Siege of Inverness (1746) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Fort George (1746)
Part of the Jacobite rising of 1745
The Castle of Inverness, J. Clack
Date 21 February 1746 Location Inverness, Scotland, Great Britain Result Jacobite victory
Belligerents
Jacobites  France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
James Drummond John O'Sullivan	George Grant
Strength
3,000	266
Casualties and losses
Light	266 killed, wounded and captured

The siege of Inverness (also known as the siege of Fort George) happened in February 1746. It was a key event during the Jacobite rising of 1745. This was a time when supporters of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, called Jacobites, tried to put him on the throne of Great Britain. The siege was a fight for control of Fort George, an important stronghold in Inverness, Scotland.

Before the Siege

In early February 1746, John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, a leader supporting the British government, had nearly 2,000 soldiers. Most of these men were from groups called the Independent Highland Companies. These companies were local soldiers who helped keep order.

Loudoun was waiting in Inverness for the Jacobite forces. The Jacobites were led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. However, Loudoun was told by Duncan Forbes, Lord Culloden to leave Inverness. This was because the Jacobite army was much larger.

Loudoun and his men then moved safely across the Cromarty Firth and the Dornoch Firth. They ended up in Sutherland without losing any soldiers. Loudoun's retreat left Fort George in Inverness alone. It was 28 miles away from his forces and surrounded by about 3,000 Jacobite soldiers. There was no way for Loudoun to help the fort.

The Attack on Fort George

The fort, known as Old Fort George, had tight defenses. It even had the tower of an older castle still standing inside its newer walls. Major George Grant was in charge of the fort's defense. He had two Independent Highland Companies with him. These were led by the Laird of Grant and the Master of Ross. He also had about 80 regular soldiers from Guise's 6th Regiment. These were considered some of Loudoun's best fighters.

James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth took overall command of the Jacobite attack. This annoyed Sir John O'Sullivan, who thought he and the Marquis d'Eguilles were doing fine on their own.

On the morning of February 19, O'Sullivan checked out the fort. He saw that its double layers of defense were too strong to climb over. They were also too tough for the single cannon the Jacobites had. However, O'Sullivan noticed that the fort's foundations were not stable. This made the part of the fort facing the bridge weak against mining.

That evening, O'Sullivan and Colonel James Grant began digging a mine. They also built a place for their cannon on Bara Hill overnight. On the morning of February 20, they started firing their cannon at the fort.

The soldiers defending the fort could not stop the mining. Their hand grenades did not do much damage. They also could not aim their cannons low enough to hit the attackers. Major George Grant was worried that the fort's wall would be blown up from underneath him. Because of this, he surrendered the fort on February 21, 1746.

What Happened Next?

When news of the surrender reached the Lord Justice Clerk in Edinburgh, he was not happy. He thought Grant could have held the fort for a few more days. The Duke of Cumberland also said it was a "silly affair."

The Jacobites took all the supplies from inside the fort. Prince Charles Edward Stuart then ordered the fort's walls to be torn down and its strongholds blown up. This was to make sure the fort would be useless if the government took it back. Sadly, one of his French sergeants died while checking a demolition charge that had not exploded right away.

The two government Independent Highland Companies that were captured were later brought back together. After the Battle of Culloden, they continued to serve the government.