Ten minutes of Highland fury
The Battle of Prestonpans on 21 September 1745 was the Jacobite army's most spectacular victory — a Government force routed in barely ten minutes by a Highland charge launched at dawn. Sir John Cope's Government army, positioned near the village of Prestonpans east of Edinburgh, was annihilated before most of his soldiers had time to fire their muskets.
Cope had marched north to intercept the Jacobites but arrived too late to prevent the capture of Edinburgh. He shipped his army from Aberdeen to Dunbar and marched west to meet the rebels. His position at Prestonpans appeared strong — his front was protected by a marshy bog that seemed impassable. But a local sympathiser, Robert Anderson, knew a path through the marsh. The Jacobites moved silently through the mist in the early hours of the morning.
The Highland charge struck at first light. The clansmen, screaming their war cries, burst out of the morning mist and crashed into Cope's line before his artillery could be properly served. The Government dragoons broke and fled almost immediately. The infantry, mostly raw recruits, fired a single ragged volley before being overwhelmed. In under ten minutes, Cope's army ceased to exist as a fighting force. Around 500 Government soldiers were killed or wounded, and over 1,500 were taken prisoner. Jacobite casualties were fewer than 100.
Prestonpans sent shockwaves through Britain. The idea that a rabble of Highland clansmen could destroy a regular army in minutes terrified the Hanoverian establishment. For Prince Charlie, it was a moment of intoxicating triumph. His army was now flushed with confidence, and the road to England lay open. The victory also produced one of the most enduring images of the '45: Sir John Cope reportedly became the first general in history to bring news of his own defeat, arriving in Berwick ahead of his fleeing soldiers. The song "Hey Johnnie Cope" mocks his flight and is still played by Scottish pipe bands today.