Battle of Prestonpans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Prestonpans
Part of the Jacobite rising of 1745
Cairn erected in memory of the battle
Date 21 September 1745 Location Prestonpans, Scotland, Great Britain Result Jacobite victory
Belligerents
Jacobites	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Charles Stuart George Murray John O'Sullivan	John Cope Thomas Fowke Peregrine Lascelles James Gardiner  †
Strength
2,500	2,191
Casualties and losses
105–120 killed and wounded	300–500 killed and wounded 500–600 captured
Registered battlefield
Designated	21 March 2011
Reference no.	BTL16

The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, happened on 21 September 1745. It took place near Prestonpans in East Lothian, Scotland. This battle was the first major fight of the Jacobite rising of 1745. This uprising was part of a larger conflict called the War of the Austrian Succession.

In this battle, Jacobite forces were led by Charles Edward Stuart. He was a member of the Stuart royal family living in exile. His army defeated a government army led by Sir John Cope. Cope's soldiers were not very experienced. They quickly broke apart when faced with a fierce Highland charge. The battle was very short, lasting less than 30 minutes. It gave a huge boost to the Jacobites' confidence. This event later became a famous story in art and legends.

What Led to the Battle?

This bridge was part of the military road that helped armies move around Scotland.

In the 1730s, leaders in France worried about Britain's growing power. Some, like King Louis XV, thought helping the Stuarts regain the British throne would weaken Britain. In February 1744, Louis XV planned to invade England to put the Stuarts back in power. However, bad storms damaged many French warships. This meant the invasion ships could not leave port. In March, France gave up on this plan and declared war on Britain.

Charles Stuart had traveled to France for this invasion. Even though it failed, he still wanted to try again. Most British soldiers were fighting in Flanders at the time. France had also won a battle there in April 1745. This encouraged Charles. So, in July 1745, he sailed to Scotland. He hoped that if he started an uprising, France would have to support him.

Charles landed in Eriskay on 23 July with only a few companions. Many people he met told him to go back to France. But enough people eventually agreed to support him. The most important supporter was Donald Cameron of Lochiel. His tenants made up a large part of the Jacobite army. The rebellion officially began at Glenfinnan on 19 August.

Sir John Cope was the government commander in Scotland. He was a skilled soldier. He had between 3,000 and 4,000 troops. But many of his soldiers were new recruits and lacked experience. Cope also struggled with bad information and advice. The Secretary of State for Scotland, the Marquess of Tweeddale, kept telling him the rebellion was not serious.

Once Charles's location was confirmed, Cope left his cavalry and cannons in Stirling. He marched his infantry to Corrieyairack Pass. This pass was a key route between the Western Highlands and the Lowlands. Controlling it would let Cope block the Jacobites from entering Eastern Scotland. However, he found the Highlanders already there. So, he pulled back to Inverness on 26 August.

The Jacobites' plans were unclear until early September. Then, Cope learned they were using the military roads to march towards Edinburgh. Cope decided the only way to reach the city first was by sea. His troops boarded ships at Aberdeen. They started landing at Dunbar on 17 September. But again, he was too late. Charles had already entered the Scottish capital that same day. However, Edinburgh Castle remained under government control.

The Battle Begins

Battle of Prestonpans; Cope's army first faced south with a marshy area in front. Then, they turned east, along the Tranent waggonway.

Cope was joined at Dunbar by Fowke and the cavalry. The cavalry arrived in poor condition. Cope was determined to fight. He felt he had enough soldiers to defeat the Jacobite army. The Jacobite army had about 2,000 men. They were strong and fit, but not well-armed.

When Charles heard Cope had landed, he ordered his forces to move north. The two armies met on the afternoon of 20 September. Cope chose his position carefully. It was near Gardiner's home, Bankton House. His soldiers faced south. There was a marshy area in front of them. Park walls protected their right side. Cannons were placed behind a bank from the Tranent waggonway. This railway crossed the battlefield. A military court later agreed that Cope had chosen a good spot and placed his troops well.

However, Cope's army had weaknesses. Some of his senior officers were not very good. For example, James Gardiner's dragoon regiment panicked and ran away from a small group of Highlanders a few days earlier. This event was called the 'Coltbridge Canter'. Also, much of Cope's infantry was new and lacked experience. One regiment had been building a military road until May. Finally, his cannon operators were so poorly trained that he asked for replacements from Edinburgh Castle. These replacements were sent but never reached him.

Charles wanted to attack right away. But Lord George Murray argued against it. He said the marshy ground would slow their charge. This would leave the Highlanders open to Cope's stronger firepower. Murray was probably right. This was the first of many arguments between Charles and Murray. These arguments would later weaken the Jacobite leadership. Murray convinced most leaders that they should attack Cope's open left side. A local farmer's son, Robert Anderson, knew a path through the marsh. At 4 AM, the entire Jacobite force began moving. They marched three men wide along a narrow path east of Cope's position.

The remains of the Tranent colliery waggonway

To prevent a surprise attack at night, Cope kept fires burning in front of his position. He also placed 200 dragoons and 300 infantry as guards. A company of Loudon's Highlanders had left Cope's side a few days before. The remaining three companies guarded the baggage in Cockenzie. About 100 volunteers were sent away until morning and missed the battle. Cope's guards warned him about the Jacobite movement. He had enough time to turn his army to face east and move his cannons. As the Highlanders began their charge, Cope's cannon operators ran away. Their officers had to fire the guns themselves.

Like at Killiecrankie in 1689, the government infantry was quickly defeated by the Highland charge.

The two dragoon regiments on the sides panicked and rode off. This left Gardiner mortally wounded on the battlefield. It also left the infantry in the middle unprotected. Attacked from three sides, they were defeated in less than 15 minutes. Their escape was blocked by the park walls behind them. Some managed to get away when the Highlanders stopped to take things from the baggage train. The government lost between 300 and 500 killed or wounded. Another 500 to 600 were captured. Many prisoners were later released to save the cost of holding them. The Jacobites estimated their own losses as 35 to 40 dead and 70 to 80 wounded.

The artillery commander, Lt-Colonel Whitefoord, escaped after being spared by a Jacobite officer. Whitefoord later helped this officer get a pardon after he was captured. Cope also escaped, and Lascelles fought his way out. Most of Lascelles' regiment was captured. Cope, Fowke, and the dragoons reached Berwick-upon-Tweed the next day with 450 survivors. Gardiner was carried from the field to Tranent, where he died that night. A monument was built for him in the mid-1800s. In 1953, a memorial for the dead on both sides was put up near the battle site.

What Happened After?

Colonel Gardiner's Monument

Hours after the battle, Cope wrote to Tweeddale. He said he was not to blame for the defeat. He wrote that the enemy attacked "quicker than can be described" and caused a "destructive panic" among his men. Other people were more critical. William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney, an experienced soldier, questioned Cope's troop placement. He said it was a rule not to place cavalry near woods where infantry could attack them easily.

Cope, Fowke, and Lascelles later faced a military trial. All three were found innocent. The court decided the defeat was due to the "shameful conduct of the private soldiers." But Cope never led a major army again. Fowke was later tried again in 1756 and removed from the army, though he was put back in 1761.

The Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689 had shown that even experienced soldiers struggled against the fierce Highland charge. Prestonpans and Falkirk Muir in January 1746 proved this again. The weakness of the Highland charge was that if it failed, the Highlanders could not hold their ground. By the time of Culloden in April 1746, the government troops had practiced how to counter this tactic. As a result, they caused heavy losses to the Scots.

The victory at Prestonpans meant the rebellion was now taken more seriously. In mid-October, two French ships arrived. They brought money, weapons, and a French envoy. The Duke of Cumberland and 12,000 troops were called back from Flanders. This included 6,000 German soldiers. They had been captured earlier but were released on condition they would not fight against the French. These troops arrived in Berwick-upon-Tweed a few days after Cope.

A drawing from the time showing Cope arriving in Berwick.

The argument between Prince Charles and Lord Murray before the battle was the first of many. Their relationship became difficult. The Jacobite Council spent the next six weeks arguing about their plan. Ending the 1707 Union between Scotland and England was important to Scottish Jacobite supporters. Now, this seemed possible. Charles and his advisors argued that only removing the current royal family could end the Union. This meant invading England. The Scots finally agreed after Charles promised them a lot of English and French support. They left Edinburgh on 4 November and entered England on 8 November. Government forces retook Edinburgh on the 14th.

As they marched south, the Council met daily to discuss their plan. At Derby on 5 December, most members strongly advised retreating. Charles was the only one who disagreed. There was no sign of the promised French landing. Large crowds came to see them, but only Manchester provided many new recruits. Preston, a Jacobite stronghold in 1715, only gave them three. News of another French supply convoy arriving in Montrose seemed to confirm that staying in Scotland was better. So, the Jacobites turned north the next day. The uprising ended with a defeat at Culloden in April 1746.

The Battle's Lasting Impact

In 2006, the Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust was created. It shares information about the battle. The battlefield site is now protected. It is part of the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland.

How people remember the battle and Cope's role has been shaped by stories. Many of these stories were written by people who were not there. Some were not even born yet. In his 1747 book, Life of Colonel Gardiner, a minister named Philip Doddridge made Gardiner a hero. He did this by making fun of Cope. This idea is still popular today.

Gardiner also appears in Sir Walter Scott's 1817 novel Waverley. The hero of the book is an English Jacobite. Gardiner's heroic death helps convince him that the future is with the Union, not the Stuarts. A famous saying by Lord Mark Kerr claimed Cope was the first general to bring news of his own defeat. This seems to be another story added by Scott. (However, this is also in the famous song "Hey Johnnie Cope".)

The most famous legacy comes from Skirving, a local farmer. He visited the battlefield after the fight. He said the victors robbed him. He wrote two songs: "Hey, Johnnie Cope, Are Ye Waking Yet?" and "Tranent Muir." "Hey, Johnnie Cope" is well-known. It is a short, catchy song that insults Cope. It is mostly not historically accurate. The tune is still played by some Scottish regiments. It was also played when the 51st (Highland) Division landed on Juno Beach in Normandy on D-Day in 1944. While Cope's troops ran away, he himself did not. It is also not true that he slept the night before the battle. Poet Robert Burns later wrote his own words to the song, but they are not as famous as Skirving's. One of the battle's participants was Allan Breac Stewart. He was a soldier who switched sides after being captured. He joined the Jacobite army. Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson used him as a main character in his 1886 novel Kidnapped.

In 2019, a new visitor center was planned for the battle site. It would house the Prestonpans Tapestry. This tapestry shows the events leading up to the battle. Parts of the site have been built on for housing and the former Cockenzie power station.

The TV show Outlander shows the battle in Season 2, episode 10.

Images for kids

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  Sir John Cope; he was cleared by a military trial, but Prestonpans ended his career.