Charles, at last, resolved upon an irruption into Eng land. He crossed the western border ; took the town of Carlilse ; and, at Manchester, was joined by 200 men. On the 4th of December, the rebels reached Derby. They advanced within 100 miles of the capital, which was filled with dismay at his approach ; and had they reached it immediately, the consequences, though they could not have been fatal to the reigning family, might have been productive of temporary confusion. But Charles, who was in fact, only the nominal leader of his independent chieftains, was overruled in his designs, and it was resolved that his army should retreat into Scotland. They effected their retreat without any loss, and without being overtaken by any considerable body of the duke of Cumberland's army, except at Clifton, where they exhibited the uncommon spectacle of infan try not awaiting the shock of dragoons, but rushing up to attack them, sword in hand, and driving them From their ground. Continuing to retire northward, they left a garrison of 400 behind thern,at Carlisle, who, soon af ter, surrendered prisoners at discretion. On their re turn to Scotland, they levied a heavy contribution on the opulent city of Glasgow ; and proceeding from thence to Stirling, took possession of the town, but continued an inefft ctual siege of the castle. To relieve this place, general Ilawley assembled a number of forces at Stir ling, and gave battle to 'he Highlanders, who came, on the 17th of January 1746, in full spirits to attack him.
They threw the trodps‘, under Hawley, into disorder at the first volley ; rushed forward with their claymores, and mixing his cavalry and infantry, in one route, put them to flight, and took possession of the tents and ar tillery of the king's forces.
But the victory of Falkirk was the last of Charles's triumphs. The duke of Cumberland had put himself at the head of 14,000 men, who were assembled at Edin burgh, and advanced northward as the young adventurer retired. When he had passed Aberdeen, where he was joined by the duke of Gordon and other loyal Scotch no bility, he continued his course across the Spey, till he learnt that the rebels were advancing from Inverness, nine miles distant, to give him battle on the plain of Culloden. Their numbers amounted to 8000, who were drawn out to receive him. At one in the afternoon of the 15th of April the cannonading commenced ; the re bel artillery was miserably served, and did no execution ; but the duke's artillery made lanes among the High landers. While the cannonade continued, the duke ob serving a wall upon the right of the Highlanders, order ed a body of his men to advance, and pull it down. The order was obeyed, and the flank of the rebels immediate ly became uncovered. The front of the rebel High landers being at the same time exposed to a dreadful fire of artillery, the men, by instinctive valour, advanced to the attack sword in hand, broke through two regi ments, Burrel's and Monro's, and pressed on to the se cond line of the royal army. In this situation, they were
calmly expected by the second line of the royal army in front, and by Wolfe's regiment, which had broken down the wall, on their flank. A few, and but a few, of the assailants in this quarter escaped. The bravest who did not fall by the fire, perished in conflict with the English bayonets. Lochiel was advancing at the head of a small troop who survived, and was charging the English ranks, when he fell by a discharge of grape-shot, which wound ed him in the ancles, while he was in the act of draw ing his sword. He was carried off by his two brothers, between whom he had advanced. Macdonald of Kep poch was rushing on in the same manner, when he re ceived a wound which brought him to the ground : lie was conjured by a friend not to throw his life away, but to retreat, and rejoin his regiment. He desired his friend to provide for his own safety ; and, going on, re ceived another shot, by which he fell to rise no more.
Most of the chiefs who commanded the five Highland regiments who advanced to the charge were killed, and almost every man in the front rank of each regiment. The rebel regiments on the left, seeing the fate of their countrymen, did not advance to close combat ; but only so near as to exchange a general discharge with the right wing of the duke's army ; after which, they an swered the fire of some of the dragoons who pursued them ; and then dividing into separate bodies of differ ent sizes, were either cut to pieces, or retreated, ac cording to their numbers, or that of their immediate pur suers. In less than thirty minutes the battle was con verted into a general route ; and orders being issued to give no quarter, vast numbers were slain in the pursuit. The pretender escaped with great difficulty from the field of battle ; and after wandering for the space of many months a solitary fugitive among the wilds of Scot land, he found means to embark on hoard a small ves sel, which conveyed him to Morlaix in Bretagne. Thus ended the last effort of the Stuart family, to reascend that throne which had been forfeited by the most egregious folly, and the most flagitious attempts. The executions which ensued on the suppression, seemed much more numerous than the necessity of the case required. The lords Balmerino, Lovat, and Kilmarnock, suffered the sentence of decapitation on Tower-hill, as did also the earl of Derwentwater, without any form of trial, being arraigned on the sentence passed against him in 1716. The earl of Cromarty, only, received a pardon. Both houses of parliament presented addresses of congratula tion to his majesty, and thanks to his royal highness the duke of Cumberland, who now became the idol of the nation, and was held every where up as the saviour of the Protestant interest.