Culloden

by JOHN PREBBLE

Paperback, 1983

Status

Available

Call number

941.1072

Publication

PENGUIN BOOKS (1983), Paperback

Description

The story of the famous battle - from the acclaimed expert on Scottish history. The book begins in the rain at five o’clock on the morning of Wednesday, 16 April 1746, when the Royal Army marched out of Nairn to fight the clans on Culloden Moor. This is the story of the battle and of what followed, the destruction of a way of life and the persecution of a people. It is the story not of Bonnie Prince Charlie but of ordinary men and women involved in the Rebellion, who were described on the gaol registers and regimental rosters of the time as “Common Men.” The book recalls them by name and action, presenting the battle as it was for them, describing their life as fugitives in the glens or as prisoners in the gaols, their transportation to the Virginias or their deaths on the gallows. From the Trade Paperback edition.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member sirfurboy

This is a meticulously researched narrative hostory of the events leading up to Culloden and that fateful battle itself. The author does an amazing job of describing the situation in the Scottish highlands of the time, and exploring the various threads and political intrigues that led up to this

rebellion. He describes the conditions in the British army and amongst the highlanders, and no holds are barred in his description of the bloody aftermarth either.

This is no romantic fairy tale history. This is the story of what happeend at Culloden, and why. The author considers all points of view, without bias, in his presentation.

If you only read one book about Culloden ever, this should be the one you read.

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LibraryThing member FloridaWriter

John Prebble's "Culloden" is a history, gleaned from official documents, letters, diaries and other sources, but it reads more like a novel. It holds the reader's interest while sharing little-known information about a tragic and turbulent time in Scottish history.

LibraryThing member Carol420

This book was really personal to me. My grandfather came to America in 1926 from the Glencoe region of Scotland. He was so very proud of obtaining his United States citizenship but his heart and soul wandered those beautiful hills and glens of his beloved Scotland until the day he died. This book

is well researched but you have to have connections to actually say you enjoyed reading it. There is nothing enjoyable about what happened here on the cold, rainy, foggy April day when the British and the Scots fought the battle known as Culloden on Culloden Moor. Culloden Moor is a tract of moorland in the county of Inverness, Scotland, forming a part of the northeast of Drummossie Moor and lying about 6 miles (10 km) east of Inverness. A great deal of it is bogs and that was one factors that made it the “wrong” choice for a battle…as if there is a ”right” one. Mr. Prebble discusses the battle and its consequences for the Highlands in terms of the “ordinary “men of both sides. There is little ordinary or equal about the men that fought this disaster…but I found out after 16 years of living around my grandfather that nothing is as hard headed or as determined to protect his own and his country as a Scotsman. Only about a third of the book is devoted to the actual battle, although a clear account is given of the slaughter in which nearly half the 5,000 Scottish clansmen gathered on Drummossie Moor were killed. Trying to define “fault” is about as useless as trying to say who was right and who was wrong in any long ago dispute…everyone has an opinion. I…of course was for the Scots…this was my grandfather after all, and as he pointed out often... “my people’. He was always forgetting that the other half of “my people” were Irish. I know that no matter the outcome or who was right and who was wrong…I will never forget standing in the rain as a 7 year old child beside my grandfather at the Visitor’s Center honoring the Scottish dead that fought in this battle and seeing this strong, but never silent man that I loved more than anything on this Earth…weep for his long lost

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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend

Prebble gets around to the last battle of the Jacobite Rebellion in good detail. Though there's a tone of Hagiography the account is colourful and well researched. Those who like this sort of battle study will find this a worthy addition. The book was first published in 1961.

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