvation when the siege was lifted, Lord George Murray and his men met up with the army of Charles Edward Stuart and were defeated a few weeks later at the Battle of Culloden. The Royal Scots Fusiliers also fought at Culloden, but on the British Government side
28.
Skirmish of Tongue
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The Skirmish of Tongue was a battle that took place in March 1746 near Tongue in the Scottish Highlands during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Captain George Mackay, Sir Harry Munro, Lord Charles Gordon, John MacLeod, Lieutenant Reid, the sergeants each received £50 and the privates each got £7 or £8 which was the equivalent to eight or nine months pay. By the fact that money and supplies had been cut off that were destined for the Jacobites
29.
Battle of Littleferry
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The Battle of Littleferry took place during the Jacobite rising in 1746, just before the Battle of Culloden. Scottish forces loyal to the British government defeated a Scottish Jacobite force and this Jacobite force comprised some of their best fighting men, the MacGregors, Coll Macdonnell of Barrisdale, the Mackinnons and the Jacobite Mackenzies under George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie. This force arrived too late to be of any assistance to their allies who had captured at the Skirmish of Tongue. William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland was loyal to the Hanoverian government and this led to a suspicion in London that Sutherland might be disloyal. However, the Jacobites also questioned Sutherlands loyalty, and the Jacobite Earl of Cromartie was sent with 500 men against the Earl of Sutherland, Cromarties force stormed Dunrobin Castle, the Earl of Sutherland narrowly escaped them through a back door of the castle. The Earl of Cromartie and his force decided to re-join the main Jacobite force under Prince Charles at Inverness, however, there were still some Sutherland men in the hills above Dunrobin. Led by Ensign Mackay, the Sutherland men came down from the hills near Golspie, most of the Jacobite officers were captured, many of the men were killed, and the rest were driven onto the beach, where several were drowned trying to swim Loch Fleet. Most of Cromarties men were killed or taken prisoner and thus denied the Prince much needed reinforcements. Cromartie, who had captured and detained at Dunrobin Castle was put on a vessel that carried him to London. Cromartie, along with Lord Kilmarnock, Lord Lovat, and Lord Balmerino were all impeached of high treason, tried, Cromartie was later pardoned, but the others were executed. Despite this victory, some in the government in London were still inclined to associate the Sutherlands with the Cromartie rebels that they had defeated. The Earl of Sutherland spent several years before his death in 1750 attempting to obtain compensation from the government for the damage done to his estates by the rebels. Keltie, John Scott, History of the Scottish Highlands, Highland Clans and Highland Regiments, Edinburgh, updated edition of Browne, transcribed at ElectricScotland. com
30.
Battle of Culloden
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The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745 and part of a religious civil war in Britain. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart were decisively defeated by loyalist troops commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, queen Anne died in 1714, with no living children, she was the last monarch of the House of Stuart. The conflict was the last pitched battle fought on British soil, Charles Stuarts Jacobite army consisted largely of Catholics and Episcopalians, mainly Scots but with a small detachment of Englishmen from the Manchester Regiment. The Jacobites were supported and supplied by the Kingdom of France from Irish, between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded in the brief battle. Government losses were lighter with 50 dead and 259 wounded although recent geophysical studies on the government burial pit suggest the figure for deaths to be nearer 300. Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender and he successfully raised forces, mainly of Scottish Highland clansmen, and slipped past the Hanoverian stationed in Scotland and defeated a force of militiamen at the Battle of Prestonpans. The British government recalled forces from the war with France in Flanders to deal with the rebellion, after a lengthy wait, Charles persuaded his generals that English Jacobites would stage an uprising in support of his cause. He was convinced that France would launch an invasion of England as well and his army of around 5,000 invaded England on 8 November 1745. They advanced through Carlisle and Manchester to Derby and a position where they appeared to threaten London, the Jacobites met only token resistance. There was, however, little support from English Jacobites, the armies of Field Marshal George Wade and of William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, were approaching. In addition to the militia, London was defended by nearly 6,000 infantry,700 horse and 33 artillery pieces, the Jacobite general, Lord George Murray, and the Council of War insisted on returning to join their growing force in Scotland. On 6 December 1745, they withdrew, with Charles Edward Stuart leaving command to Murray, on the long march back to Scotland, the Highland Army wore out its boots and demanded all the boots and shoes of the townspeople of Dumfries as well as money and hospitality. The Jacobites reached Glasgow on 25 December, there they reprovisioned, having threatened to sack the city, and were joined by a few thousand additional men. They then defeated the forces of General Henry Hawley at the Battle of Falkirk Muir, the Duke of Cumberland arrived in Edinburgh on 30 January to take over command of the government army from General Hawley. He then marched north along the coast, with the army being supplied by sea, six weeks were spent at Aberdeen training. The Kings forces continued to pressure Charles and he retired north, losing men and failing to take Stirling Castle or Fort William. But he invested Fort Augustus and Fort George in Inverness-shire in early April, Charles then took command again, and insisted on fighting a defensive action. Hugh Rose of Kilravock entertained Charles Edward Stuart and the Duke of Cumberland respectively on 14 and 15 April 1746, Charles manners and deportment were described by his host as most engaging
31.
Williamite War in Ireland
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It is also called the Jacobite War in Ireland or the Williamite–Jacobite War in Ireland. The cause of the war was the deposition of James as King of the Three Kingdoms in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, James was supported by the mostly Catholic Jacobites in Ireland and hoped to use the country as a base to regain his Three Kingdoms. He was given support by France to this end. For this reason, the war part of a wider European conflict known as the Nine Years War. Some Protestants of the established Church in Ireland also fought on the side of King James, James was opposed in Ireland by the mostly Protestant Williamites, who were concentrated in the north of the country. William landed a force in Ireland, composed of English, Scottish, Dutch, Danish and other troops. James left Ireland after a reverse at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, William defeated Jacobitism in Ireland and subsequent Jacobite risings were confined to Scotland and England. However, the War was to have an effect on Ireland, confirming British. The iconic Williamite victories of the Siege of Derry and the Battle of the Boyne are still celebrated by unionists in Ireland today, the war in Ireland began as a direct consequence of the Glorious Revolution in England. James II of England and Ireland, VII of Scotland, who was a Roman Catholic, attempted to introduce freedom of religion for Catholics and bypass the English Parliament to introduce unpopular laws. For many in England, this was an unpleasant reminder of the rule of Charles I, whose conflict with the Parliament led to the outbreak of the English Civil War. The breaking point in James relationship with the English political class came in June 1688 when his wife gave birth to a son. This fear led some political figures to conspire to invite William III, stadtholder of the provinces of the Dutch Republic. William had indicated that such an invitation would be a condition for a military intervention, the Dutch Republic was at the brink of war with the France of Louis XIV, then the greatest military power in Europe. William invaded England in November 1688, Williams invasion fleet was aided by favourable weather that gave him weather gage over the British fleet, allowing him to outmaneuver them and land unopposed. William landed at Brixham on 5 November 1688 with 18,000 troops, James fled to France after putting up only a token resistance. In 1689, Prince William and his wife Princess Mary Stuart became co-regents as King William III, however, while James II was unpopular in England, he had widespread popular support in Ireland. They had been defeated by 1652 and were punished by the English Commonwealth regime with land confiscations and they were largely disappointed with the failure of King Charles II to completely reverse this situation in the Act of Settlement 1662
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Jacobite assassination plot 1696
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The Jacobite assassination plot 1696 was an unsuccessful attempt led by George Barclay to ambush and kill William III of England in early 1696. One of a series of plots by Jacobites to reverse the Glorious Revolution of 1688–9, strictly the Fenwick plot of 1695 is distinct from the assassination plot of 1696. The successor was the proposed French invasion of Scotland of 1708, robert Charnock had served under John Parker in the Jacobite cavalry at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. In 1694 he was put in command of forces raised in the London area by Parker, for a potential Jacobite rising against William, Parker also drew in George Porter and Sir William Parkyns. He left the country in the middle of 1694, by then Charnock was discussing a plan to kidnap William III and take him to France. Mixed messages from James II confused the issue, and nothing had been done by April 1695, Sir John Fenwick, 3rd Baronet was one of the inner circle advising James on English affairs, and was hawkish. The death of Queen Mary at the end of 1694 revived their interest in action in England. Fenwick, however, was opposed to the proposed by Charnock. Meeting in May with Sir John Friend and others, he sent Charnock to France to move a plan for a massive invasion, in June Fenwick was involved in Jacobite rioting and was arrested. Sir George Barclay was sent to act as his deputy in commanding forces supposed to co-ordinate with a force under the Duke of Berwick. Barclay assessed the plan as hopeless, shunned Fenwick, and went back to the idea of kidnapping William. The plot was based on William IIIs habitual movements, on returning from hunting, on the south bank of the River Thames, at Kew, he would take a ferry that would bring him to the north bank, on a lane that ran from Turnham Green to Brentford. Barclays plan depended on surprising William in his coach, and his armed escort and it was intended to use three parties of armed men, one to capture the king, and the others to deal with his guards. A point was chosen on the lane which was narrow enough so that the royal coach, the plot was prepared and its armed men were ready to act on 15 February and 22 February 1696. One party was under the command of Ambrose Rookwood, William Trumbull, who was Secretary of State for the Northern Department at the time, heard about the plotting from August 1695. He gathered intelligence on it through informers, and led the early investigation, in a second interview he gave the king details of the conspirators, a group numbering around 40 in all. The ramifications of the plot proved more troublesome to Vernon, Fenwick defended himself actively by trying to implicate Lord Godolphin, the Duke of Shrewsbury, the Earl of Marlborough, and the Earl of Orford. These charges led into the heart of the Junto, and Shrewsbury was Vernons immediate superior, to add to the awkward position, this group of Whigs had in fact been in correspondence with James II at St Germain
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Jacobite rising of 1715
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The Jacobite rising of 1715, was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled House of Stuart. The Glorious Revolution of 1688–89 resulted in the Roman Catholic Stuart king, James II of England and VII of Scotland, James daughter and her husband, who was also Jamess nephew, ascended to the British thrones as joint sovereigns William and Mary. In 1690 Presbyterianism was established as the religion of Scotland. The Act of Settlement 1701 settled the succession of the English throne on the Protestant House of Hanover, the Act of Union 1707 applied the Act of Settlement to Scotland. With the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the Elector of Hanover, George I, the accession of George I ushered in the Whig supremacy, with the Tories deprived of all political power. Bolingbroke became the Pretenders Secretary of State and accepted an earldom from him, the Pretender believed the Duke of Marlborough would join him when he landed in Scotland, writing to the Duke of Berwick on 23 August, I think it is now more than ever Now or Never. Despite receiving no commission from James to start the rising, the Earl of Mar sailed from London to Scotland, on 6 September at Braemar Mar raised the standard of James the 8th and 3rd, accompanied by 600 supporters. Some of Mars tenants travelled to Edinburgh to prove their loyalty, in northern Scotland, the Jacobites were successful. They took Inverness, Gordon Castle, Aberdeen and further south, Dundee, in Edinburgh Castle were arms for up to 10,000 men and £100,000 paid to Scotland when she entered the Union with England. Lord Drummond, with 80 Jacobites, tried under the cover of night to take the Castle, by October, Mars forces had taken control of all Scotland above the Firth of Forth, apart from Stirling Castle. However Mar was indecisive and the capture of Perth and the south by 2,000 men were probably decided by subordinates. Mars indecisiveness gave the Hanoverian forces under the command of the Duke of Argyll time to increase their strength, on 22 October Mar received his commission from James appointing him commander of the Jacobite army. The Jacobite army outnumbered Argylls forces by three-to-one and Mar decided to march on Stirling Castle, on 13 November at Sheriffmuir, the two forces joined in battle. The fighting was indecisive but nearing the end of the battle the Jacobites numbered 4,000 men, compared to Argylls 1,000. Mars army began to close in on Argylls forces, who were poorly protected, on the same day as the Battle of Sherrifmuir, Inverness surrendered to Hanoverian forces, and a smaller Jacobite force led by Mackintosh of Borlum was defeated at Preston. Amongst the leaders of a Jacobite conspiracy for a rising in western England were three peers and six MPs, on the night of 2 October the government arrested the leaders and on the following day easily obtained Parliaments permission for these arrests. Included among those arrested was the head of the English Jacobites, the government sent reinforcements to Bristol, Southampton and Plymouth to ensure they did not fall into Jacobite hands. A diversionary rising had been planned in Northumberland to accompany the main rising in the West, the rising in the West was forestalled by prompt Government action, but the rising in Northumberland went ahead on 6 October 1715
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Planned French invasion of Britain (1744)
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A planned invasion of Great Britain was to be undertaken by France in 1744 shortly after the declaration of war between them as part of the War of the Austrian Succession. A large invasion force was prepared and put to sea from Dunkirk in February 1744, only to be partly wrecked, deciding that circumstances were not favourable to an invasion, the French government suspended the attempt, and deployed their forces elsewhere. The failure of the 1744 invasion attempt played a role in the planning of the next French attempt to invade Britain, in 1759. Britain had been at war with Frances ally Spain since 1739, sporadic fighting in the Americas had broken down into a stalemate. A separate war had broken out on continental Europe regarding the Austrian Succession in which Britain and Spain were also on opposite sides and in which France remained initially neutral. It was clear to many in countries that war between them could not be far off, and the British had been particularly alarmed by extensive fortifications in the French port of Dunkirk. British and French troops had fought in Europe at battles such as Dettingen. In January 1744 the French King Louis XV formally declared war on Britain and his Ministers were convinced that a strong, immediate strike was needed against Britain and began advocating an invasion of the British Isles. British financial subsidies were essential to keeping its continental allies Austria, Hanover, France believed that by invading Britain and knocking them out of the war, they could pave the way to an easy victory over their enemies to the east. Many flat-bottomed troop ships were built and provisioned in the ports under the Pellerins direction. The King strongly approved this plan, the French planned to install the Jacobite James Edward Stuart in London as James III. He would end Britains involvement in the war, and would turn Britain into a client state of Louis XVs government, the Anglo-Austrian Alliance would be terminated, as would Britains alliance with the Dutch. This would reverse Britains past successful policy of forming Grand Alliances against France on the continent through military support, James, who was living in exile in a French palace in Paris, was made aware of these plans. It was hoped that Jacobite supporters in the British navy and army would assist the French, in some cases this proved wildly optimistic, as the officers listed as being committed Jacobites were often not or had already deceased. France now gathered an estimated at somewhere between 6-15,000 in size at Dunkirk under the command of Marshal Saxe. The French planned for a landing at Maldon in Essex, a squadron under Roq would sail from Brest, checking that the Channel between Dunkirk and the English coast was clear of the British fleet. A message would then be sent to Saxes invasion force at Dunkirk, British agents in Rome and Paris got word of these preparations, and steps were taken to prepare. Of the 10,000 active troops in Britain,7,000 were deployed to defend London, the covering squadron under Rocquefeuil sailed from Brest on
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Planned French invasion of Britain (1759)
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A French invasion of Great Britain was planned to take place in 1759 during the Seven Years War, but due to various factors was never launched. The French planned to land 100,000 French soldiers in Britain to end British involvement in the war, the invasion was one of several abandoned attempts during the 18th century to invade the British Isles. Fighting broke out between France and Britain in 1754, but war was formally declared in 1756 when France went to war with a British ally. From 1757 the British government was dominated by William Pitt, who orchestrated a series of British military expeditions to attack French colonies such as Senegal, Martinique, and New France. Pitt saw the war in Europe primarily as a holding action, French strategy was entirely the opposite. The French concentrated the bulk of their efforts on Continental Europe, by late 1758 they had made numerous advances against the Prussians, who they believed were only kept from collapse by British support. The invasion was planned by the Duc de Choiseul who became French foreign minister in December 1758 and he wanted to launch a bold initiative that would knock Britain out of the war with one stroke. French pride had been stung the previous year by the ease with which the British had captured Louisbourg and launched raids on the French coast during 1758. British financial subsidies and military aid to her only ally Prussia had kept that country afloat since 1756, choiseuls brief as foreign minister was to overturn this situation. Choiseul was interested in the concept of a French invasion of Britain and he perceived that Britain’s strength was its naval power. He saw that if a large French force managed to cross the Channel without being intercepted, Choiseul initially ignored perceived wisdom that any invasion would have to involve French warships. He believed that trying to bring out of the blockaded port at Brest would cause unnecessary delays. A mixed force as he saw it would suffer the fate as the Spanish Armada. A previous attempt by France in 1744 had to be abandoned, an essential component of the plan was speed. The French would wait for a wind and cross the Channel quickly. Once they landed, they believed they would easily overpower the small army Britain retained on home soil, Choiseul managed to overcome opposition in the French cabinet and the invasion was approved as the cornerstone of French strategy for 1759 along with an attempt to capture Hanover. A secret meeting was arranged with Charles Stuart in Paris in February 1759, Charles turned up late and drunk, and proved surly and uncooperative. Convinced that the Jacobites were of material help, Choiseul dropped them from the plan
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War of the Austrian Succession
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The War of the Austrian Succession involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresas succession to the Habsburg Monarchy. The war included King Georges War in British America, the War of Jenkins Ear, the First Carnatic War in India, the Jacobite rising of 1745 in Scotland, and the First and Second Silesian Wars. Austria was supported by Great Britain and the Dutch Republic, the enemies of France, as well as the Kingdom of Sardinia. France and Prussia were allied with the Electorate of Bavaria, the war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, by which Maria Theresa was confirmed as Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary, but Prussia retained control of Silesia. But the peace was soon to be shattered, when Austrias desire to recapture Silesia intertwined with the political changes in Europe. In 1740, after the death of her father, Charles VI, Maria Theresa succeeded him as Queen of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria and Duchess of Parma. The complications involved in a female Habsburg ruler had been long foreseen, problems began when King Frederick II of Prussia violated the Pragmatic Sanction and invaded Silesia on 16 December 1740, using the 1537 Treaty of Brieg as a pretext. For much of the century, France approached its wars in the same way. It would let its colonies defend themselves, or would offer only minimal help, similarly, several long land borders made an effective domestic army imperative for any ruler of France. At the end of the war, France gave back its European conquests, the British—by inclination as well as for pragmatic reasons—had tended to avoid large-scale commitments of troops on the Continent. For the War of the Austrian Succession, the British were allied with Austria, by the time of the Seven Years War, they were allied with its enemy, Prussia. In marked contrast to France, Britain strove to prosecute the war in the colonies once it became involved in the war. The British pursued a strategy of naval blockade and bombardment of enemy ports. They would harass enemy shipping and attack enemy outposts, frequently using colonists from nearby British colonies in the effort and this plan worked better in North America than in Europe, but set the stage for the Seven Years War. Prince Frederick had been only 28 years of age on 31 May 1740 when his father, Frederick William I died, neither Frederick nor his father had ever been fond of Austria and its various snubs against Prussia. Emperor Charles VI had made provision for the succession of his daughter, in support of his invasion of Silesia, Frederick also used a questionable interpretation of a treaty between the Hohenzollerns and the Piasts of Brieg as pretext. In particular, Frederick feared that Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, was preparing to seize Silesia for himself to unite Saxony and Poland. The only recent combat experience of the Prussian Army was their participation in the War of the Polish Succession, accordingly, the Prussian Army had an uninspiring reputation and was counted as one of the many minor armies of the Holy Roman Empire
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Battle of Dettingen
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The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen on the River Main, Germany, during the War of the Austrian Succession. The British forces, in alliance with those of Hanover and Hesse, George II commanded his troops in the battle, and this marked the last time a British monarch personally led his troops on the field. The battle straddled the river about 18 miles east of Frankfurt, with guns on the Hessian bank, the village of Dettingen is today the town of Karlstein am Main, in the extreme northwest of Bavaria. The British force of 17,000 men under John Dalrymple, here it joined the Pragmatic Army, some 50,000 strong at the start of the campaign, also containing 16,000 Hanoverians with the balance made up of Austrians, Hessians and Dutch. The army remained inactive until January 1743, when King George II ordered Dalrymple to march into Germany, leaving the Hessians. The internal divisions in the Dutch Republic delayed their army of 20,000 so that it too late to participate in the campaign. On 17 June the army set up camp between Kleinostheim and Aschaffenburg, George, accompanied by 25 squadrons of British and Hanoverian cavalry, arrived there on 19 June and took up overall command. This was the result of skillful maneuvering and harassment by a French army of some 45,000 led by Noailles, Noailles had also lined the south bank of the Main with artillery that could fire without interference on the Pragmatic armys left flank. Meanwhile, about 12,000 French troops marched north on Aschaffenburg, thickly wooded hills to the Pragmatic Armys right flank prevented the allies from turning Gramonts position. Some six hours passed with the British, Austrians and Hanoverians trying to form an advance in this confined position, at one point, George IIs horse ran off with him, it was halted by Ensign Cyrus Trapaud, who received a promotion as a reward. James Wolfe wrote that the Pragmatic first line of infantry consisted of nine regiments of British foot, four or five Austrian regiments, the French infantry followed and they too had initial success, throwing back several British regiments of foot. However, the charge forced the French artillery to stop firing and, with the attack spent and the French out of their defenses, the allies counter-attacked. The French line collapsed with the Allies driving Gramonts force across, as a consequence, the road to Hanau was opened, which allowed the Allies to continue their retreat and re-supply. With the French defeat at Dettingen, the Duc de Noailles missed the best opportunity to win the war at a stroke for the French. Had the French prevailed, the Pragmatic Army would have had to surrender or starve, during the battle, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw warned his regiment The Royal Scots Fusiliers not to fire until they could see the whites of their een. A noted wit, Sir Andrew is also quoted as addressing his regiment thus, Lads, better kill them afore they kill you. And to George II after the battle, who had chided him for letting a French cavalry charge break into his regiments position, Ay, please Your Majesty, in memory of this victory, Handel composed his Dettingen Te Deum and Dettingen Anthem. The two parties had agreed before the battle that the sick and wounded who fell into the hands of the enemy would be cared for, when the allies retreated they left behind most of their wounded, and the French respected the agreement, a precursor of the Geneva Convention
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Battle of Fontenoy
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The battle was one of the most important in the war and considered the masterpiece of Saxe, serving France, Louis XV, and his son, the Dauphin, were present at the battle. Saxe went on the offensive in April 1745 with a large French army and his initial aim was to take control of the upper Scheldt basin and thereby gain access to the heart of the Austrian Netherlands. To these ends, he first besieged the fortress of Tournai, in order to relieve Tournai, the allies first decided to attack Saxes position – a naturally strong feature, hinged on the village of Fontenoy and further strengthened by defensive works. Despite devastating flanking fire the allied column, made up of British and Hanoverian infantry, only when Saxe concentrated all available infantry, cavalry, and artillery was the column forced to yield. The allies retreated in order, conducting a fighting withdrawal. The battle had shown, however, the strength of a defensive force relying on firepower, casualties were high on both sides, but the French had gained the field, and Tournai fell shortly after the battle. This success was followed by an advance against the less organised and outnumbered allied army, Ghent, Oudenarde, Bruges. By the years end, the Saxon-born Saxe had completed the conquest of much of the Austrian Netherlands, the battle had established French superiority in force and high command. In 1744, France went over to the offensive in the Low Countries. King Louis XV and the Duke of Noailles scored early successes with the capture of the fortresses of western Flanders, Menin, Ypres. Opposing Saxe was the Pragmatic Army, the bulk of which was made up of British and Hanoverian troops under General George Wade, much had been expected of the allies in 1744 but the timidity of their generals had produced nothing against a numerically inferior enemy. Although Wade eventually advanced towards Lille, he did more than bicker with the Austrians about the cost of moving his siege train from Antwerp. Saxe was able to maintain his position at Courtrai and along the lines of the Lys, elsewhere, the Pragmatic Allies had scored considerable success in late 1744. A joint Austro-Saxon force under Charles of Lorraine and Count Traun drove Frederick IIs Prussian army from Bohemia, further success followed with the death in January 1745 of the French puppet emperor, Charles VII. Joseph sued for peace and gave his support for the candidacy of Maria Theresas husband, Francis Stephen, with Bavaria out of the war the Austrians could now try to win back Silesia from Frederick II. Likewise, Bavarian repudiation of its French ties meant France was freed of its German involvement, and could now concentrate on its own efforts in Italy. As early as December 1744, Saxe had prepared plans for an offensive in the Low Countries. The trio of generals was completed by Prince Waldeck, commander of the Dutch contingent in theatre and they hoped to gain the initiative by the establishment of forward magazines and an early opening of the campaign season
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Fall of Ghent
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The Allied garrison offered little resistance. Coming in the wake of the Battle of Fontenoy, the loss of Ghent proved a shock to the Allies, the town had been used as a major base for the Pragmatic Army since it had assembled in 1742. It was extremely important as a base as its stores had been reserved. A British regiment, including James Wolfe, had shortly before the fall of the town. The city was invested and the town was seized on July 11. Lowendal opened the trenches and sapped towards the citadel, without hope of relief or reinforcement and with Lowendal strengthened by 15,000 the garrison of the citadel was demoralised and fell to a coup de main on July 15. Some 3,000 allied prisoners were taken as well as a vast quantity of military stores, the following year the town was used as a staging point for a French advance which culminated in the Siege of Brussels. The War of the Austrian Succession, paths of Glory, The Life and Death of General James Wolfe, Continuum International Publishing Group,432 p. ISBN 978-0-7735-3261-8
