Fear The Men In Skirts!! A study of technology

This symposium ended up only having two speakers, both of whom had written on propoganda and mass communications in toatalitarian regimes. The first speaker spoke about Leni Riefensaul, the infamous Nazi Film Propogandist. Her research had to do with whether she was indeed a Nazi, or an artist, who was naiive about the Nazi party, which was partially due to her friendship with Hitler. The speach included a brief discussion of her “propoganda films” and her character in general, before the she Came to the conclusion, that she was a devoted artist, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The otehr speaker, Amanda Ruessl, spoke on The Maoist regime, and its use of portraits and it’s effects on gender roles in china. This was a slightly more confusing speach, which was ended with the thesis that Womesn roles were not helped during china’s cultural revolution. Both were itneresting speakers, and it was interesting to see what we will end up doing in a couple years.

Ok, just a brief update. So far not a whole lot has changed since my last update blog, however there has been some new updates as far as actual research is going. For example multiple sources i have read have discussed how Bonny Prince Charlie slighted one of his generals by switching him to his left flank. This was an apparent major Insult for the highlander, and would have resulted in a great loss of the morale necessary in any Infantry charge. Another topic that has come up is how the beginning of the “45 more or less taught the British that being ruthless was the only option when dealing with the highlanders, so that by the time General Cumberland earned himself the nickname “The Butcher”, it was only because he truly won the battle and was able to be as ruthless as he wanted to be, with no holds barred. 

In fact I noted as I was writing the Bibliographical Analysis on the topic, that more authors have turned to studying the British the closer we have gotten to the present. One has to wonder if it is because research is more or less exhausted on the Jacobite front, or if it is an effort to give both sides equal coverage to bot sides of the story, as recent generations claim to believe in.

            My project has switched to a slightly different hypothesis than I original had started with. While I originally wanted to study how the evolution of technology affected the rise and fall of the highland charge, I am now trying to look at how the highland charge went from being effective at the beginning of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion, to being disastrous at the end of the war. Instead of looking at the technologies effect, I am also looking at leadership, geography, tactics, and Morale of the troops. I will most likely be focusing on the geography and morale, as these are the factors with the biggest effect on old fashioned infantry charges of any kind.

            So far a majority of my research has come form secondary sources, but I am planning on looking into several possibilities for Primary sources that would apply well t my project. I have found however a primary resource from the people who fled Scotland with Bonny Prince Charlie, which is going to be most helpful in looking at how the Scottish military might have had low morale as a result of it’s leadership. While it can be assumed that his close friends would have been biased against speaking ill o him, a look inside the Jacobite leadership at Culloden

            Finally I would like to mention that the most interesting thing I have noticed about the Jacobite leadership, is that almost all of my secondary sources keep mentioning the Prince Charles Stuart was an Alcoholic. Some use this as an excuse for his failings at leadership, while others paint it as the cause of his failure, however it is an interesting part of the story to look at.

I was doing some brief research online and found a couple of places that spoke of a new tactic used by the British at Culloden to counter the Highland charge. According to sources such as Frank McLynn’s “The Jacobites” the British came up with a special bayonet drill, simply to use on the Highlanders. Apparently instead of stabbing the person in front of them (as was customary against most infantry charges and cavalry attacks) they stabbed the person standing in front of the person to their right. Not Only was this tactic unforeseen, but it made any Targes carried by the Jacobites Useless, unless they were left handed.

This is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for using for my paper, so this is rather exciting for me.

03-maccrimmons-lament

This Song was actually written during the Jacobite wars by a major piper named Macrimmon. His family founded one of the most renowned Piping schools in Scotland.

THe legend is that when Donald Ban Macrimmon was captured at the battle of Inverurie by the Jacobites, all the Jacobite Pipers went on strike until he was released. It was During this captivity that he wrote this song, which is still a popular traditional Piece.

Performing this song Is Michael McClanathan

03-will-ye-no-come-back-again_1

Well this isn’t a traditional recording, but it is a traditional song. The name of the song is “Will Yeh No Come back Again?” and has been played by Scottish Military Units as recently as WWII. It is a traditional song, that i found fitting for the topic. It would Be more fitting however if i had a recording that was not performed by the Real McKenzies

AS corny as It sounds, The Highland Last Charge is the title I am working with. It is slightly fitting though, as my paper is focusing on the highland charge, between the battle of Dunkield in the Jacobite revulotion of 1715, and ending with the last recorded Highland charges, at the Battle of Culloden in the Jacobite revolution of 1745. During this time the Jacobite soldiers combined the traditional charge of the woad painted Celtic warrior, with modern technology, and came up with practice now referred to s the “Highland Charge”. This practice is first mentioned in the ’15, but it is not sure exactly where it was first contrived. What is certain is that at the end of the ’45 it was considered to be a dead practice.

What i would like to study is how the transfer form matchlock muskets to wheel lock, and flintlock, and how it would effect the scottish ability to fire at a run, as was part of the highland charge. I would also like to study how the British switch from using the Plug Bayonet(which had to be removed to fire) to the socket bayonet (which could be left on while firing) corresponded with the effectivity of the bayonet at Culloden in putting an end to the highland charge. the other contributing factor would have been the morale, and discipline of the british troops used at Culloden, as compared to other battles.

So far I have begun reading Jeremy Blacks “Culloden and the ’45″, R.E. Dupuy &T.N. Dupuy’s “The Encyclopedia of Military History”, And Petrie’s “The Jacobite Movement”

I would like to study if the practice of the highland charge was created and halted primarily due to the evolution of weaponry.  If this were the case than the creation of sturdy firearms would have come about at a similar time to the first highland charges. There also would have to be a new technology, or practice used at the Battle of Culloden; which more or less brought about the end of the Highland Charge. This would mean that such guerrilla tactics are highly influenced by both the technology of the standard armies, and the guerrilla armies.

    As a brief overview of the highland charge, it was a practice first used in the 17th century, in which Scottish soldiers would charge, fire their muskets at a close range, and then finish the charge with swords and targes. This would have required firearms that could not only be fired at a run, (excluding matchlocks) but were also sturdy enough to be dropped without breaking. After the Battle of Culloden however Highland charges were considered ineffective, which is popularly contributed to the British use of bayonets.

My belief is that the technology had a major contribution to the creation and destruction of this tactic, however I belief that British moral and tactics at Culloden had an important contribution to the end of this tactic. The importance of this answer could be used to look at similar situations thru out history, and possibly be used to influence military thought today.