THE ROAD TO CULLODEN

      During the period following the Battle of Falkirk the Highland army experienced a substantial number of 'desertions'. The Highlanders were mostly volunteers (some involuntarily so). Many had family responsibilities; few were 'in it for the spoils of war.' The Highlanders had endured a gruelling march to Derby and back and had acquitted themselves well in battle at Falkirk. They were warriors who were totally unsuited for the boredom of siege warfare being conducted at Stirling. Living outdoors in Scottish winter is not everyone's 'cup of tea' even for the hardy. It was difficult to blame them for wanting to go home.

      Lord George and the colonels recognized the problem and sought to stem the losses by addressing a memorial to the Prince on 29 January. They urged him to abandon the siege and take up winter quarters in the Highlands where the Highland forts could be dealt with. After a series of heated negotiations in which the council's representatives -- Cluny and Keppoch -- were subjected to the Prince's "Despotick temper," he agreed to their proposal, stating that "I wash my hands of the fatal consequences which I foresee but cannot help."

      On 1 February the Highland division left Falkirk for the north. On reaching Bannockburn they found the whole Lowland division in precipitate flight as a result of a report that Cumberland's army had reached Linlithgow. The Highland division crossed the Forth, reformed and followed the Lowlanders up Strathallan toward Perth. On 3rd February a council of war was held at Crieff in which the direction of the retreat was hotly debated. The Prince insisted that the army move to Aberdeen and then up the coast while the Highlanders advocated a route through Athole and Badenoch. The issue was decided by Lord George agreeing to lead the Lowland division by the coastal route while the Prince led the Highlanders via the inland route. The objective for both columns was Culloden House near Inverness.

      The two columns parted on 4th February with the Macpherson regiment serving as the advanced guard. They reached Badenoch on the 7th; the other units straggled in through the 12th. On the 13th the Prince held a mass review for 2500 troops at Ruthven; Macpherson strength was said to be 300 but some of those indicated that they would not be "further concerned." The Prince left Ruthven on the 15th after burning the barracks and arrived at Moy, the home of the Mackintosh, on the 16th. That night the Earl of Loudoun's regiment of Scots loyal to the Government marched there with the objective of capturing the Prince but were routed by a small local party employing a tactical ruse that is still celebrated in the Highlands as the 'Rout of Moy'. It is interesting to note that the Mackintosh himself served in Loudoun's Regiment but his wife, Lady Anne organized the Mackintosh clansmen and others as a regiment for the Prince. During the raid on Moy she was one of the main participants of the ruse who, "running around like a mad woman in her shift", hid the Prince from the raiders.

      Prince Charles and Lord George Murray met at Culloden House on 19th February and agreed to release most of the regiments to return home or to undertake the capture the forts held by the Government. The relations between the Prince and his general had been strained for quite some time. Now the situation worsened as the Prince relied more and more on the advice of his Irish companions -- Sheridan and O'Sullivan. Lord George strongly argued for dispersal into the hills and guerrilla tactics pending a summer campaign. Even though the Jacobite army had lost some of its strength including its artillery and its logistical support was broken, it was still a formidable, undefeated force. If it could remain in the field until summer, there was a good possibility that it would be reinforced from France. The Irish argued for the standard European tactic of a set-piece battle on open ground which was totally unsuited tactically for Highland infantry. The Irish prevailed and Drummossie Moor near Culloden House was chosen as the site. They would not have long to wait.