The battle of Prestonpans may have been one of the shortest
battles in British history - the fighting lasted about 15 minutes
followed by rout and slaughter. It was a complete victory for
Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Jacobite force.
On 25th July 1745 Prince Charles landed near Moidart in the West
Highlands of Scotland with seven companions. He raised his standard
at Glenfinnan and assembled an army from the clans that supported
his bid for the throne. This army marched into Edinburgh on 17th
September 1745. The two Hanoverian dragoons regiments in the city
fled at the Jacobites' approach in the famous “Colterbrigg
canter”.
General Sir John Cope, the commander of the small Hanoverian
force in Scotland, had earlier marched to Inverness with his four
regiments of foot. With the Jacobite force now at the capital, Cope
brought his troops south to Dunbar by sea and met up with the
dragoons. None of his troops, dragoons or foot, were experienced or
even adequately trained. Cope’s artillery - 6 guns - can only be
described as a “scratch” force comprising invalids and seamen
headed by one aged gunner. From Dunbar, Cope marched along the
coast road towards Edinburgh.
Believing the rebel army to be inland and to the south, on 20th
September 1745 Cope formed up his army near Preston with their
backs to the sea and their front protected by a marsh. It would
have been a good position; however, during the night the Jacobites
made their way through the marsh to come up on the left flank of
the royal army. Some accounts claim that the Jacobites moved simply
because they did not want to spend the night in the bog - their
appearance on Cope's left flank being more or less accidental.
Others describe how a local man, one Robert Anderson, showed the
Jacobite leaders a path he used through the marsh when hunting in
the area and Lord George Murray, the Jacobite General, formed the
outflanking plan.
In the morning light of 21 September, Cope reformed his line to
the east to face the Jacobites. The highland army launched a charge
at which the gunners fled. The dragoon regiments also fled and the
foot began to give way. In short order, the whole Hanoverian army
took to their heels and were slaughtered as they ran. Those few who
stood their ground were slaughtered where they stood (see
Prestonpans - Hanoverian Hero GC12CRB). Only the
dragoons (being mounted) were able to get away in any numbers. All
the foot bar some 170 were killed, wounded or captured. The
injuries inflicted by the highlanders using broad swords and bill
hooks are reported to have been horrific.
Sir John Cope became a figure of fun in Scotland for having been
outflanked while he slept. The song "Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye
waukin' yet?" was penned by a Garleton man in memory of the
victory. It was claimed that Cope fled all the way to Berwick ahead
of the remnants of his army where he was declared the only General
ever to have been the first bearer of the news of his own defeat.
Cope also became infamous (and rich) by wagering £10,000 that his
successor as commander of the Hanoverian force in Scotland would
also be defeated. In January 1746, at the battle of Falkirk, his
prediction was borne out.
None of the Hanoverian regiments present at Prestonpans could be
said to have had a good day. But perhaps Lee's regiment was the
unluckiest. This was just their first experience of massacre. Later
retitled the 44th regiment of foot, they went on to earn the
unwelcome title of the most frequently massacred regiment in the
British army.
For their part, the victorious Jacobites pushed south into
England and famously reached as far as Derby before returning
north. "What if Price Charles Edward had not turned back?" is one
of the great historical questions. The rest, however, is actual
history that ended in bloody defeat at Culloden.