Aberdeen was a loyal Whig City.
The Lord Provost and the people supported the rights of King George II to the maintenance of his rights as the rightful King and his efforts to protect their freedoms and their religion. It was only natural that the few who opposed this would remain silent as the Duke of Cumberlands Army camped their in preparation for the move north.
One of those people was Ailsa Fisher, a local prostitute who performed her duties to Lt.General Thomas Howard, a position which she used before dawn on the fifth of April to discover the governments plans for challenging the rebel forces, and the route they planned on taking. This was to prove a decisive moment in the rebellion in the year 1746 as within minutes of her leaving, she contacted her brother, Andrew Fisher, who immediately set out on horseback with outmost speed towards the lines of the Jacobite force, the deception not being discovered until it was too late.
……………………………………………….
Around one o'clock in the afternoon on the same day, Mr. Fisher reached the Jacobite headquarters, to be greeted by a sense of panic. Many of the lower level commanders were aware the Government Army sent to face them outnumbered their own by around two to one. The news brought by Fisher brought the relief they sorely required.
Within the next three to four days, Cumberland had planned on setting march for Nairn. On his way to Nairn stood one mighty obstacle, the River Spey. The Jacobite Army had now received notification as to where the Dukes force would attempt to ford the river. At the order of Lord George Murray and with the consent of the Jacobite Council of War, the rebel army began their march to the Spey where they would lie in wait for the Dukes Army. With any luck, they would have one to two days advantage on the Government force. Thus was set in motion the Battle of the Spey.
…………………………………………………..
At Dawn on the ninth of April, the Government Army marched out of Aberdeen, looking to retake Inverness and then set camp in Nairn in a bid to flush out the Pretenders rag-tag band. Cumberland did so in confidence, but was conscious that the Spey provided a natural obstacle to final victory, something which became clear as the Army reached it at nine o'clock in the morning of the tenth of April. As such, the order was given to split his force in three when crossing the river, each a mile apart.
The river was wide, knee deep at the deepest point and although not hugely quick required the concentration of any man crossing it. The Northern flank had a tree-line at the opposite bank. Behind this were the bulk of the Jacobite forces who laid in wait for the Dukes Army. The Duke, present of the northern crossing was aware of the danger but this was a required option, and as such, he was amongst the first to cross the river and as such, he hid this fact from his men.
As the first two-hundred men crossed the river, with another thousand in the process of crossing, the Jacobite force attacked, charging the wet, vulnerable government soldiers. Taken by surprise, the Dukes force didn't have a chance to prepare themselves for battle. The element of surprise among the men was complete and within fifteen minutes, over five-hundred government solders were butchered and the Commander of the force lay wounded on the field, to be taken captive by the Jacobite force. Those on the other bank of the river flew in the confusion and barbarity of the assault. They were met in turn by the remainder of Prince Charles force under the command of Cameron of Lochiel, who completed the rout of the northern crossing. Inside twenty minutes, 3,000 of the Governments 8,000 troops were neutralised including their attillery. The first stage of the Battle was firmly won by the Jacobites. Cumberland was being transported to Inverness. The battle was not over yet though. Not by a long shot.
……………………………………………..
Down the river, the noise and confusion of the northern attack gave rise to panic amongst the other two crossings, both of whose men and commanders heard the confusion and shot of the northern attack., On the southern flank, commanded by the Earl of Abermarle showed a huge level of caution, for fear he would share the fate of Col. John Cope at Prestonpans, retreating his men back across the river and marching north to meet the chaos from the other bank of the river, factoring in that “the Highland Charge is naught when met with water.” A runner was sent north, but with caution urged to find out if it was the northern wing or the middle column who were attacked.
Not waiting for such confirmation and with the certain knowledge of which section of the line was under attack, the middle line of Government force under the command of General John Huske carried on with the crossing, albeit with increased haste as they were determined to come to the aide of their comrades in arms.
…………………………………………….
Lord George Murray being aware that there were three crossings ordered and in the expectation that the other two forces would have crossed the river, ordered his men south to meet the expected assault. Forty-five minutes after the conclusion of the hostilities of the first section of the battle, the Jacobite Army crashed into the Royal army which was heading north in lines of fifty men, given the narrowness of the land. Both sides, exhausted by the exertion of their endeavours thus far fought with a huge ferocity. Fifteen minutes into this brutal exchange, the front lines broke and troops began to flee. Huske, in a bid to urge his men on pushed forward on his charger, only to be met with a musket-ball to the head which killed him outright.
Some of the fleeing men went back across the river, heading south where after ten minutes, they met Abermarles force. Upon hearing that two-thirds of the Army were defeated, he ordered a retreat back to Aberdeen to regroup.
The Battle of the River Spey was over, the Jacobites were victorious.
The Lord Provost and the people supported the rights of King George II to the maintenance of his rights as the rightful King and his efforts to protect their freedoms and their religion. It was only natural that the few who opposed this would remain silent as the Duke of Cumberlands Army camped their in preparation for the move north.
One of those people was Ailsa Fisher, a local prostitute who performed her duties to Lt.General Thomas Howard, a position which she used before dawn on the fifth of April to discover the governments plans for challenging the rebel forces, and the route they planned on taking. This was to prove a decisive moment in the rebellion in the year 1746 as within minutes of her leaving, she contacted her brother, Andrew Fisher, who immediately set out on horseback with outmost speed towards the lines of the Jacobite force, the deception not being discovered until it was too late.
……………………………………………….
Around one o'clock in the afternoon on the same day, Mr. Fisher reached the Jacobite headquarters, to be greeted by a sense of panic. Many of the lower level commanders were aware the Government Army sent to face them outnumbered their own by around two to one. The news brought by Fisher brought the relief they sorely required.
Within the next three to four days, Cumberland had planned on setting march for Nairn. On his way to Nairn stood one mighty obstacle, the River Spey. The Jacobite Army had now received notification as to where the Dukes force would attempt to ford the river. At the order of Lord George Murray and with the consent of the Jacobite Council of War, the rebel army began their march to the Spey where they would lie in wait for the Dukes Army. With any luck, they would have one to two days advantage on the Government force. Thus was set in motion the Battle of the Spey.
…………………………………………………..
At Dawn on the ninth of April, the Government Army marched out of Aberdeen, looking to retake Inverness and then set camp in Nairn in a bid to flush out the Pretenders rag-tag band. Cumberland did so in confidence, but was conscious that the Spey provided a natural obstacle to final victory, something which became clear as the Army reached it at nine o'clock in the morning of the tenth of April. As such, the order was given to split his force in three when crossing the river, each a mile apart.
The river was wide, knee deep at the deepest point and although not hugely quick required the concentration of any man crossing it. The Northern flank had a tree-line at the opposite bank. Behind this were the bulk of the Jacobite forces who laid in wait for the Dukes Army. The Duke, present of the northern crossing was aware of the danger but this was a required option, and as such, he was amongst the first to cross the river and as such, he hid this fact from his men.
As the first two-hundred men crossed the river, with another thousand in the process of crossing, the Jacobite force attacked, charging the wet, vulnerable government soldiers. Taken by surprise, the Dukes force didn't have a chance to prepare themselves for battle. The element of surprise among the men was complete and within fifteen minutes, over five-hundred government solders were butchered and the Commander of the force lay wounded on the field, to be taken captive by the Jacobite force. Those on the other bank of the river flew in the confusion and barbarity of the assault. They were met in turn by the remainder of Prince Charles force under the command of Cameron of Lochiel, who completed the rout of the northern crossing. Inside twenty minutes, 3,000 of the Governments 8,000 troops were neutralised including their attillery. The first stage of the Battle was firmly won by the Jacobites. Cumberland was being transported to Inverness. The battle was not over yet though. Not by a long shot.
……………………………………………..
Down the river, the noise and confusion of the northern attack gave rise to panic amongst the other two crossings, both of whose men and commanders heard the confusion and shot of the northern attack., On the southern flank, commanded by the Earl of Abermarle showed a huge level of caution, for fear he would share the fate of Col. John Cope at Prestonpans, retreating his men back across the river and marching north to meet the chaos from the other bank of the river, factoring in that “the Highland Charge is naught when met with water.” A runner was sent north, but with caution urged to find out if it was the northern wing or the middle column who were attacked.
Not waiting for such confirmation and with the certain knowledge of which section of the line was under attack, the middle line of Government force under the command of General John Huske carried on with the crossing, albeit with increased haste as they were determined to come to the aide of their comrades in arms.
…………………………………………….
Lord George Murray being aware that there were three crossings ordered and in the expectation that the other two forces would have crossed the river, ordered his men south to meet the expected assault. Forty-five minutes after the conclusion of the hostilities of the first section of the battle, the Jacobite Army crashed into the Royal army which was heading north in lines of fifty men, given the narrowness of the land. Both sides, exhausted by the exertion of their endeavours thus far fought with a huge ferocity. Fifteen minutes into this brutal exchange, the front lines broke and troops began to flee. Huske, in a bid to urge his men on pushed forward on his charger, only to be met with a musket-ball to the head which killed him outright.
Some of the fleeing men went back across the river, heading south where after ten minutes, they met Abermarles force. Upon hearing that two-thirds of the Army were defeated, he ordered a retreat back to Aberdeen to regroup.
The Battle of the River Spey was over, the Jacobites were victorious.
)