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. 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.
Yep. There's lots more to say, just ask, or fill in what I've left out! : )
Major sources: The Jacobite Risings in Britain 1689-1746 by Bruce Lenman (1980) Fight for a Throne: the Jacobite '45 Reconsidered by Christopher Duffy (2015) (This one is so great! *dangles temptingly in front of mildred_of_midgard*)
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The '45: from Derby to Culloden and after
Date: 2021-10-05 09:08 am (UTC)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
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.
Yep. There's lots more to say, just ask, or fill in what I've left out! : )
Major sources:
The Jacobite Risings in Britain 1689-1746 by Bruce Lenman (1980)
Fight for a Throne: the Jacobite '45 Reconsidered by Christopher Duffy (2015) (This one is so great! *dangles temptingly in front of