On the Bonnie Prince Charlie Trail

This week one could not fail to comment on the European Refugee Crisis but I reserve that for an after blog Opinion below. It provides one simple fact, which I believe puts the whole thing into perspective.

In the meantime, I have been on the Bonnie Prince Charlie trail continuing the research, which has up till now been hard to find. I took a trip to the site and Museum of the battle of Culloden with the help of some American site seers attending and participating in the World Piping Championships. (Below me in the photo.)

Culloden Moor and Museum

It takes about two and a half hours to drive to Culloden from Glasgow on the modern M9 Motorway. It was interesting to see that the present M9 follows the path of General Wades Old Military road which was made to help quash the first Jacobite risings of 1715. Wade pointed out to his bosses that to defeat the rebelling Highlanders, the roads must be improved and so he set about building 4 main roads in the Highlands, which were used to great effect 30 years later in the second Jacobite rising by Charles Edward Stuart.

In a swift right turn off the M90/A9 just before Inverness the battle of Culloden site can found nestling on some low lying marshy fields. Today after a refurbishment in 2009, the Museum now hosts a Visitor Centre, Restaurant and fully equipped audio visual experience. The displays and particularly the film are well worth the hefty £11 to £15 entry fee.

The 360 degree film which has four screens in one room, is quite an achievement - it succeeds in creating a feeling of immersion in the battle. A clever special effect sees a cannon ball going from one wall to the other. As well as the film there is also a table top computer display of the battle which explains how the Highlands came to be defeated within a very short time span.

Once you are outside in the actual battle field it becomes obvious why the Highlanders suffered such a resounding defeat. Cumberland the Chief Major in Command of the Government forces researched new tactics against the Highlanders, who only deployed one strategy - the Highland charge of men right into the line of fire. But it was n't the musket balls that defeated them it was a new deployment of the bayonet in which the Redcoats pieced their opponents on the right hand side of them.When the Highlanders were charging face on, the Redcoats used the right hand bayonet attack in a synchronised line of men. It resulted in the killing of 700 Highlanders within 2 minutes of the start of the battle,  The introduction of musket fire after the first assault then lead to over 1500 Scottish Highlanders being killed. Bonnie Prince Charlie was taken off the field by Irish/French Guard and whisked away avoiding any of the Old Wade Military Roads. He made it to the Scottish coastal island of Skye, then onto France, where he spent most of his time reflecting on what might have been.

It was a catastrophe for the Highland Clans because many of their leaders were killed and their economy was laid waste. The massacre began the first wave of 'clearances' - a swift killing of whole families and burning out of properties. The Redcoats swept through the villages and towns of the Highlands routing out any Jacobite supporters.

It was a moment of reflection for me when I came across the burial site of the Fraser Clan, where a stone marks their resting place. My second name Fraser, was given to me to reflect our family's connection to many Fraser cousins from the coast, near Ullapool.  My Surname Sutherland as a clan was more connected to the Government side, but due to a quarrel with the Duke of Sutherland my Sutherland ancestors found themselves 'cleared' from their jobs at  the Dunroblin Castle, the seat of the Duke of Sutherland, They were all moved on and their properties were burnt out leaving only one black ruined croft near Achiltiltbuie. It had been burnt out so many times, the stones are still vitrified. Successive generations of my Sutherland relatives left Scotland to go to the USA, Canada and Argentina. Firstly they left Scotland after the 1745 and then again  in the 1880's and 1900's. There are now Sutherland cousins in New York, Portland, Oregon, Canada, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Chile and Argentina. Traditionally as well as Fraser's, our cousin ancestors were connected to the MacClaey and Mackenzie Clan who were also Sutherland's. Due to the clearances and destruction of records in many cases I have only met a few of my cousins but they do exist and are doing very well!

Pictured below is me at Culloden at the Fraser burial site.

Like the present Refugee Crisis in Europe history before this juncture, shows that when one group of human beings try to exert power and tyranny over another, the only choice for the oppressed humans is remove themselves and flee from the violence.

Week's Comment

The facts speak for themselves #Syrian Refugees #Europe

Europe has lost it's moral compass on the Refugee Crisis because it has failed to notice that all Middle Eastern refugee camps have suffered severe cuts in the food provision for Refugees. The World Food programme cut its food voucher system by 50% from January 2015 and failed to receive vital funds to provide basic subsistence requirements. The World Food Programme Video helps to explain some of the problems that caused Refugees to come to Europe at this link here