AD. 1746.]

having raised a battery to sweep the ford, and ranged his best marksmen along the shore. But the heavier artillery of the duke soon drove lord John from the ground, who set fire to his barracks and huts, and left the ford open to the enemy, who soon got across. On Sunday, the 13th of April, the English advanced to Alves, and on the 14th reached Nairn. As the van, consisting of the Argyllshire men, some companies of grenadiers, and Kingston's light horse, entered Nairn, the rear of lord John Drummond had not quitted it, and there was some skirmishing at the bridge. The Highlanders still retreated to a place called the Lochs of the Clans, about five miles beyond Nairn, where the prince came up with reinforcements, and, turning the flight, pursued the English back again to the main body of their army, which was encamped on the plain to the west of Nairn.

That night Charles and his chief officers lay at Culloden House, the seat of the able and patriotic lord-president, Duncan Forbes; but the troops were obliged to lie on the moor amid the heather, which served them for both beds and fuel, the cold being very severe. They were up early in the morning, and formed in order of battle on Drummossie Muir, the part of the heath of Culloden near to Culloden House. No enemy, however, appeared, and there the poor hungry men lay for most of the day with no other food than a biscuit per man. Lord Elcho was sent off to reconnoitre, and he brought word that the English army was halting at Nairn to keep the duke's birthday, and were feasting, drinking, and singing, and showing no intention of marching that day. If Charles and his officers had been wise, they would have seized this opportunity to draw off their army and get across the straits, as it was totally unfit to cope with the English, either in numbers or condition. The English were full of food and rest; the Highlanders were actually reduced by famine, and so many had dispersed amongst the hills to seek food, that they could not muster above five thousand men. Lochiel had joined them with his Camerons during the night; but Cromarty, as we have said, was just captured in Sutherland, and Cluny was still absent in Badenoch with his Macphersons. The policy of an able general would have been to draw Cumberland away from the coast, where his fleet supplied him with all necessaries; to have led him on into the mountains, where his men would soon have suffered more from hardship and scarcity than the Highlanders, and where they might have harassed and cut them off by ambushes amongst the wild woods and hills. But, from the time of the return from Derby, Charles seemed to have lost his enthusiasm, which had carried him on; and, if we take away this quality, perhaps we shall find that nowhere had he displayed the genius of a great general. He was clearly of a temperament which, if well, or even tolerably supported, would perform brilliant exploits by onward and dashing enterprise; but we seek in vain for any evidences of those qualities of foresight and management which made Washington and Wellington successful. Nothing could now have been so fatal as to attempt a battle against well-fed troops, with every advantage of generalship, artillery, and choice of ground, with men who had for months been subsisting on a famine fare, and who were numbers of them squandered through the country seeking for subsistence.

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Even had they waited another day, Lochiel said they would be able to muster fifteen hundred men more. A council of war being called, Lochiel stated this fact as a plea for delay ; lord John Drummond, the duke of Perth, and others, were of the same opinion; but lord George Murray declared for making a night march, and surprising the duke's.army whilst it would lie, as they supposed, asleep in a drunken debauch. Charles, who had the same idea, but had not yet broached it, embraced lord George with ardour, declaring it of all things his own wish. The idea was adopted, yet the slightest military wisdom would have shown them the futility of the scheme. The men were in a general state, not only of famine, but of discontent, from the non-payment of their arrears. When the officers returned to their regiments to put them in order for the march; they found a good number of them gone away to Inverness to endeavour to procure some food. Messengers were sent in hot haste to recall them, but the poor hungry wretches declared that they might kill them if they pleased, but that they would not go back until they had obtained some food. This condition of the troops, growing desperate with hunger, and such numbers having run from the ranks, made many think that the march ought to be given up; but Charles would not hear of it, and about eight o'clock in the evening lord George put himself at the head of the army, and the word was given to advance. The distance to Nairn was twelve miles, but lord George proposed to proceed down the river and cross it at about three miles above Nairn, which would make the route considerably more. He hoped by this plan to be able to attack the enemy at once in flank and rear as well as front. The orders were to march in profound silence, the word being "king James VIII." No firearms were to be used, but, on reaching the tents, they were to cut the cords, let the tents fall on the heads of the sleepers, and dispatch them through the canvas with their dirks. Lord George led the van, lord John Drummond the rear. The night was dark, and the men soon began to stumble through bog and mire, making their march heavy, and causing them to curse and swear.

It was soon found that the men were so feeble and incapable of walking, even, to say nothing of fighting after a fourteen or fifteen miles march, on empty stomachs, that it was impossible to make the rear keep up with the van. Many lay down by the roadside and in the wood of Kilravock from sheer exhaustion. Lord John sent forward to request lord George to halt, that the rear might come up; but, as this was not attended to, lord John Drummond and most of the officers hastened to the van, and lord John said aloud to lord George Murray, "Why will you go on? There is a gap of half a mile in the line, and the men won't come up." A halt was then made, and lord George afterwards said that he had been desired to halt fifty times by aides-de-camp and other officers before he had gone six miles. It was plain that the whole attempt was nothing less than madness. They had calculated on being at Nairn at two o'clock, but it was that hour before they had all passed Kilravock House, only four miles from the English camp. It was clear that it would be daylight long before they reached Nairn, and they could only get there to be slaughtered in helplessness, for they would be too tired either to fight or run away. It

was therefore agreed to return. Charles had never come up to the front himself, but sent O'Sullivan to say that he should have been glad of the attack, but that lord George Murray would judge whether it were practicable.

The retreat was made, and the men found themselves again in the morning on the bleak, black heath of Drummossie, hungry and worn out, yet in expectation of a battle. The duke of Cumberland, according to Home, had been quite aware of their night march, and ready to receive the enemy. There was yet time to do the only wise thingretreat into the mountains, and depend upon a guerilla warfare, in which they would have the decided advantage. Lord George Murray now earnestly proposed this, but in vain. "Why," says lord George, "what I have now mentioned was not performed, let them answer who

they could easily beat the English, as they had done at Prestonpans and Falkirk-forgetting that the Highlanders then were full of vigour and spirit. Unfortunately, Charles listened to this foolish reasoning, and the fatal die was cast.

The English army was now in full march against them. About eight o'clock in the inorning one of the men who had been left asleep in the wood of Kilravock, came running to Culloden House, where Charles and his chief officers were resting, to announce that Cumberland's troops were coming. There was then a hurried running and riding to get the army drawn up to receive them. Cumberland came on with his army, divided into three columns of five battalions each. The artillery and baggage followed the second column along the sea-coast on the right; the cavalry covered the

were determined against a hill campaign, as they called it. What I can aver is, that myself and most of the clans-at least, all those I spoke with-were for this operation; and his royal highness could have supported the fatigue as well as any person in the army. It is true, Sir Thomas Sheridan, &c., could not have undergone it; so we were obliged to be undone for their ease. As to provisions, had I been allowed any direction we would not have wanted, though, perhaps, not the best, for years, so long as there were cattle in the Highlands, or meal in the Lowlands."

This was the advice of a good general. Lord George contended that they ought, in the unfit state of the men, to cross to the south side of the river Nairn, where the country was hilly, and inaccessible to cavalry; but, as lord George intimates, Sir Thomas Sheridan and other officers from France grew outrageous at that proposal, contending that

left wing, which stretched towards the hills. The men were all in the highest spirits, and even the regiments of horse, which had hitherto behaved so ill, seemed as though they meant to retrieve their characters to-day. The Highlanders were drawn up about half a mile from the part of the moor where they stood the day before, forming a sad contrast to Cumberland's troops, looking thin, and dreadfully fatigued. In placing, also, a most fatal mistake was made. They were drawn up in two lines, with a body of reserve; but the clan Macdonald, which had always been accustomed to take their place on the right since Robert Bruce placed them there in the battle of Bannockburn, were disgusted to find themselves now occupying the left. Instead of the Macdonalds, now, stood the Athol brigade, and in the centre the Camerons of Lochiel, the Stuarts of Appin, the Frazers; Macintoshes, Maclauchlins, Macleans, Fergusons, and the Roy Stuarts.

The second line consisted of lord Ogilvie's regiment to the right, next to them lord Lewis Gordon's men, the regiment of Glenbucket, the troops of the duke of Perth, lord John Drummond, and on the extreme left the Irish piquets, commanded by Stapleton on the left. Lord George Murray commanded the right wing, and lord John Drummond the left. On the right, somewhat behind the first line of infantry, stood the few troops of horse that were now left after the hard marches and the grievous want of fodder. Charles placed himself on a small eminence with the body of reserve, consisting of lord Kilmarnock's regiment of foot guards and a few dozen horse, the last remains of the cavalry of lords Pitsligo and Strathallan. The prince's position was behind the right of the second line, a strong park wall protecting the flank of his army on that side.

Cumberland came up at eleven o'clock within half a mile of the Highland army, where he halted and made a final disposition of his forces; and now would have been the time for the Scots to have made one of their impetuous rushes upon him, had they had their usual strength and spirit; as it was, they stood tamely watching his movements. He threw his columns into two lines of foot, with a morass and the sea-coast on his right, and the old park-wall on his left. There on his left he posted his cavalry, to fall on the enemy's right. Next came a powerful body of reserve, consisting of Kingston's horse, with several regiments of English and Argyllshire foot. In the first line to the left stood Burrel's brave regiment, and to the right the Royal Scots. The second line consisted of six regiments, with Howard's on the right, and Wolfe's on the left. Ten pieces of artillery were placed in the intervals betwixt the regiments of the first line. Other regiments were brought up from the reserve as the fight went on, to strengthen the lines. Lord Albemarle led the front centre, major-general Blandon the right flank, and lord Ancram on the left. The duke took his post in the second line to the right, and Hawley in the same to the left.

Thus stood face to face the armies which were to decide the fortunes of Guelph and Stuart. There could be very little doubt which would preponderate. Cumberland, heavy, matter-of-fact, and pitiless, had brought up his forces with every attention to their physical vigour; Charles, displaying more and more of the fatal characteristics of his race as the contest had proceeded, had neglected every precaution which his most skilful generals had endeavoured to impress upon him. Like his forefathers, he learned nothing by experience, but had lost the charm of youthful enthusiasm which carried his followers so triumphantly over the fields of Prestonpans and Falkirk. Neglecting, or not perceiving, as the simplest common sense would have taught him, to maintain the physical vigour of his men, or to elude by strategy the shock of battle, he brought up a handful of outworn, famished, enfeebled, and, therefore, inefficient men, to combat a much superior force, buoyant with every comfort and advantage. That was enough to ensure defeat; but Heaven itself now seemed to fight against him, and put a period to the bloody and hopeless struggle. The wind, which favoured him at Falkirk, now favoured his adversary. As the battle began, a snowstorm began to blow in the faces of the Highlanders, which greatly confounded them. Cumberland, before order

ing the onset, begged any men who were reluctant to fight because they had relations in the Highland army, or from any other cause, to retire, preferring, he said, one thousand determined men at his back to ten thousand who were lukewarm. The answer was loud cries of "Flanders! Flanders!" and the cannon began to play along the opposing lines.

On approaching the Highlanders the English ranks came upon boggy ground, and had to drag their cannon by their own strength. The cannon of the Highlanders was both inferior and worse served than that of the English; and when, at one o'clock, the duke began to play on their ranks with his artillery, he made dreadful havoc amongst them. Several times the Highlanders endeavoured to make one of their impetuous rushes, running forward with loud cries, brandishing their swords, and firing their pistols; but the steady fire of the English cannon mowed them down and beat them off. Seeing, however, a more determined appearance of a rush, colonel Belford began to charge with grape shot. This repelled them for a time; but at length, after an hour's cannonade, the Macintoshes succeeded in reaching the first line of the English. Firing their muskets, and then fiinging them down, they burst, sword in hand, on Burrel's regiment, and cut their way through it. The second line, however, consisting of Sempill's regiment, received them with a murderous fire. Cumberland had ordered the first rank to kneel down, the second to lean forward, and the third to fire over their heads. By this means, such a terrible triple volley was given them, as destroyed them almost en masse. Those left alive, however, with all their ancient fury, continued to hew at Sempill's regiment; but Cumberland had ordered his men not to charge with their bayonets straight before them, but each to thrust at the man fronting his right-hand man. By this means his adversary's target covered him where he was open to the left, and his adversary's right was open to him. This new manoeuvre greatly surprised the Highlanders, and made fearful havoc of them. From four to five hundred of them fell betwixt the two lines of the English army.

Whilst the Macintoshes were thus immolating themselves on the English bayonets, the Macdonalds on their left stood in sullen inaction, thus abandoning their duty and their unfortunate countrymen from resentment of their post of honour on the right having been denied them. At length, ashamed of their own conduct, they discharged their muskets, and drew their broadswords for a rush; but the Macintoshes were now flying, and the grape-shot and musket-shot came so thickly in their faces, that they, too, turned and gave way.

On the English right Hawley had managed to pull down portions of the wall that covered the right of the Highlanders, and, leading through the Campbells of Argyllshire, took the insurgents on their flank, whilst the heavy mass of cavalry posted there charged furiously on their front. The Highlanders were in no condition to bear up against such force and the deadly havoc of the artillery, and they broke, also, on that wing.

Whilst Charles stood on his mound, watching the rout of his army to right and left, he called frantically to those who fled wildly by to stand and renew the fight. At this