Battle of Prestonpans

The Battle of Prestonpans was the second conflict of the Jacobite Uprising 1745, and it was also the first significant conflict.

The Battle of Prestonpans was fought at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh, on the 21st of September 1745. The Jacobite forcers were led by Charles Edward Stuart, while the army of the Hanover House was led by John Cope. While the Jacobites had only a small number advantage over the Royal troops, numbering 2500 to 2300, they managed to win a resounding victory. Records show that the Royal army suffered 300 dead, 500 wounded and over 1500 captured, while the Jacobites suffered only 30 deaths and 70 wounded.

The Battle of Prestonpans took place on the 21st of September, four days after the Jacobite army captured Edinburgh. The initial contact between the Jacobite army and that of the Hanover House occurred on the 20th of September, but it was not until the 21st that the battle started in earnest.

The Battle of Prestonpans was initiated when the Jacobite army charged the army of John Cope in the early morning, which came as a surprise, although it was made worse by the fact that the highland army charged the rear of the Jacobites. The army of John Cope was relatively inexperienced and was promised that fighting would be kept at a minimal level as the Jacobites would not dare attack a force of infantry, cavalry and cannons, this assumption proved to be false.

The Battle of Prestonpans saw the defeat of the army of John Cope through an inadvertent brilliance in formation of the Jacobite army. As they were charging, the infantry in the middle of the force were slowed down by a bog, making the flank relatively faster. This created a V attacking formation, trapping the Royal troops and leaving them open to a resounding defeat.