There is no Scot quite as Scot as the Scot abroad. "Did you rise, did you
fall? Did you charge for
the honour of Scotland? Where you there on the day on the field of
Culloden?" The basis you
detect is anti stupidity. The rising of '45 was ill conceived and absurd.
'45 was a dynastic crusade.
The Italian was not satisfied for his father to be King in Scotland, Charles
Edward Stuart wanted
to be him to be king in England. '45 Served no purpose for the Scottish
people, it was contrived
in venom and consummated in ignorance. With the outcome it changed forever
the Highland
way of life. The rebel army that faced the Government at Culloden was the
last feudal army to
take the field in Britain and Europe.
Sullivan, the Irish Quartermaster, failed miserably the brave men, who
charged across a ill chosen
piece of wet soggy ground a well equipped, well fed army 2 and one half it's
size. Sullivan had
them march overnight to Nairn on a fools errand. Linked arm to arm, to kept
them from being
swept away at spring flood tide, the 6,000 mem of the Highland Army crossed
the swiftest
flowing river in Britain. They lay in ditches, unfed, cold and wet. The
Prince stood as the army,
with their father's muskets, swords and targes absorbed the fire of 19 field
artillery gun and 27
Coleherne mortars. The brave Highlanders, some with only farming implements,
withstood the
withering, murderous fire, whilst the Charlie dawdled, the weak Highland
artillery answered,
fitfully..
Despite the bog blunting the famed Highland charge no one can doubt the
ferocious bravery of
the Highland ranks. It was all over in twenty minutes.
50 English Redcoats died, their bodies buried in what is today known as
English field and is
farmed over their graves.
5,000 Jacobites died. The well of the dead ran red with their blood of weeks
after. St. Clair Royal
Scots, for the government, stood in front of the Duke of Cumberland, Billy
the Butcher, son of
the English king, the elector of German Hanover.
On the wind swept moor of Yellow Bog (Drummossie) in that twenty minutes the
Scottish
National identity vanished. The absolute power of the Highland Chiefs was
ended. These reforms
culminated in the Dunbeath Agreement that serves today as a model for
Scottish crofting.
Only the heroic efforts of Sir Walter Scott and other writers gave back the
to Highlands the pride
of a unique culture.
I am British by birth and Scottish by the grace of God
Sinclair
Trinity College, Glenalmond '58
----- Original Message -----
From: alexander chalmers <steve@afsc.fsnet.co.uk>
To: <sinclair@quarterman.org>
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 10:24 PM
Subject: Re: 'Sinclair sabre's '
> I was very surprised as a newcomer to see such anti Scottish sentiments in
> the discussion group as shown by "LA Behotierre" Some people were
fighting
> for Scotland, some for their religion, or other personal reason but most
of
[ Excess quotations omitted. ]
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