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1745: A Military History Of The Last Jacobite Uprising

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1745 is a military history of the Jacobite rising in Scotland, starting with the landing of Prince Charles in July 1745 and culminating in his defeat at Culloden in April 1746. Stuart Reid, a former NCO in the British army, has written a detailed operational account of the campaign that sheds light on many of the more obscure corners of this famous rebellion. Whereas most accounts focus primarily on Culloden, Reid provides considerable detail on many of the minor operations and minor players in the campaign, such as the ten Dutch and six Hessian battalions that were brought to England for garrison duty.

The core value that this book provides is solid and detailed information on the order of battle, strengths, training, leadership, equipment and losses of both armies. Two appendices cover the respective armies in great depth. The author's analysis reveals interesting facets that are ignored or neglected in less detailed accounts, such as the fact that only about one in five of the Jacobin soldiers carried a broadsword into battle. Stuart's data clearly shows that the popular image of a Highlander fighting with sword and target were more myth than reality. The infantry of both armies relied primarily on muskets, but the difference lay in tactics; the British preferred firepower while the Jacobins preferred column attacks. It is also interesting how fragile the morale and discipline was in both armies; even at the victorious Battle of Prestonpans, many Highlanders hid until they were sure they were on the winning side. Even British "regular" troops (many of whom were recently raised) were prone to rout. In this war, battles were decided by which army would rout first.

While the author provides good detail on the Jacobin invasion of England, he provides no map on this interesting part of the rebellion. However, he does make the point that the Jacobins failed to consolidate in Scotland before invading England, leaving a number of English garrisons in their rear. In fact, the small garrison of Edinburgh Castle was able to "liberate" the city without external assistance. Once the invasion failed, the demoralized Jacobin army returned to Scotland and began to reduce some of the British garrisons, but vital time had been lost. During this period in the winter of 1745/1746, the author details various French attempts to land reinforcements for the rebels and the activities of the numerous "minor" militias on both sides.

Interestingly, the final Battle of Culloden was brought about because the British threatened the rebel's vital stockpile of oatmeal in Inverness. In modern parlance, this stockpile was the Jacobin "center of gravity" because they could not continue large-scale operations without adequate rations. Prince Charles was presented with three courses of action: withdraw into the Highlands and conduct guerilla operations, defend Inverness or launch a daring, night-time spoiling attack to upset the impending British offensive. While withdrawal might have been better for the Scottish clansmen, it would have signaled the end of Charles' bid to regain the thrown for the Stuart cause. Charles, always the gambler, opted for the daring night attack but when it aborted in chaos, he was forced to mount a hasty defense at Culloden. The tired, hungry and outnumbered Jacobin army was forced to fight on terrain that did not favor their hasty assault tactics and they were defeated.

After such a well-balanced account, it is surprising to see the author produce such a biased and whitewashing conclusion. There is no mention of "Butcher" Cumblerland, the British commander, or the atrocities that his army committed after the victory at Culloden. While other accounts, such as John Prebble's excellent Culloden, point out the incredible brutality of the British "mop up" operations, Reid fails to address this issue. Indeed, it was a very sorry chapter in the history of the British Army, with British troops involved in a year-long killing, burning, looting and raping spree along the Great Glenn, inflicting harm upon Scottish loyalists as well as Jacobin sympathizers. The author even has the temerity to claim that there was essentially no linkage between Culloden and the Highland "Clearing," while also failing to mention the Disarming Act and the prohibition of clan tartans for the next 36 years. Thus the final chapter of this book should be skipped.

Nevertheless, this book is a valuable source for anyone studying the '45 in Scotland. The military detail provided is particularly useful in giving a full picture of the myriad of activities going on, rather than just focusing on the three big battles as do most accounts.

While the historical information of the battles themselves was excellent and well presented, Reid glossed over the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. Not only combatants were killed, but women and children. Of the captured, some were beheaded, some were hanged, drawn and quartered, and nearly a thousand people were sold as indentured servants, doomed to a lifetime of slavery in Barbados. Cumberland was a good soldier, but his actions after the battle earned him the nickname of "Butcher."