An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745

An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745 is an oil painting painted by Swiss-born artist David Morier sometime between 1746 and 1765. It is currently part of the art collection of the British royal family. The painting depicts a scene during the 1746 Battle of Culloden, in which a group of Jacobite Army troops charge against a line of government soldiers.

Background
The Battle of Culloden was the last battle of the Jacobite rising of 1745. This rising was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to overthrow George II of the House of Hanover, and replace him with his father, James Francis Edward Stuart of the House of Stuart. The battle was fought on 16 April 1746, on Drummossie Moor near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The Jacobite Army was commanded by Charles Stuart and the government army led by Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, the son of George II. The battle lasted around an hour and resulted in a decisive defeat for the Jacobites.

Painting
Swiss-born artist David Morier began working for the Duke of Cumberland in 1747, and continued to receive payments from him until 1767. At an unknown date before 1765 he completed An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745. The painting is thought to be one of a set of four he painted for Cumberland that depict battle scenes.

Morier may have been present at the Battle of Culloden. Many sources state he used Jacobite prisoners as models, but this is disputed, and claimed to be a legend that arose in the 19th century.

The Jacobite soldiers
The eight Jacobite soldiers wear 20 different tartans between them. This served as a reflection of the diverse amounts of Scottish clans which contributed troops and defense of Scottish nationality, many of whom were conscripted, towards the Jacobite cause. The wearing of tartans would go on to be proscribed in the Dress Act 1746, though this was poorly enforced. They also wear white cockades in their bonnets, which show their allegiance to the Stuart cause. The Jacobite troops depicted are armed with outdate weaponry – none carry firearms, instead being armed with broadswords, dirks, and targes (shields). Some are carrying Lochaber axes, an obsolete type of Scottish polearm. This may reflect Hanoverian anti-Jacobite propaganda, which sought to portray the Jacobite Highlanders as barbaric, backwards and savage.

The Jacobites had been poorly armed at the start of the rising, due to the Disarming Act 1715. But by the time of Culloden, France and Spain had supplied them with around 5,000 modern muskets and bayonets. Some Jacobite troops carried captured Brown Bess muskets or Scottish-made pistols. It is known that all Jacobite Army soldiers were eventually armed with muskets, but some employed the tactic of firing one shot, then dropping their firearm to engage in hand-to-hand combat with their broadswords and dirks. This tactic was known as the Highland charge; James Ray, who was present during the battle on the government side, wrote in his later book that this happened in the fighting the painting depicts.

The government soldiers


The government troops depicted are grenadiers of King's Own Royal Regiment, then known as Barrell's Regiment. The regiment fought on the left flank of the government army, at the southern end of the battlefield, and took the brunt of the Jacobite charge – it suffered the heaviest casualties on the government side, with 18 dead and 108 wounded out of 373. The regiment's commander, Sir Robert Rich, 5th Baronet, was among the wounded, losing his left hand.

The soldiers can be identified as grenadiers by the mitre caps they wear, and would be the regiment's tallest, strongest and most experienced men. The most prominent soldier, nearest the viewer, wears a red sash that indicates he's an officer. He is armed with a fusil – a smaller, lighter version of the muskets carried by his men. This was usual for grenadier officers; other officers carried a short pike or spontoon. Lord Robert Kerr was captain of the regiment's grenadier company and was killed during the battle. This officer, in a prominent and heroic pose, may be intended as a depiction of him.

Behind the unit, drummers, another officer and more soldiers can be seen, as well as part of the King's Colour, one of the regiment's flags.

Background
Two walled farm enclosures were features of the southern end of the battlefield, where The King's Own regiment fought. A small part of a stone structure may be seen in the left of the painting, which may be part of one of the enclosures.

Location
The painting now hangs in the lobby of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The room contains a number of items associated with the 1745 rising. These include portraits of James Francis Edward Stuart and the Duke of Cumberland. There is a late-19th century, historical painting of Charles Edward Stuart, a knife and fork that belonged to him, and a sword and pistols that were traditionally said to have belonged to him.

A later engraving based on the painting is the collections of the Scottish National Gallery.