Wednesday, April 16th, 1746...The fateful day Cumberland's guns blasted Jacobite hopes and sounded a death knell for the old Highland way of life. Culloden, Wednesday, April 16th, 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie's exhausted forces met a much larger army of Hanoverian regulars led by the Duke of Cumberland. Reckless bravery they displayed in plenty, but it was not enough to win the day.

The Jacobite army could only muster 5,000 men and was drawn up in two lines, with a small reserve. The first line comprised the Highland clans. On the right was the Atholl Brigade, on the left the Macdonalds. It was an arrangement which did not please the latter, who claimed the right as their due since Bannockurn. Attached to the Macdonalds was a contingent of Grants from Glenurquhart who had ignored their chief's view and joined the Prince.

Between the right and left were other clans - Camerons, Stewarts of Appin, Frasers, Mackintoshes, Farquharsons, Maclachlans, Macleans, Chisholms, and a body of Macleods, who had also come out in disregard of their chief's wishes.

Deployed in three batteries on the left, centre and right of the front line were 13 light guns. The second line, posted 100 yards to the rear, consisted mainly of Lowland regiments and units in the French service. The Prince had some cavalry on the flanks of the second line, and a small body of troops in reserve. It is estimated that the front line of the Highland army numbered 3,810 and the second line and reserve together only 1,190.

Prince Charles, dressed in tartan coat and trews and white-cockaded bonnet, moved about the field on a grey horse encouraging his men. The two armies came within sight of each other at 11am and were in position about 1pm, separated by an interval of between 400 and 500 yards. Sleet was driving across the moor from the east, right into the faces of the Jacobites.

Irrespective of the Duke's later cruel excessess, it has to be acknowledged that he drew up his army in good order for the task before it that day. His forces numbered about 9,000 men, consisting of 15 regular regiments of infantry, 600 Highlanders of the Argyll militia and the Earl of Loudoun's regiment, 850 dragoons and an artillery train of 10 three-pounder guns and six coehorn mortars.

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