Culloden 1746: The Highland Clans' Last Charge

Osprey Campaign #12

by Peter Harrington

Culloden marked the end of the last and greatest of the Jacobite adventures - the '45 Rebellion - in which the Highland clans challenged the power of the Hanoverian King of England. It was at Culloden that Charles Edward Stuart's army was finally defeated. His tired Highlanders had little chance against the steady infantry and heavy artillery fire of the English. Peter Harrington examines all aspects of the battle, including its background, the earlier Highlander victories, the men and commanders of both sides, and the massacre that took place in its aftermath.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, Scotland, 18th Century, British Literature, Military Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 1991

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covering the whole campaign of Forty-Five in as much detail as Culloden itself, this is an Osprey you can take with you for a drive to the restored battlefield, whose restauration has progressed considerably since this publication. A visitor center opened in 2007 to offer the digest of two decade’s worth of archeological survey.

Could the Jacobites have won? They certainly underused their opportunities by first penetrating south of the line York-Manchester, then turning back. You can practically picture Ian McKellen whispering If he can sack York, he can invade lower England. On the other hand, their troops got cocky. They had 5 minutes of fame with a rare successful infantry charge against cavalry and won an unenthusiastic 30 min. battle where the motley nature of their artillery train went unnoticed.

At Culloden, however, the position of the Clans has a Cannae feel to it. Cramped between two walls, they faced a textbook killing ground in front of an arched assembly of uncontested guns and steady redcoats. There was more to the Highland charge than just roar in with shield and broadsword. Short dashes, using up one’s musket and pistols to interrupt the fire rhythm of the enemy, still scored a modest amount of sword slaughter at Culloden. For the most part, they spent too much time in the rain with British volley smoke and bouncy cannonballs in their faces.

The indiscriminate hunt for rebels after the battle, which saw scores of passive sympathizers executed while the real rebels perished in abandoned barns, in combination with deportations to the colonies as part of a cultural uprooting of the Highlands, resonates down to the present as a bad aftertaste. The name “Culloden” is conspicuously absent of any battle honours of British Army units whose lineage stretches back to 1746.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too much "Outlander" lately.

[Bruinrefugee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful and informative book re: the Jacobite uprising in 1746 and the battle of Culloden. Personally, it was just good to learn where the term "Jacobite" came from (it's the Latin form of James, the deposed Stuart king). While I like the formatting of the more recent campaign books better than my early version of this book, this is a good, quick, and clear read.

[Matthew Dambro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful little monograph on the '45. A short synopsis of the last battle fought on English soil. It was the end of the power of the Highland clans and marks the beginning of the UK. The battle was lost due to the ineptness of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The maps alone are worth the price of admission.

[Iain Watson]

Culloden 1746: The Highland Clans' Last Charge (Campaign) by Peter Harrington (1991)