Talk:An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745

Explanation of why it may be correct to show rebels without firearms
My understanding of the events of Culloden is that the Jacobite Highlanders' tactic was to advance close to the enemy line, fire their muskets, which were then set aside as empty and charge with sword and shield through the smoke of the volley. If the battle was successful, then the muskets could be retrieved afterwards. Hence at the moment of contact of the charge, it would be incorrect to show the Highland troops as carrying firearms. This is not Cumberland's propaganda, more a correct representation of historical fact. I believe you will find this made clear in the references that support the article - but I do not have any of them to hand at the moment. ThoughtIdRetired (talk) 23:30, 11 November 2021 (UTC)

ThoughtIdRetired (talk) 23:55, 11 November 2021 (UTC)

A good point.According to Murray Pittick, it was a thing for the Hanoverians to caricature the Jacobites as primitive, but it could be in this instance reality suited their purpose. I'm just going by the sources I found, my knowledge of this period is very limited. Murray Pittick does note on page 121 there's a contemporary picture by Thomas Sandby that shows Jacobites with firearms in the front ranks. And Stuart Reid suggests only a minority had broadswords based on the inventory of weapons recovered from the dead after the battle. Catsmeat (talk) 00:18, 12 November 2021 (UTC)