Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1
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CULLODEN.
277
passed along, and it was not long till an opportunity
occurred, as lie conceived, for executing his fell pur-
pose. The Duke having ordered Lord Bury, one of
his aides-de-camp, to reconnoitre, his Lordship
crossed the path of the Highlander, who, mistaking
him, from his dress, for the Duke, (the regimentals
of both being similar,) instantly seized a musket
which lay on the ground, and discharged it at his
Lordship. Fortunately he missed his aim, and a
soldier who was standing by immediately shot him
dead upon the spot. In expectation of a battle the
previous day, Charles had animated his troops by an
appeal to their feelings, and on the present occasion
he rode from rank to rank encouraging his men, and
exhorting them to act as they had done at Preston-
pans and at Falkirk.
The .advance of Lord Bury, who went forward
within a nundred yards of the insurgents to recon-
noitre, appears to have been considered by the High-
landers as the proper occasion for beginning the
battle. Taking off their bonnets, the Highlanders
set up a loud shout, which being answered by the
royal troops with an huzza, the Highlanders about
one o'clock commenced a cannonade on the right,
which was followed by the cannon on the left ;
but the fire from the last, owing to the want of
cannoneers, was after the first round discontinued.
The first volley from the right seemed to create
some confusion on the left of the royal army, but
so badly were the cannon served and pointed, that
though the cannonade was continued upwards of
half an hour, only one man in Bligh's regiment,
who had a leg carried off by a cannon-ball, received
any injury. After the Highlanders had continued
firing for a short time, Colonel Belford, who di-
rected the cannon of the Duke's army, opened a
fire from the cannon in the front line, which was
at first chiefly aimed at the horse, probably either
because they, from their conspicuous situation, were
a better mark than the infantry, or because it was
supposed that Charles was among them. Such was
the accuracy of the aim taken by the royal artillery,
that several balls entered the ground among the
horses' legs, and bespattered the Prince with the
mud which they raised ; and one of them struck
the horse on which he rode two inches above the
knee. The animal became so unmanageable, that
Charles was obliged to change him for another. One
of his servants, who stood behind with a led horse
in his hand, was killed on the spot. Observing
that the wall on the right flank of the Highland
army prevented him from attacking it on that point,
the Duke ordered Colonel Belford to continue the
cannonade, with the view of provoking the High-
landers and inducing them to advance to the attack.
These, on the other hand, endeavoured to draw the
royal army forward by sending down several parties
by way of defiance. Some of these approached three
several times within a hundred yards of the right
of the royal army, firing their pistols and brandish-
ing their swords ; but with the exception of the
small squadron of horse on the right, which ad-
vanced a little, the line remained immoveable.
Meanwhile, Lord George Murray, observing that a
squadron of the English dragoons and a party of
foot, consisting of two companies of the Argyle-
shiremen, and one of Lord Loudon's Highlanders,
had detached themselves from the left of the royal
army, and were marching down towards the river
Nairn, and conceiving that it was their intention
to flank the Highlanders, or to come upon their
rear when engaged in front, he directed Gordon of
Avochy to advance with his battalion, and prevent
the foot from entering the enclosure ; but before
this battalion could reach them, they broke into
the enclosure, and throwing down part of the east
wall, and afterwards a piece of the west wall in
the rear of the second line, made a free passage for
the dragoons, who formed in the rear of the Prince's
army. Upon this, Lord George ordered the guards
and Fitz-James's horse to form opposite to the dra-
goons to keep them in check. Each party stood
upon the opposite sides of a ravine, the ascent to
which was so steep, that neither could venture
across in presence of the other with safety. The
foot remained within the enclosure, and Avochy 's
battalion was ordered to watch their motions. This
movement took place about the time the Highlanders
were moving forward to the attack.
It was now high time for the Highlanders to come
to a close engagement. Lord George had sent
Colonel Kerr to the Prince, to know if he should
begin the attack, which the Prince accordingly
ordered ; but his Lordship, for some reason or other,
delayed advancing. It is probable he expected that
the Duke would come forward, and that by doing so,
and retaining the wall and a small farm-house on his
right, he would not run the risk of being flanked.
Perhaps he waited for the advance of the left wing,
which, being not so far forward as the right, was
directed to begin the attack, and orders had been
sent to the Duke of Perth to that effect ; but the
left remained motionless. Anxious for the attack,
Charles sent an order by an aid-de-camp to Lord
George Murray to advance, but his Lordship never
received it, as the bearer was killed by a cannon-ball
while on his way to the right. He sent a message
about the same time to Lochiel, desiring him to urge
upon Lord George the necessity of an immediate
attack. Galled beyond endurance by the fire of the
English, which carried destruction among the clans,
the Highlanders became quite clamorous, and called
aloud to be led forward without further delay. Un-
able any longer to restrain their impatience, Lord
George had just resolved upon an immediate advance,
but before he had time to issue the order along the
line, the Mackintoshes, with a heroism worthy of
that brave clan, rushed forward enveloped in the
smoke of the enemy's cannon. The fire of the
centre field-pieces, and a discharge of musquetry
from the Scotch Fusileers, forced them to incline
a little to the right ; but all the regiments to their
right, led on by Lord George Murray in person,
and the united regiment of the Maclauchlans and
Macleans on their left, coming down close after
them, the whole moved forward together at a pretty
quick pace. When within pistol-shot of the Eng-
lish line, they received a murderous fire, not only
in front from some field-pieces, which for the first
time were now loaded with grape-shot, but in flank
from a side-battery supported by the Campbells,
and Lord Loudon's Highlanders. Whole ranks were
literally swept away by the terrible fire of the Eng-
lish. Yet, notwithstanding the dreadful carnage in
their ranks, the Highlanders continued to advance,
and, after giving their fire close to the English fine,
which, from the density of the smoke, was scarcely
perceptible even within pistol-shot, the right wing,
consisting of the Athole Highlanders and the Came-
rons, rushed in sword in hand, and broke through
Barrel's and Monroe's regiments, which stood on
the left of the first line. These regiments bravely
defended themselves with their spontoons and bay-
onets, but such was the impetuosity of the onset,
that they would entirely have been cut to pieces
had they not been immediately supported by two
regiments from the second line, on the approach of
which they retired behind the regiments on their
right, after sustaining a loss in killed and wounded
of upwards of two hundred men. After breaking
277
passed along, and it was not long till an opportunity
occurred, as lie conceived, for executing his fell pur-
pose. The Duke having ordered Lord Bury, one of
his aides-de-camp, to reconnoitre, his Lordship
crossed the path of the Highlander, who, mistaking
him, from his dress, for the Duke, (the regimentals
of both being similar,) instantly seized a musket
which lay on the ground, and discharged it at his
Lordship. Fortunately he missed his aim, and a
soldier who was standing by immediately shot him
dead upon the spot. In expectation of a battle the
previous day, Charles had animated his troops by an
appeal to their feelings, and on the present occasion
he rode from rank to rank encouraging his men, and
exhorting them to act as they had done at Preston-
pans and at Falkirk.
The .advance of Lord Bury, who went forward
within a nundred yards of the insurgents to recon-
noitre, appears to have been considered by the High-
landers as the proper occasion for beginning the
battle. Taking off their bonnets, the Highlanders
set up a loud shout, which being answered by the
royal troops with an huzza, the Highlanders about
one o'clock commenced a cannonade on the right,
which was followed by the cannon on the left ;
but the fire from the last, owing to the want of
cannoneers, was after the first round discontinued.
The first volley from the right seemed to create
some confusion on the left of the royal army, but
so badly were the cannon served and pointed, that
though the cannonade was continued upwards of
half an hour, only one man in Bligh's regiment,
who had a leg carried off by a cannon-ball, received
any injury. After the Highlanders had continued
firing for a short time, Colonel Belford, who di-
rected the cannon of the Duke's army, opened a
fire from the cannon in the front line, which was
at first chiefly aimed at the horse, probably either
because they, from their conspicuous situation, were
a better mark than the infantry, or because it was
supposed that Charles was among them. Such was
the accuracy of the aim taken by the royal artillery,
that several balls entered the ground among the
horses' legs, and bespattered the Prince with the
mud which they raised ; and one of them struck
the horse on which he rode two inches above the
knee. The animal became so unmanageable, that
Charles was obliged to change him for another. One
of his servants, who stood behind with a led horse
in his hand, was killed on the spot. Observing
that the wall on the right flank of the Highland
army prevented him from attacking it on that point,
the Duke ordered Colonel Belford to continue the
cannonade, with the view of provoking the High-
landers and inducing them to advance to the attack.
These, on the other hand, endeavoured to draw the
royal army forward by sending down several parties
by way of defiance. Some of these approached three
several times within a hundred yards of the right
of the royal army, firing their pistols and brandish-
ing their swords ; but with the exception of the
small squadron of horse on the right, which ad-
vanced a little, the line remained immoveable.
Meanwhile, Lord George Murray, observing that a
squadron of the English dragoons and a party of
foot, consisting of two companies of the Argyle-
shiremen, and one of Lord Loudon's Highlanders,
had detached themselves from the left of the royal
army, and were marching down towards the river
Nairn, and conceiving that it was their intention
to flank the Highlanders, or to come upon their
rear when engaged in front, he directed Gordon of
Avochy to advance with his battalion, and prevent
the foot from entering the enclosure ; but before
this battalion could reach them, they broke into
the enclosure, and throwing down part of the east
wall, and afterwards a piece of the west wall in
the rear of the second line, made a free passage for
the dragoons, who formed in the rear of the Prince's
army. Upon this, Lord George ordered the guards
and Fitz-James's horse to form opposite to the dra-
goons to keep them in check. Each party stood
upon the opposite sides of a ravine, the ascent to
which was so steep, that neither could venture
across in presence of the other with safety. The
foot remained within the enclosure, and Avochy 's
battalion was ordered to watch their motions. This
movement took place about the time the Highlanders
were moving forward to the attack.
It was now high time for the Highlanders to come
to a close engagement. Lord George had sent
Colonel Kerr to the Prince, to know if he should
begin the attack, which the Prince accordingly
ordered ; but his Lordship, for some reason or other,
delayed advancing. It is probable he expected that
the Duke would come forward, and that by doing so,
and retaining the wall and a small farm-house on his
right, he would not run the risk of being flanked.
Perhaps he waited for the advance of the left wing,
which, being not so far forward as the right, was
directed to begin the attack, and orders had been
sent to the Duke of Perth to that effect ; but the
left remained motionless. Anxious for the attack,
Charles sent an order by an aid-de-camp to Lord
George Murray to advance, but his Lordship never
received it, as the bearer was killed by a cannon-ball
while on his way to the right. He sent a message
about the same time to Lochiel, desiring him to urge
upon Lord George the necessity of an immediate
attack. Galled beyond endurance by the fire of the
English, which carried destruction among the clans,
the Highlanders became quite clamorous, and called
aloud to be led forward without further delay. Un-
able any longer to restrain their impatience, Lord
George had just resolved upon an immediate advance,
but before he had time to issue the order along the
line, the Mackintoshes, with a heroism worthy of
that brave clan, rushed forward enveloped in the
smoke of the enemy's cannon. The fire of the
centre field-pieces, and a discharge of musquetry
from the Scotch Fusileers, forced them to incline
a little to the right ; but all the regiments to their
right, led on by Lord George Murray in person,
and the united regiment of the Maclauchlans and
Macleans on their left, coming down close after
them, the whole moved forward together at a pretty
quick pace. When within pistol-shot of the Eng-
lish line, they received a murderous fire, not only
in front from some field-pieces, which for the first
time were now loaded with grape-shot, but in flank
from a side-battery supported by the Campbells,
and Lord Loudon's Highlanders. Whole ranks were
literally swept away by the terrible fire of the Eng-
lish. Yet, notwithstanding the dreadful carnage in
their ranks, the Highlanders continued to advance,
and, after giving their fire close to the English fine,
which, from the density of the smoke, was scarcely
perceptible even within pistol-shot, the right wing,
consisting of the Athole Highlanders and the Came-
rons, rushed in sword in hand, and broke through
Barrel's and Monroe's regiments, which stood on
the left of the first line. These regiments bravely
defended themselves with their spontoons and bay-
onets, but such was the impetuosity of the onset,
that they would entirely have been cut to pieces
had they not been immediately supported by two
regiments from the second line, on the approach of
which they retired behind the regiments on their
right, after sustaining a loss in killed and wounded
of upwards of two hundred men. After breaking
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Gazetteers of Scotland, 1803-1901 > Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1 > (359) Page 277 - CUL |
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