16/04/2025
ON THIS DAY:
At this time (13:30pm) on the 16th April 1746, the Battle of Culloden was being fought.
The cavalry outflanking manouvre on the Jacobite right was being held off by the majority of the Jacobite second line at Culchunaig.
At least 10 minutes of constant artillery fire had been useless for the Jacobites and a huge success for the Hanoverians. Their cannon could fire further and were at least 50m within range.
The Hanoverian cavalry at Viewhill (now Cairnfields housing development) waited and watched. Their colleagues needed to break through the Jacobite second line for their purpose to come into play. The bog separated them from the Jacobite left flank, a su***de mission to ride into for a cavalry man on a battlefield.
If the cavalry at Culchunaig broke through, the cavalry at Viewhill could see them clearly and would circle the bog into the remnants of the Jacobite second line and trap the Jacobite front line in the boggiest parts of the field.
But that wasn’t necessary. The Jacobites held off the cavalry at Culchunaig for the entire battle, but the front line was broken by the rough ground and slowly moved forward, searching for firmer ground. The majority of that was in front of Barrell’s and Munro’s regiments on the Hanoverian left.
Those that made it that far slowly positioned behind those in the clan regiments with muskets. This would have been just within 100m of the Hanoverian front line. Not quite effective musket range, but close enough to injure a soldier and put him out of the battle. But close enough to create a smokescreen through which the clan regiment would rush screaming ancestral cries to invoke dùthchas - belonging to the ground and the power of your ancestors with you in that moment. A feature of Gaelic fighting all-too-often overlooked or trivialised.
A Hanoverian soldier facing this as it happened wouldn’t have been able to kill a Jacobite slowly moving forwards over 100m away with musket shot. The cannons did use grapeshot at this stage, which was devastating but in specific areas. Once the musket and pistol fire had created a smokescreen, the Hanoverian soldier had, perhaps, 25 seconds before the Jacobites would be upon him. It would take c.20 seconds to reload a musket. How many effective shots would have been possible in these circumstances? I’d suggest one if the musket was already loaded… But not two.
On that hard ground was the only area of Jacobite success with the charge. Barrell’s and Munro’s regiment are forced back. Surviving Hanoverian soldiers suffered lost ears and noses and cuts to their chins from dirks - and more severe damage from broadswords. But in two regiments of c.300 men each, only c.50 Hanoverian soldiers were killed outright during the battle.
The Jacobites that did break through the Hanoverian front line in this area walked into a trap. The Duke of Cumberland had positioned his second line more than 100m back - out of musket firing range. He then brought three regiments around with a fourth angled to fire into the Jacobites who broke through, without hitting his front line.
Three or four regiments of c.300 soldiers each firing 3-4 rounds per minute for 3-4 minutes. Any calculation of these numbers brings a staggering amount of lead into the air. This is what did the majority of the damage to the greatest number of Jacobite soldiers - predominantly Highlanders in this area of the field.
As those who could get away retreated, Charles Edward Stuart was urged to leave the field, despite drawing his sword. Live to fight another day and keep the rising going - Charles wrote to his commanders a few days later to tell them it was every man for himself and the rising was over. Both commanders were 25 year olds who believed in their own fathers’ right to the throne.
As Charles left the field, the cavalry at Viewhill were sent towards Inverness for “sweets for their fatigue” - a treat for showing up and not getting to do much - murder and capture of those who looked like they might have been a Jacobite. Consider that distinction for a moment. The Hanoverian cavalry rode along the old Barn Church Road into Inverness and to Church Street doing this damage.
The foot soldiers were brought together and crossed the field, murdering those who were injured or leaving those dying to a grim wait for their end. Local women were kept away from the field until three days later when the doctors of Inverness begged the Hanoverian command to allow the dead to be buried in mass grave pits.
Around 1,500 Jacobites were killed in around an hour of fighting. 50 Hanoverian soldiers were buried at Culloden and up to 300 died of wounds in the days after.
Andrew Grant McKenzie MA (Hons) FSAScot
Member of the Gaelic Society of Inverness
Former manager of Culloden Battlefield
Highland Historian (highlandhistorian.com)
Historian to Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train
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