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An extract from "'Scotland'
A New History', Micheal Lynch.
Local support?
If marginality was the keynote of support for the Prince
in August and September 1745, the same was also the case
for the government. Cope had found panic and equivocation
but little commitment on his travels. In the capital, a
city of some 40,000 inhabitants, 400 men of the Edinburgh
Defence Volunteers had mustered on the morning of the 15th
September; by midday, when they were due to march out of
the city to confront the Prince's army, they had shrunk
to forty-two.
Lord Drummore's account of
the Jacobite advance at Prestonpans.
Lord Drummore was stationed on the "Royal Left",
on horseback, at 150 yards to the left of Hamilton's squadrons.He
saw the highlanders advancing in "Two columns, clews
or clumps.......and upon the right of those columns a long
line which far outflank'd our line." From his description
it is clear that although, like the Camerons and Stewarts
on the Highland left wing, some of the MacDonalds broke
up into separate bodies, those on the extreme right managed
to preserve their line formation. In fact, so orderly was
it, that while they were advancing Drummore "could
see thro' from front to rear, yet to my astonishment, every
front man cover'd his followers, there was no man to be
seen in the open.......in short, tho' their motion was very
quick, it was uniform and orderly, and I confess I was surprized
at it."
"I can now tell you for
certain there can never be 500 men assembled of Mr Copp's
armie again, perhaps scarce half. Our loss may be about
36 kill'd and 50 wounded; their's, 600 killed, as many wounded,
and we have actually from 16 to 18 hundred prisoners, of
which above 80 officers..."
-Lord George in a letter to his brother after Prestonpans.
"A thousand men went, about one in the morning, which
I commanded the whole way and I was much satisfied to find
the men could march in such order; and upon any emergency
were perfectly obedient, though when no enemy was near,
they were not so regular."
-Lord George in a letter to his wife on leaving Perth
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