From: Olscot@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 8:37 AM
To: dennis@rdsmith.us
Subject: Clan text 03

Clan 3

After the victory of the Scots at Prestonpans, shortly thereafter they continued south into England. Their hopes were based upon the belief that many other Jacobite supporters would join with them on their way south to defeat the King. Unfortunately very few others joined the cause as they traveled south. They eventually reached Darby which is only 45 miles from London. At this time their supplies as well as their money were both running very low. After a series of discussions among them, they decided to return north to Scotland. At the time they did this King Geordie was preparing his ship to return to Germany. They were actually that close to victory.

King Geordie’s son The Duke of Cumberland at the time was fighting with his troops in France when word reached him about the situation in England. At this point his father recalled him to return to England with his ships. With the Scots returning north and the Duke returning, things turned for the worse for the Scots as they were then being pursued by the English who were drawing closer to them.

The Scots didn’t stop going north until they were almost to Inverness which is close to the northern boundaries of Scotland. At this time the men were terribly tired and hungry after all this traveling. They then learned that The Duke and his men had landed about 30 miles to their northeast. The decision was then made to make a forced march toward the Duke and his men and lay a trap for them. At this point they were so tired and hungry that they decided to return to Drumossie Moor and await the English troops. Within two days the English arrived.

It was on the morning of April 16, 1746 that the battle took place. The Scots right flank contained The Atholl Brigade which included Clan Robertson. Prince Charley was being advised by an Irish officer behind the line of the Scottish Clans. They had only two cannon while the English had well over forty cannon. When the Scots charged on this flat moor, the riflemen of Clan Campbell who always fought through the years on the side they thought would probably win the battle rose up and fired their muskets into the ranks of the Robertsons killing many of them. Also at this time, the English cannon began firing into The Scots. This was decimating resulting in horrible carnage to the Scots and Clan Robertson. However, many of our clan got to the English artillery and killed many with their broadswords which was their main weapon along with their dirks, a short sword about a foot in length.

At this point the battle was lost by the Highlanders and Clan Robertson. The English bayoneted the wounded and following that carried some of the wounded Scots into a small house near where the memorial is currently located in Scotland. There the English set fire to the house and burned the Scottish wounded . A very black day in Scottish history. Following the battle, the English went through the Highlands and killed any man wearing a kilt. They then proclaimed that no Scot could ever wear a kilt again upon pain of death. Following Culloden many other Clan chiefs began to import sheep into the highlands and rented their Clan lands to sheep herders. Our Chief never did this and mortgaged his lands to provide food for his people. He may have been the only Clan chief to do this.

Also following the defeat at Culloden, the only way a Scot could wear the kilt was to join the English army as one of the Highland Brigades. They had to wear the Redcoats of the British Army, but they got to wear the plaid kilts of their regiment.

This ended the long history of Scottish Clans until they were rejuvenated many years later.