Jacobite projectiles discovered at Culloden – History Blog

Scottish archaeologists have discovered more than 100 cannonballs from the Battle of Culloden in areas of the battlefield where no artefacts had been found before. The projectiles included lead shot, buckshot and cannonballs, including a three-pound pellet believed to have been fired from a Jacobite cannon.

The Battle of Culloden was the final conflict of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. On April 16, 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite forces were routed by government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland. Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobite soldiers were wounded or killed, and the Jacobite cause died. Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to France and never set foot in Scotland again.

A team of archaeologists from the National Trust for Scotland and the University of Glasgow worked with volunteers to investigate the area of ​​the battlefield that lay between Jacobite and government lines. Previous excavations have come up empty-handed, possibly due to 19th-century reforestation projects and subsequent tree felling. This time, the team used a variety of techniques: metal detector scans, digging test trenches and test pits. The multi-pronged approach succeeded beyond expectations, revealing one of the most important conflicts in the battle.

Professor Tony Pollard said: “We have only had time to make a quick assessment of the results, but rifle rounds fired by Jacobite and Government troops, including pistol rounds fired by Government dragoons, are likely to be associated with one of the final actions of the battle. “The battle took place between the initial battle lines, and the site’s marshy ground slowed the Highland charge, which, combined with the heavy firepower of the Cumberland Front, helped seal the fate of the Jacobite cause.

As the Jacobites retreated, an Irish force serving in France fought alongside the Jacobites, bravely resisting hundreds of Cobham Dragoons and possibly Kingston’s Cavalry advancing from the right side of the Cumberland Line. These cavalry were tasked with mowing down the disorderly Jacobites and we have recovered some of the bullets fired from their heavy pistols. An Irish force of approximately 150 men, under the command of its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Walter Stapleton, held off the attack, firing volleys at the approaching cavalry, according to Adjutant John O’Sullivan, one of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s senior officers. The red-clad Irish Picketts then found cover behind the walls at Culloden Park. Nonetheless, after suffering heavy casualties (including Stapleton), their surrender was the only option other than total annihilation. As regulars serving in France, they were treated as prisoners of war rather than rebels, but nonetheless suffered hardship on a prison hulk in the Thames before being repatriated to France in early 1747.

“This heroic action helped thousands of Jacobites escape the battlefield, but has received only a brief mention in most history books. A more detailed analysis of the artefacts and their distribution patterns is needed before we can make a definite statement, but no alternative explanation is currently apparent.