"The Battle of Culloden took place on April 16, 1746 in Culloden (Scotland). It marks the failure of the fourth of the royalist landings in Scotland, after those of 1692, 1708, and 1715, and the end of hopes of restoration of the line of Stuarts on the thrones of Scotland and England, with the flight of the Prince Charles Edward Stuart reduced to begging for help from young Flora MacDonald. It is accompanied by intensifying pressure against the traditional Highlander way of life (which includes clans, tartans and bagpipes).
From a military point of view, it was a tactical victory for the Hanoverian riflemen and cannons, facing an army made up mainly of Scottish Highlanders from clans loyal to the Jacobite lineage. For the first time, the spontaneity of the furious sword-drawn charge of the Jacobite warriors will be put in check by the rigor and discipline of the Duke of Cumberland's riflemen.
Battle
The Duke of Cumberland and his army arrived at Nairn on 14 April 1746; the Jacobite forces are about fifteen kilometers near Drummossie, in the brande. The two sides meet on this moor also called Culloden on April 16. The prince has about 5,000 men and the duke between 7,000 and 9,000; Charles also decided to take personal command of his forces. It rains, making the swampy and bumpy terrain unfavorable for a load. Charles' army has just completed long days of marching in rainy weather: it is demoralized.
The warriors of the Highlands rely on their bravery, their physical strength, their terrifying screams, their axes and their claymores on a battlefield blocked by walls intended to protect them after each of their raids. Taunting the opponent, including showing his buttocks, forcing him to attack and cutting him into pieces, that was the strategy.
The Duke's forces form two lines to receive the Jacobite forces. The two leaders talked early in the morning without result.
For the first twenty minutes, the artillery of the Hanoverian forces hit the Jacobite lines until the Camerons decided to charge. The other Highlander clans also charge, without coordination. The English artillery switches to grapeshot and the Hanoverians use effective (primitive) grenades behind the walls. On the left wing, a few Jacobites reached the Duke's lines but the latter had been trained with the new rifle bayonet. Faced with this efficiency and threatened by the cavalry, the Jacobites were forced to retreat. A small contingent of elite Irish horsemen prevents the retreat from becoming a rout.
In less than an hour, at noon, the duke is victorious. Around 1,250 Jacobites died against 350 of the Hanoverian forces"