Culloden Battlefield is near Inverness. The battlefield is under the auspices of the National Trust of Scotland. This was the site of the final confrontation during the Jacobite Uprising in 1745. The battle only lasted an hour and the Scottish lost against the well-armed British forces. Almost 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded. This loss resulted in civil penalties designed to weaken Gaelic culture and the Scottish clan system. Kilts, bagpipes, tartans and Gaelic language were outlawed. This was our last stop. We were allowed 45 minutes here to eat, shop and if you wanted to pay you could enter a display. I choose to go out and walk the battlefield and read the available markers. There are stone markers to honor each clan involved. Some Highland clans sided with King Charlie and Hanoverians sided with the British. The losers were hunted down and murdered. The goal was to eliminate the Jacobites. The Highlanders who sided with the British were rewarded by being given land. Many of the losers immigrated to other countries.
I am on the British line and there is a blue flag indicating the Jacobite line. They weren’t very far apart. Prince Charlie picked a bad spot for his men as they had to run through thicket to attack. The British troops had trained to stab the man next to the man in front of them as the Jacobites raised their shields straight in front of them. Carnage was the result.
Many clans have markers. Some clans fought with Prince Charlie and some with the British.
Shetland cows are grazing on the battlefields to keep the scrub vegetation under control. A win-win situation.
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