Did Jacobites Nearly Win Battle of Culloden?
As told by the victors, the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite army at Culloden in April 1746 by the government redcoats was a conclusive one, with huge casualties amongst the Highlanders and few sustained by their better-equipped and more disciplined opponents. But recent excavations at the site of the battle seem to suggest that the conflict was a lot closer than the official account portrays. There is evidence that the charge by the Highlanders came close to breaking the government line – and rewriting history. The suicidal attack forced the Duke of Cumberland to turn his heavy mortars onto the serried ranks to prevent a rout of his troops. A large survey has been made using metal detectors and these showed for the first time the point at which the Jacobites hit the government front line. The research also uncovered for the first time the location of where Cumberland’s dead soldiers had been buried. It shows that about 260 were killed – still far below the 1,000 casual
