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Battle of Culloden, 1746: the end of the Jacobites

Jacobite rising of 1745 · 16 April 1746 · Jacobites vs the British government · ~7 min read · Updated September 2026

By Echoes of Battle

Government redcoats and Jacobite Highlanders at the Battle of Culloden, 1746

At a glance

British governmentDuke of Cumberland
vs
JacobitesCharles Edward Stuart; Lord George Murray
Date
16 April 1746
Location
Culloden Moor, near Inverness, Scotland
Period
Jacobite rising of 1745
Outcome
Decisive government victory; the rising crushed
By the numbers
SideStrengthLosses
British government~7,000 to 9,0001~300 killed or wounded1
Jacobites~5,000 to 6,000~1,500 to 2,000 killed, wounded or captured

Rounded historical estimates; figures vary between sources.

Quick answer

On 16 April 1746 the Jacobite rising ended on Culloden Moor near Inverness, where the government army of the Duke of Cumberland shattered the exhausted, outnumbered Highlanders of Charles Edward Stuart in well under an hour2. Disciplined musketry and artillery broke the famous Highland charge, and the brutal pursuit that followed helped destroy the old clan world. It was the last pitched battle ever fought on British soil.1

Seven months after the triumph at Prestonpans, the Jacobite dream ended on a bleak, wet moor east of Inverness. In less than an hour, on ground that could hardly have suited them worse, the Highlanders were broken by the guns, and a whole way of life was broken with them.

The road to Culloden

The rising of 1745 had begun in triumph. Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, had won at Prestonpans and marched deep into England as far as Derby before turning back3. By the spring of 1746 his army was worn down, short of food and pay, and pursued north into the Highlands by a government army under Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II.

Portrait of a young Charles Edward Stuart in a powdered wig with a blue sash and star
Charles Edward Stuart painted by Allan Ramsay in Edinburgh in 1745, at the height of the rising. Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Public domain

The wrong ground

Against the advice of his best officers3, Charles chose to stand on Culloden Moor, flat, open, boggy ground that suited Cumberland's guns and disciplined lines far better than the Highland charge. His men were hungry and exhausted after a failed night march to surprise the enemy1. On 16 April the two armies faced each other across the moor in cold, driving rain.

Printed map of Culloden Moor and Inverness above a diagram of the two armies' battle lines
Map of Culloden Moor east of Inverness, with the order of battle of the royal army and the Highland army below, from James Taylor's Pictorial History of Scotland, 1880s. British Library. Public domain

The charge into the guns

The battle opened with an artillery duel the Jacobites could not win, as Cumberland's cannon tore into their ranks with round shot and then grapeshot4. When the Highlanders finally charged, they came on through mud and fire into massed, well-drilled musketry. Some reached the government line and broke it in places, but they could not sustain the assault, and the attack collapsed with terrible losses.

Engraved half-length portrait of the stout Duke of Cumberland in uniform
William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the government commander at Culloden, in an engraving after Sir Joshua Reynolds. National Library of Scotland. Public domain
The charge that had won at Prestonpans broke, this time, on the guns.

The rout and the reckoning

The Jacobite army disintegrated and fled, and Cumberland's men gave no quarter, earning him the name the Butcher3 for the killing of wounded and fugitives. In the months that followed the government set out to break the clans for good: the carrying of weapons and the wearing of tartan were banned5, chiefs lost their old powers, and the Highland way of life was dismantled. Charles escaped into the heather and, after months as a fugitive, fled abroad, never to return to Scotland.

Engraving of two women and two men meeting in a forest with a horse nearby
An 18th-century print said to show Charles Edward Stuart disguised as a woman during his flight after Culloden, with captions in Italian and French. National Library of Scotland. Public domain

Frequently asked questions

When and where was the Battle of Culloden?

It was fought on 16 April 1746 on Culloden Moor, east of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, the final battle of the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Who fought at Culloden?

The Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, against the British government army commanded by Prince William, Duke of Cumberland.

Who won the Battle of Culloden?

The government. Cumberland's army decisively defeated the Jacobites in under an hour and crushed the rising.

Why did the Jacobites lose at Culloden?

They were outnumbered, hungry and exhausted, and Charles chose flat, boggy ground that favoured the government's artillery and musket lines over the Highland charge.

What happened to Bonnie Prince Charlie after Culloden?

He escaped the field and spent months as a hunted fugitive in the Highlands, famously aided by Flora MacDonald, before fleeing to France; he never returned to Scotland.

Was Culloden the last battle on British soil?

Yes. Culloden is generally regarded as the last pitched battle fought on British soil.

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

  1. Historic Environment Scotland, Inventory of Historic Battlefields, “Battle of Culloden (BTL6)” ↩ a b c d
  2. National Trust for Scotland, “Culloden” ↩
  3. National Army Museum, “The Battle of Culloden” ↩ a b c
  4. Stuart Reid, Culloden Moor 1746: The Death of the Jacobite Cause (Osprey Publishing (Campaign 106), 2002). ↩
  5. Murray Pittock, Culloden (Oxford University Press (Great Battles), 2016). ↩
  6. Wikipedia, “Battle of Culloden”
  7. Wikipedia, “Bitwa pod Culloden”

Stand on Culloden Moor

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