French Regiments at Culloden

Contrary to popular belief, the Battle of Culloden didn’t pitch Scotland against England. Both armies were made up of English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh soldiers. The British government army also had Hanoverian soldiers, and the Jacobites had two French regiments in their ranks; Royal Ecossais and Irish Piquets (which came from the Irish Brigade). Together they contained around 600 men but of these 600 soldiers, only about 15% were French. 

The Royal Ecossais was made up of Scots sent into exile in France a few years earlier as a punishment; the Irish Piquets followed the same scenario, but with Irish men. 

Memorial stone for the Irish Piquets

Let’s talk a bit about these two French regiments. 

Firstly, their uniforms were different from the rest of the Jacobite army; the Royal Ecossais mostly wore a dark blue jacket, while the Irish Piquets wore a red coat. Knowing that the soldiers of the British army also wore red coats, there was a real worry of confusion. To avoid any misunderstanding, the Jacobites wore a white cockade on their hat or jacket (the white rose being the symbol of Jacobitism), whilst soldiers of the British government army wore a black one. Thus, it was easy to know who belonged to which camp. 

The two French regiments turned out to be very useful and they helped the Jacobites to win the battle of Falkirk on January 16, 1746 by supporting the Highland Charge. 

The Highland Charge was a Jacobite shock tactic of rushing at the enemy, weapons in the air. With the French regiments mostly on horseback, it was easy for them to assist the Highland Charge once the Jacobites had reached the enemy’s army. 

But, at Culloden, the French regiments were in the second line; a line that the British government army attacked even before the first cannons were fired. Busy defending the rear of the Jacobite army, the French regiments were unable to support the Highland Charge. Nevertheless, they managed to reach the battlefield as the Jacobites were forced to retreat and attacked the British cavalry, allowing many Jacobites to escape from the battlefield. 

Memorial stone for the Royal Ecossais

After the Battle of Culloden, thousands of Jacobites, or presumed Jacobites, were arrested and thrown into prison. They were treated miserably: no food, untreated wounds, non-existent hygiene to name but a few. Many died before their trials, others were executed or sentenced to several years of servitude, and some were forgiven. 

On the other hand, the soldiers of the French regiments, being subjects of King Louis XV, were treated as prisoners of war. They received the necessary care for their wounds, were given food and had adequate hygiene. Instead of being executed or banished, they were exchanged for British prisoners of war who were imprisoned in France. 

Today on the battlefield, behind the blue flags line (representing the first line of the Jacobite army), you can see a stone, erected in 1994 by the White Cockade Society, commemorating the Scots Royal regiment who fought alongside the Jacobites and beside this is a stone commemorating the Irish Piquets.

We hope you enjoyed this post. As always please like, tweet, share and comment.

All the best, The Culloden Team

General Wade

Since we covered the Welsh Jacobites earlier this month for St Davids Day we felt it only fair to turn our heads to the Irish for St Patricks Day.

This time rather than focusing on the whole Irish section we decided to just pick one man; George Wade.

George Wade

Born in 1673 in Killavally in Ireland, George Wade had a long military career. He fought in both the Nine Years War and the War of Spanish Succession before becoming commander of the British forces in Ireland in November 1714. In 1715 he join in the fight against the Jacobite Rising and undertook security duties in Bath where he unearthed a haul of Jacobite weapons. He is said to have helped counter several plots in England, and at one point even arrested the Swedish ambassador in London.

Perhaps the thing Wade is most well known for though is his roads. In 1724 George I’s government sent Wade to Scotland to inspect the state of the country. It is said when he first visited he found the Highlands in ‘a state of anarchy and confusion’, and virtually inaccessible to his troops. He recommended the construction of barracks, bridges and proper roads to assist in the control of Scotland. On 10 May 1725 he was appointed Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s forces, castles, forts and barracks in North Britain and was tasked with carrying out his own recommendations.

Over the next twelve years Wade directed the construction of some 240 miles (390 km) of roads and 40 bridges linking garrisons at Ruthven, Fort George, Fort Augustus and Fort William. The roads were designed to be sixteen feet wide and like Roman roads were ideally built in a straight line. Every ten miles soldier camps were formed with inns often developing alongside, some of which can still be seen today. Indeed much of Wades work can still be seen today including the five arch Tay Bridge at Aberfeldy which is known as ‘General Wades Bridge’ and reportedly cost over £4,000.

The Tay Bridge in Aberfeldy

 

Wade was also responsible for raising a militia called the Highland Watches. The first six companies were formed in 1725, with another four in 1739. The men were recruited from clans loyal to the crown: Campbell, Fraser, Munro and Grant and were designed to prevent fighting between the clans, deter raiding and enforce the new disarmament laws.  These six independent companies were eventually brought together in 1739 to become the Black Watch Regiment and were, for many years, the only troops allowed to wear tartan of any kind.

In 1745 Wade was called back from retirement at the age of 72, to aid in stopping the ’45 Rising but his role was minor and inglorious. Based in Newcastle his troops failed to intercept the Jacobite army on its campaign south to Derby and again on its dejected return north to Scotland. Wade was replaced as Commander-in-Chief by the Duke of Cumberland who eventually led the government army to victory at Culloden.

Wade died in 1748 and was buried in the centre aisle of the nave in Westminster Abbey.  He was unmarried but left four illegitimate children, George, John, Jane and Emilia.

We hope you enjoyed this little insight into Wades life. As always please like, tweet, share, comment and why not take a journey along some of Wades roads.

All the best, K & D