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An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745

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An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745
A Skirmish between some Highlanders and English Infantry, The Battle of Culloden
A painting showing a savage, melee battle between two groups of soldiers; several dead men lie on the ground. The group of soldiers on the left wear tartan and are armed with swords and shields. Those on the right wear red uniforms and are armed with muskets and bayonets.
ArtistDavid Morier
Year1746–1765
MediumOil-on-canvas
SubjectA battle between Jacobite and government soldiers.
Dimensions60.5 cm × 99.5 cm (23.8 in × 39.2 in)
LocationPalace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh
OwnerRoyal Collection
AccessionRCIN 401243

An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745 is an oil painting painted by Swiss-born artist David Morier sometime between 1746 and 1765. It is currently part of the art collection of the British royal family. The painting depicts a scene during the 1746 Battle of Culloden, in which a group of Jacobite Army troops charge against a line of government soldiers.

Background

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Main article: Battle of Culloden

The Battle of Culloden was the last battle of the Jacobite rising of 1745. This rising was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to overthrow George II of the House of Hanover, and replace him with his father, James Francis Edward Stuart of the House of Stuart. The battle was fought on 16 April 1746, on Drummossie Moor near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The Jacobite Army was commanded by Charles Stuart and the government army led by Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, the son of George II. The battle lasted around an hour and resulted in a decisive defeat for the Jacobites.

Painting

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Swiss-born artist David Morier began working for the Duke of Cumberland in 1747, and continued to receive payments from him until 1767.[1] At an unknown date before 1765 he completed An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745.[Note 1] The painting is thought to be one of a set of four he painted for Cumberland that depict battle scenes.[4][Note 2]

Morier may have been present at the Battle of Culloden.[7] Many sources state he used Jacobite prisoners as models,[7][8] but this is disputed, and claimed to be a legend that arose in the 19th century.[2]

The Jacobite soldiers

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A targe and broadsword that date from the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion, National Museum of Scotland

The eight Jacobite soldiers wear 20 different tartans between them.[9] This served as a reflection of the diverse amounts of Scottish clans which contributed troops and defense of Scottish nationality, many of whom were conscripted, towards the Jacobite cause.[10] The wearing of tartans would go on to be proscribed in the Dress Act 1746, though this was poorly enforced.[Note 3] They also wear white cockades in their bonnets, which show their allegiance to the Stuart cause.[13] The Jacobite troops depicted are armed with outdated weaponry – none carry firearms, instead being armed with broadswords, dirks, and targes (shields).[7] Some are carrying Lochaber axes, an obsolete type of Scottish polearm.[14] This may reflect Hanoverian anti-Jacobite propaganda, which sought to portray the Jacobite Highlanders as barbaric, backwards and savage.[15][14][16]

The Jacobites had been poorly armed at the start of the rising, due to the Disarming Act 1715. But by the time of Culloden, France and Spain had supplied them with around 5,000 modern muskets and bayonets.[17] Some Jacobite troops carried captured Brown Bess muskets or Scottish-made pistols.[15] It is known that all Jacobite Army soldiers were eventually armed with muskets,[17] but some employed the tactic of firing one shot, then dropping their firearm to engage in hand-to-hand combat with their broadswords and dirks.[18] This tactic was known as the Highland charge; James Ray, who was present during the battle on the government side, wrote in his later book that this happened in the fighting the painting depicts.[19]

The government soldiers

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A painting by Morier made c. 1751, illustrating the uniforms of grenadiers from different regiments. A soldier from The King's Own regiment is on the left.

The government troops depicted are grenadiers of King's Own Royal Regiment,[4] then known as Barrell's Regiment.[Note 4] The regiment fought on the left flank of the government army, at the southern end of the battlefield, and took the brunt of the Jacobite charge – it suffered the heaviest casualties on the government side, with 18 dead and 108 wounded out of 373.[20] The regiment's commander, Sir Robert Rich, 5th Baronet, was among the wounded, losing his left hand.[21][22]

The soldiers can be identified as grenadiers by the mitre caps they wear,[23] and would be the regiment's tallest, strongest and most experienced men.[24] The most prominent soldier, nearest the viewer, wears a red sash, indicating he is an officer.[25] He is armed with a fusil – a smaller, lighter version of the muskets carried by his men.[26] This was usual for grenadier officers; other officers carried a short pike or spontoon.[27][25] Lord Robert Kerr was captain of the regiment's grenadier company and was killed during the battle.[22][28][19] This officer, in a prominent and heroic pose, may be intended as a depiction of him.

Behind the unit, drummers, another officer and more soldiers can be seen, as well as part of the King's Colour, one of the regiment's flags.[Note 5]

Background

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Two walled farm enclosures were features of the southern end of the battlefield, where The King's Own regiment fought.[30] A small part of a stone structure may be seen in the left of the painting, which may be part of one of the enclosures.

Location

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The painting now hangs in the lobby of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.[4] The room contains a number of items associated with the 1745 rising. These include portraits of James Francis Edward Stuart[31] and the Duke of Cumberland.[32] There is a late-19th century, historical painting of Charles Edward Stuart,[33] a knife and fork that belonged to him,[34] and a sword and pistols that were traditionally said to have belonged to him.[35][36]

A later engraving based on the painting is the collections of the Scottish National Gallery.[37]

Notes

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  1. ^ Many sources state the painting was completed soon after the battle. But details of the soldiers' uniforms suggest the painting was done in the 1750s. Possibly in 1753 when the regiment depicted was stationed near London.[2] The painting is listed in a 1765 inventory of Cumberland's paintings, described as A Skirmish between some Highlanders and English Infantry[3]
  2. ^ The other paintings in the group are Hussars Attacking a Baggage Wagon c. 1755–65,[5] A Skirmish between English and French Cavalry c. 1760,[1] and An Engagement between French Troops and a Detachment of the Dutch "Free Company" c. 1760.[6] All are owned by the Royal Collection.
  3. ^ Tartan clothing was not confined to Jacobites. Some government regiments, such as Loudon's Highlanders, included tartans in their uniforms. Government troops also included units of Independent Highland Companies, who were not given uniforms and wore traditional Highland clothing similar to their Jacobite counterparts.[11] Likewise, some soldiers in the Jacobite Army, such as the Irish picquets, wore red-coated uniforms similar to those worn by government soldiers.[12]
  4. ^ At the time, regiments were known by the name of their colonel. In this case, Lieutenant-General William Barrell had the honoury position of colonel of the regiment; he was not present at Culloden.
  5. ^ The flag depicted still survives and is part of the collection of the National Museum of Scotland[29]

References

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Citations
  1. ^ a b "David Morier (1705?–70) – A Skirmish between English and French Cavalry".
  2. ^ a b Reid (2006), p. 53
  3. ^ Reid (2012) p. 40
  4. ^ a b c "David Morier (1705?–70) – An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ^ "David Morier (1705?–70) – Hussars Attacking a Baggage Wagon". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  6. ^ "David Morier (1705?–70) – An Engagement between French Troops and a Detachment of the Dutch Free Company". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Pittock (2016), p. 121
  8. ^ Martin (2009) p. 26
  9. ^ Banks, Jeffrey; de la Chapelle, Doria (2007). Tartan: Romancing the Plaid. New York: Rizzoli. p. 84. ISBN 978-0847829828.
  10. ^ Pittock (2016), pg 40
  11. ^ Reid (2012), p. 40
  12. ^ Reid (2006), p. 63
  13. ^ Prebble, John (1967). Culloden. Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 67. ISBN 0140025766. OCLC 222810224.
  14. ^ a b Pittock (2009), p. 16
  15. ^ a b Pittock (2016), pp. 40–47
  16. ^ Royle (2006), p. 16
  17. ^ a b Reid (2006), pp. 46–49
  18. ^ Reid (2006), p. 50
  19. ^ a b Ray, James (1747). A Compleat History of the Rebellion: From Its First Rise in 1745, to Its Total Suppression at the Glorious Battle of Culloden, in April 1746. Manchester: Printed for the Author by R. Whitworth. pp. 367–368. OCLC 51037793. Then they threw away their Muskets, and engaged Barrell's Sword in Hand, in a confus'd, tumultous Manner, and pressed so hard, that they made a small Breach in Barrell's first Line. They killed Lord Robert Kerr, and seventeen of our Men there
  20. ^ Reid (2012), p. 40
  21. ^ "Regimental History Colonels of the King's Own Royal Regiment Colonel Robert Rich". www.kingsownmuseum.com. King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  22. ^ a b Pittock (2016), p. 90
  23. ^ Reid (1995), p. 24
  24. ^ Reid (1996), p. 16
  25. ^ a b Barthorp (1982), p. 34
  26. ^ Barthorp (1982), p. 23
  27. ^ The Living Age. Littell, Son and Company. 1894. p. 672. The ordinary company officers carried swords or espontoons, which were light halberds with battle-axe heads. Officers of the Grenadier company, in addition to swords, were armed with light muskets called fusils or fusees.
  28. ^ Home, John (1802). The History of the Rebellion in the Year 1745. A. Strahan. pp. 237–238. OCLC 470557538. Lord Robert Ker (second son of the Marquis of Lothian), Captain of grenadiers in Burrel's regiment.... when the Highlanders broke into Burrel's, he received (it is said) the foremost man upon his spontoon, and was killed instantly, with many wounds
  29. ^ "King's colour". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  30. ^ Geier, Clarence Raymond; Babits, Lawrence E.; Scott, Douglas Dowell; Orr, David G. (2010). The Historical Archaeology of Military Sites: Method and Topic. Texas A&M University Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-1603442077.
  31. ^ "Alexis-Simon Belle (1674–1734) – Prince James Francis Edward Stuart (1688–1746)". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  32. ^ "John Wootton (c. 1682–1764) – William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765)". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  33. ^ "John Pettie (1834–93) – Bonnie Prince Charlie Entering the Ballroom at Holyroodhouse". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  34. ^ "British - Knife and fork". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  35. ^ "Claude Coignet (fl. 1780) – Pair of pistols". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  36. ^ "British – Sword". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  37. ^ "An Incident in the Scotch Rebellion 1745. A battle scene between Jacobite and Government troops". National Galleries Scotland. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
Bibliography
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