This page, written by Luzula, is an introduction to the background and events of the 1745 Jacobite Rising as seen in The Flight of the Heron.
Major sources:
| I. | The backstory for the ’45 |
| II. | First part of the ’45 (up to Derby) |
| III. | The ’45: from Derby to Culloden and after |
I was supposed to write about the '45, but to do that, I really have to start at the Glorious Revolution (so named by the victors, of course). So, James II/VII really pushed the Catholic agenda, and besides that, seems to have had a general ability to piss people off. Apart from the Highlands, where he seems to done all right when he was sent there before he got on the throne? Might explain why many of them fought for him later.
There was a failed coup by the Duke of Monmouth (illegitimate son of Charles II) in
1685, and then a successful one by William of Orange, married to James' sister Mary,
in 1688. The differences between James and William can be seen by:
William: *sends bland and diplomatic letter to Scotland making vague promises of
goodwill, asking if he can be their king*
James: *sends rude and autocratic letter demanding that Scotland support him since
he is obviously the rightful king*
The "Glorious Revolution" is supposed to be the beginning of democracy, with more influence from Parliament; my impression is that William had no particularly democratic inclinations and in fact there wasn't even any Parliament elected in England during his and Mary's rule--he just kept going with the convocation that offered him the crown [I'm very sure I read this but now I can't find the reference. If you want I'll make more of an effort to track down the source]. The increased influence of Parliament was a much more gradual process.
James pretty much fled to Ireland, where he found some support, and in '89, John Graham of Claverhouse, later Viscount of Dundee, called "Bonnie Dundee", raised the standard for James, though he didn't have that much support. (Also compare previous famous Graham, the Marquess of Montrose, Scottish Royalist leader during the Civil War.)
Snarky historian Bruce Lenman: Claverhouse was "the sort of unimaginative soldier
for whom the arrival of an order from a superior terminated all speculative thought,
if indeed he ever indulged in such".
Loyal protagonist of Rosemary Sutcliff book "Bonnie Dundee": Claverhouse was the
noblest man ever to live!
Whatever the truth, Claverhouse won at the battle of Killiecrankie, but died there, and his successor failed to keep the troops together. James lost in Ireland as well, and found refuge in France, along with a lot of Irish and Scots, who served in France's army. This is the origin of the Irish Brigade, for example, which distinguished itself at Fontenoy.
The 90's and 00's were not great for Scotland--harvests were bad, William of Orange didn't care much, there was a failed colonial venture. In 1707 the union with England was accomplished, with Queen Anne (Mary's sister) appointing the negotiators for both England and Scotland, and plenty of bribes to go round to buy the votes of the Scottish elite. The usual corruption (sorry, patronage) of 18th century politics!
France: we're at war with Britain, so let's distract them with the Stuarts! : D
They sent 5,000 troops to Scotland, with James "III/VIII" (the future "Old Pretender")
on board. He looked wistfully at the shore, but the British navy turned up and the ships
had to turn back.
Many people in Scotland were not happy with the union, because Scotland was decidedly the junior partner and was for example forbidden trade with France (which obviously led to smuggling instead). Jacobitism was linked with opposition to the Union in the popular mind (even though previous Stuarts had tried for a union!), and also with Episcopalianism in Scotland and Catholicism in Ireland.
The Hanoverian succession was in 1714, and in 1715, the Earl of Mar raised the second Jacobite Rebellion after failing to gain favor with the new regime (he was nicknamed "Bobbing John"). This was the biggest one, in terms of mobilization (about 15,000 men, twice the Jacobite army of the '45), and had nothing to do with foreign support! People were unhappy with the Union and George I. But the Earl of Mar was a bad leader and didn't press his advantage when he should have, and the different groups just sort of milled around. Instead, the Duke of Argyll took the initiative for the government and won (although he was criticized for moving without instructions from London, which explains why the Campbells were so slow to move in '45).
Spain: we're at war with Britain, so let's distract them with the Stuarts! : D
But the ships were scattered by storms, and the small party that was left was quickly
defeated at the battle of Glenshiel. (George Keith was in this one!)
Then follows over 20 years of solid Hanoverian and Whig rule. You would be forgiven for thinking that the Stuarts would just live out their lives in Rome and never be seen in Britain again.
France: we're at war with Britain, so let's distract them with the Stuarts! : D
They meant to send 15,000 men led by de Saxe across the channel and take London. But
there were storms and disagreement in the French government.
Finally, our main event! So, Charles Edward Stuart/Bonnie Prince Charlie (henceforth BPC) was 25 at the time and ambitious (but not always smart, he made an enemy of George Keith, for example, who would've been a great help to him). When the French wouldn't back him and he was discouraged by both Scottish and English Jacobites unless he came with lots of French troops, he turned to the Franco-Irish community, some of whom invested in outfitting two ships for him. The ships carried arms and 700 volunteers from the Irish Brigade. But the largest of the ships ran into a RN ship and had to turn back. (This is the divergence point of my alternate history If Fate Should Reverse Our Positions, by the way, where both ships made it and subsequently the course of the war was changed! : D)
So BPC famously invaded the West Highlands with seven men. Understandably, many Jacobites were reluctant to back him. But he wheedled, ordered, and guilted several clan chiefs into doing so--a key figure here is Cameron of Lochiel, without whom he would likely have failed. Lochiel was guaranteed the value of his estates if the venture failed (and BPC kept his promise--Lochiel got a French regiment), and with that respected clan chief behind him, recruitment went better.
Scottish clans were built around military service--the clansmen owed it to the chief. Some chiefs were beginning to erode that structure by evicting tenants and letting the land to the highest bidder, such as the Campbells, which is why they had a harder time recruiting. Lochiel had actually planned to do so, but had been dissuaded by James III/VIII who didn't want him to let go of that military power.
Sorry, too much detail. *zooms out* Anyway, the Scottish Highlands: some clans were Jacobite (Camerons, MacDonalds, Stewarts, ...), some Hanoverian (Campbells, Mackays, ...), some fence-sitters or divided (Frasers, Mackenzies, ...).
First skirmish of the war: 16th August, two companies of redcoat recruits (=200 soldiers) were marching south along the Great Glen, and were famously ambushed at a bridge by twelve Macdonalds (pretending to be many more). The redcoats fled and were captured.
BPC famously raised his standard at Glenfinnan on 19th August. He had about 1,200 men (also the captured redcoats were present). During the next week he went up the Great Glen and then up to the Correyarrick Pass, marching on foot at the head of his little army.
Backtracking: what were the Hanoverians doing? Well, most of their troops were in Flanders, and they initially didn't take the rumours of BPC very seriously. In the 1707 union, some parts of the Scottish government that could have reacted quickly had been dismantled, and strategy was dictated from London. The ranking military officer, General Cope, was ordered to attack. He took about 1,700 men and went into the Highlands, but when he got to the Correyarrick Pass, he looked up at that steep slope and was afraid of being ambushed there, and couldn't stay because of lack of rations. So he went north to Inverness instead, to gather support there.
The Jacobite army: Well, I guess the way is open for us to invade the Lowlands now! : D
Incidentally they were marching on roads that were built after the '15 to give easy military access to put down rebellions in the Highlands, but that were really useful to the Jacobite army. They made their way down to Edinburgh, recruiting along the way (the north-eastern part of the Lowlands was strongly Jacobite), and were joined by Lord George Murray, who was to become the senior military commander. Opinions differ about him: Duffy calls him "gifted, energetic, highly unstable". They reached Edinburgh and took it by sneaking in at night.
Cope and his army: Uh, I guess we'll just...go round in a big circle and come back to Edinburgh?
They met at the battle of Prestonpans outside the city. The numbers were fairly even (Cope's 2,000 against the BPC:s about 1,800) and the Jacobites won by a Highland charge, that is, they ran at the enemy, fired their muskets once at close range, then dropped the muskets and attacked with swords. This is not how redcoats were trained to fight! They were trained to load and fire their muskets fast, at another line of soldiers that was also standing still and firing at them. Neither side had good artillery. After the battle, hundreds of captured redcoats actually changed sides (though many of them deserted later).
BPC stayed in Edinburgh some time to wait for more recruits, after which there was
a council.
Most of the Scots: Let's stay here and hold Scotland, and wait for French reinforcements!
BPC: I want the whole shebang! Let's invade England! : D
BPC won by one vote, but had to give up the eastern route. Instead they marched southwest on the 1st of November, now 5,000 strong, and took Carlisle, then continued south to Manchester, where they were joined by the only group of English volunteers they were to have, and reached Derby on 4th of December. Duffy praises their logistics and staff work highly, crediting it to O'Sullivan, one of the French-Irish officers who came over with BPC. Also, BPC had tax officers who appropriated all the taxes (since he considered himself the rightful monarch), using them to pay his way.
Let's just stop and appreciate how weird it is that this war is going on during the winter. The huge armies on the continent have correspondingly huge numbers of horses, which can't graze during the winter. So you would have to bring feed for them, which of course is pulled by horses, along with everything else you need because it's winter, and the soldiers will get sick and freeze...well, it's not a great idea. So usually war takes a break during the winter--but not this one.
By now Wade had pulled his army together (consisting of regiments brought from Flanders) and they gave chase, but it didn't go so well. They tried to get through the Tyne Gap but couldn't get through the snow. Soldiers froze to death. Why did the Jacobites not have this problem? Well, perhaps the Highlanders were hardier (that's certainly what the PR says), but also, soldiers were not allowed to be billeted in ordinary people's houses in England, because it gave the army bad press. So they slept in tents and froze. OTOH, the Jacobites did billet their soldiers in people's houses (and paid for it).
Another army was also assembling, under the Duke of Cumberland (George II's second son). They tried to intercept the Jacobite army but were outmaneuvered, so that BPC could have gone on straight for London. Odds are that he could have initially taken it, but then Cumberland would have come a couple of days behind him...anyway, we'll never know what would have happened, because at a council the Jacobites decided to turn around, possibly affected by the testimony of the Hanoverian spy Dudley Bradstreet who told them there was yet another army between them and London.
BPC was bitterly disappointed, but his opponents argued that they had gotten much less English and French support than they needed. In fact the French, having heard of BPC's early successes, were planning an expedition across the channel...but a combination of the British Navy and hearing about BPC turning back at Derby dissuaded them. So the Jacobite army marched back north, with Cumberland chasing them, but they had no problem getting away--also, Cumberland had left most of his infantry behind to guard against the possible French invasion.
Meanwhile, more recruiting had been going on in Scotland, along with French reinforcements. BPC sent Colonel Lachlan MacLachlan of MacLachlan (whose name I only include because it is such a delight) to have them come down south to meet them, but their commander Lord John Drummond (a Scotsman serving in the French army) refused. He claimed King Louis had told him to first clear out the enemy fortresses, but in fact the king had told him to put himself at BPC's disposal. So that's another road not taken.
The Manchester regiment, along with some other forces, was unfortunately put in charge of holding Carlisle, which was taken pretty quickly. As English Jacobites the wrath of the Hanoverian government would fall heavily on them--they were penned up without water, food or sanitation, and several of them died. Later more of them died in jail where they were given rotten offal to eat, and then they were all executed or transported. All officers were executed except those with French commissions, who were treated well and exchanged to France.
A pause here to discuss the very different treatment of prisoners by the Jacobite army. After Prestonpans, they made sure the wounded on the other side got medical treatment, food, etc. The officers were released on parole if they undertook not to fight for the duration of the war.
The difference is not because the Hanoverians were evil and the Jacobites good. In the 18th century, war can only be declared by (the sovereign of) a country, and in war one has to follow certain rules, such as extending parole to captured officers, and setting up cartels to exchange them. BPC made claim to be the sovereign of Britain and as such regarded himself as having every right to declare war--and really wanted to show that he could conduct himself according to the honourable rules of war: he paid for food and billets, he treated the captured well, he didn't harm civilians (which is also just common sense if you're hoping to be accepted as their king). But in the eyes of the Hanoverians, the Jacobites are NOT in a position to declare legitimate war: they are traitors and should not be treated as honourable opponents in war. Their officers shouldn't be given parole, they should be hunted down and executed! Unless they had French commissions. The Hanoverians were furious with the Hessians when, later on, they were considering setting up a cartel with the Jacobites to exchange prisoners (there were some Hessian mercenaries on the Hanoverian side).
The Hanoverian officers taken prisoner at Prestonpans had respected their paroles--until an expedition was sent to forcibly "liberate" them. They were ordered to break their paroles, on direct order from George II himself. Most did, except for a few, for example Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Halkett who said that [the king] was master of their commissions, but not of their probity and honour.
Anyway. The Jacobites meet up with their reinforcements, unsuccessfully besiege Stirling Castle for a while, and then clash with the Hanoverian forces that have been building up near Edinburgh. They are led by General Henry Hawley, or "Hangman Hawley", so called not for his treatment of Jacobites but of his own men. A contemporary source: Nobody disputed Mr Hawley's genius for […] prosecuting with vigour any mortal to the gallows.
So the two sides meet at Falkirk, a confusing battle in a January rain- and hailstorm, at the end of which the Jacobites went "We...won? I think?" They did indeed win and the Hanoverians retreated, leaving behind their artillery which was bogged down in a mire. But the Jacobites did not go on the offensive, which BPC wanted to do; instead they decided in council to retreat to the Highlands, yielding Montrose and other harbours on the north-east coast which were their hope of further French reinforcements.
The Highland clans in the Jacobite army wanted very much to smash up the three forts in the Great Glen, which they proceeded to do with Forts George and Augustus, but failed with Fort William. But meanwhile Cumberland had taken over command of the Hanoverian army and was marching up the northeast coast towards Inverness. The Jacobites besieging Fort William were hastily recalled, getting to Inverness in time for the famous battle of Culloden.
The Jacobite army by this time was hungry and tired, and so were its commanders. BPC had failed to get hold of a shipment of French gold which had landed north of Inverness among Whig clans, and had no more money to pay his troops or pay for food. Cumberland had been drilling his troops in holding the line and not yielding to the Highland charge, and they had more artillery, more men, and more food. So the Jacobites lost badly, and the army was dispersed (the ones who could get away).
Then followed the great scourging of the Highlands. The feeling among the Hanoverians was that they had been too lenient after the '15 and look what happened. There was killing of unarmed people, burning of houses, rape, driving off with their cattle, and withholding of grain imports in the hopes of a famine. Here's the opinion of the Earl of Albemarle, one of the commanders: I [...] always feared from the bad inclination of the people in most of the northern counties and from their stubborn, inveterate disposition of mind, nothing could effect it but laying the whole country waste and ashes, and removing all the inhabitants (excepting a few) out of the kingdom.
Actually some of the worst officers were not Englishmen but Lowland Scots, among them Captain Caroline Scott, named after his godmother the queen, Caroline of Ansbach. The Campbells OTOH, who were traditional rivals to the Jacobite clans, were more moderate, and some said they would surrender, but only to a Campbell.
You can read more about BPC:s escape here, courtesy of mildred_of_midgard. When he got back to the continent he got a letter from Frederick the Great, saying among other things: All Europe is astonished at the greatness of your enterprise, for though Alexander and other heroes have conquered kingdoms with inferior armies, you are the only one who engaged in such an enterprise without any. [However, maybe he didn’t; the authenticity of this letter has been disputed!] But BPC sank slowly into bitterness and alcoholism after losing.
In the aftermath of the rising, many who had fought were rounded up and brought to trial, though the terrible conditions in jails and prison-hulks killed more than were actually executed. Those who survived were transported. Eventually there was another disarming act, Highland dress was forbidden, and measures were taken to weaken the clan system. A couple of decades later, when the clan elites had been more tightly tied to the Hanoverian government, the Highlands were used as recruiting grounds for regiments that would fight in the American colonies.