Culloden, that darkest of days...
HISTORY is set to be re-written after archeologists revealed the Jacobite army were far closer to winning the battle of Culloden than previously thought.
The battle, which went down in history as a decisive victory for the notorious Duke of Cumberland, marked the end of the '45 rebellion and left lasting scars on the Scottish psyche.
And for centuries it has been believed that the red-coated government soldiers had utterly destroyed the indisciplined, untrained Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
But new excavations of the 1746 battleground which has since become part of Scottish folklore have discovered the Jacobites came close to breaking the government line and re-writing history.
Researchers have found evidence that the almost suicidal attack of the Young Pretender's 7000 strong army, armed with dirks and broadswords, forced Cumberland and troops loyal to George II to turn to heavy mortars previously held in reserve to prevent a rout of his troops.
Dr Tony Pollard, of the Two Men in a Trench programme, and a team from Glasgow University archaeological research division, uncovered hundreds of musket balls and evidence of grape canister shot on the English area of the battle.
Dr Pollard said: "It was clear that a huge amount of material was hurled at the Jacobites as they moved forwards. We also managed to find, for the first time, a point at which the Jacobites hit home on the west of the government line. The evidence shows they came a lot closer to breaking through the lines than the histories of the battle suggest."
The battle, which went down in history as a decisive victory for the notorious Duke of Cumberland, marked the end of the '45 rebellion and left lasting scars on the Scottish psyche.
And for centuries it has been believed that the red-coated government soldiers had utterly destroyed the indisciplined, untrained Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
But new excavations of the 1746 battleground which has since become part of Scottish folklore have discovered the Jacobites came close to breaking the government line and re-writing history.
Researchers have found evidence that the almost suicidal attack of the Young Pretender's 7000 strong army, armed with dirks and broadswords, forced Cumberland and troops loyal to George II to turn to heavy mortars previously held in reserve to prevent a rout of his troops.
Dr Tony Pollard, of the Two Men in a Trench programme, and a team from Glasgow University archaeological research division, uncovered hundreds of musket balls and evidence of grape canister shot on the English area of the battle.
Dr Pollard said: "It was clear that a huge amount of material was hurled at the Jacobites as they moved forwards. We also managed to find, for the first time, a point at which the Jacobites hit home on the west of the government line. The evidence shows they came a lot closer to breaking through the lines than the histories of the battle suggest."
posted by Bob Freeman at 7:39 AM
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