14. The French rise to support Bonnie Prince Charlie
The news of the splendid victory at Prestonpans led the French to dispatch money and supplies to the Young Pretender, as well as an envoy from the King. Despite the evidence of French support the seeds of the destruction of the rebellion had already been sown. Factions emerged within the Irish and Scottish members of the rebellion, with the Scottish chiefs expressing the desire to consolidate the gains already made within the Highlands and awaiting actual French support, rather than moving forward based solely on French promises. The Irish supported Charles, who wanted to move forward with an invasion of England before the British government could react by deploying more troops. Charles and his supporters argued that an invasion of England would uncap Jacobite support there, and it was reluctantly agreed that the invasion would go forward.
As the invasion force moved south into England, and gained some support from Jacobite supporters there, many of the Scottish clan leaders continued to argue that they should move no further south, and that instead they should return to Scotland and prepare for defensive operations against the British. The evidence of British response to their defeat at Prestonpans was by then known to the Jacobite army, with the Duke of Cumberland moving north to meet them at the head of an army of more than twice their strength. Charles finally yielded to the pressure and turned to the north, withdrawing his troops from England, though he left behind a garrison at Carlisle. When Cumberland’s troops arrived before Carlisle the garrison had little choice but to surrender to the overwhelming force. Cumberland executed several of his prisoners before moving on in pursuit.
15. The Battle of Culloden Moor in 1746 was the beginning of the end for the Jacobite Cause
Following the invasion of England and the successful withdrawal to Scotland – a considerable military achievement given the army had been non-existent just a few weeks earlier – Charles attempted to reduce Stirling Castle, the gateway to the Highlands, by siege. While heavy siege guns provided by the French were used, supplies arriving from France slowed to a mere trickle as the British Navy patrolled the coast and stopped French shipping. The British Duke of Cumberland moved his army along the coast to Aberdeen during the winter of 1745 and the spring of 1746, moving out of the city in early April. Dwindling supplies and the proximity of the British led Charles and his officers to decide to give battle on ground of their choosing at Culloden Moor, where they were soundly and quickly defeated by the larger British army.
Culloden was notable not just for the speed with which the government troops swept aside the Jacobite troops, but for the ferocity of the slaughter which was imposed on the fleeing Highlanders. The killing didn’t end on the battlefield that day, following the battle government troops conducted house-to-house searches for anyone connected to the Jacobite cause. Jacobites numbering over 3,500 were arrested and charged with high treason, well over 600 died before they could appear before a courtroom. Those who were not sentenced to death (or pardoned, almost 1,000 were) were deported to the North American colonies, with many destined to settle in the back country of North and South Carolina. Culloden was the climax of the Jacobite insurrections, as well as being usually described as being the last pitched battle ever fought in Great Britain.