Pursuant to the plan of Lord George Murray, the advanced
guard of the first division of the army left Dalkeith on the evening of Friday the 1st of
November, and took the road to Peebles (Click here for Map). The main body, consisting of the Athole
brigade, the Duke of Perth's regiment, the regiments of Lord Ogilvy, Glenbucket, and Roy
Stewart, and the greater part of the horse followed next day. The artillery and baggage
were sent along with this column. This division was under the command of the Marquis of
Tullibardine. The second division, which consisted of the life-guards and the clan
regiments, headed by the prince in person, marched from Dalkeith on the 3d of November in
the direction of Kelso (Click here for Map). The guards formed the van, and the
prince marched on foot at the head of the clans with his target over his shoulder. It was
supposed that he would have mounted his horse after proceeding a mile or two; but, to the
surprise of every person, he marched on foot the whole day, and continued the same
practice during the whole of the expedition, wading through mud and snow, and it was with
difficulty that he could be prevailed upon to get on horseback, even to cross a river. The
example he thus set to his men, joined to the condescension and affability he displayed,
endeared him to the army. Charles arrived at Lauder (Click here for Map) the same night, and took up his
residence in Thirlstane castle, the seat of the Earl of Lauderdale.
After despatching part of his men by a middle course towards Selkirk (Click here for Map) and Hawick (Click here for Map), the prince next day marched to
Kelso. As Marshal Wade was supposed to be on his way north from Newcastle, Charles sent
his life-guards across the Tweed, not so much for the purpose of reconnoitring, as for
amusing the enemy. After advancing several miles on the road to Newcastle, they halted at
a village, and made some inquiries as to quarters and accommodation for the army, which
they stated was on its march to Newcastle. Charles even sent orders to Wooler, a town on
the road to Newcastle, to provide quarters for his army. The design was to keep Wade in
suspense, and draw off his attention from the movements of the Highland army upon Carlise.
While at Kelso, Charles sent a party of between 30 and 40 men across the Tweed, to
proclaim his father upon English ground. Having performed the ceremony, they returned to
Kelso. The prince remained at Kelso till the 6th of November, on the morning of which day
he crossed the Tweed. The river was scarcely fordable, but the men were in high spirits,
and when up to the middle of the water, they expressed the ardour they felt by setting up
a loud shout and discharging their pieces. After crossing the river, the prince turned to
the left, and marched towards Jedburgh (Click here for Map), where he arrived in a few hours.
As his next route lay through dreary waste of considerable extent, he halted at Jedburgh
for the night, to refresh his men, and departed early next morning. Marching up Rule
water, Charles led his men into Liddisdale over the Knot o' the Gate, and after a
fatiguing march of about twenty-five miles, arrived at Haggiehaugh upon Liddel water,
where he slept. Charles marched down Liddel water on the following day, being Friday the
8th of November, and entered England in the evening. When crossing the border, the
Highlanders drew their swords, and have a hearty huzza; but a damp came over their
spirits, on learning that Lochiel had cut his hand in the act of unsheathing his sword, an
occurrence which the Highlanders superstitiously regarded as a bad omen. Charles lay at
Reddings in Cumberland that night. The division belonging to the prince's column,
consisting of horse, which had taken the middle route by Hawick and Langholm, reached
Longtown the same day.
While the eastern division was thus moving in a circuitous direction to the appointed
place of rendezvous near Carlisle (Click here for Map), the western column, which
started on the road to Peebles, was following a more direct route, by Moffat and down
Annandale. This division entered England near Longtown. On the 9th of November, Charles
marched with his division to Rowcliff, four miles below Carlisle, where he crossed the
river Eden, and quartered his men in the villages on the west side of the city. In the
afternoon, Charles was joined by the greater part of the other division, under the Marquis
of Tullibardine. This march was judiciously planned, and was executed with such precision,
that scarcely two hours elapsed between the arrival of the two main divisions at the
appointed place of rendezvous. The march, according to the Chevalier Johnstone, resembled
on a small scale that of Marshal Saxe, a few years before, when he advanced to lay siege
to Maestricht.
The plan for deceiving Marshal Wade succeeded so well, that that commander, who had now an
army of 11,000 men under him, had no idea that the Highland army was marching on Carlisle,
and accordingly directed his whole attention to the protection of Newcastle. Such was the
secrecy with which the motions of the army were conducted, that, with the exception of
Charles and his principal officers, no person knew its real destination. On arriving in
the neighbourhood of Carlisle, desertion had diminished the prince's army by some
hundreds.
The city of Carlisle, the capital of Cumberland, had formerly been a place of great
strength, and had, during the wars between England and Scotland, been considered one of
the keys of England on the side of the latter; but since the union of the crowns, its
fortifications had been allowed to fall into decay. It was surrounded by walls flanked
with towers, and a fosse or ditch. The city was protected by a castle on the north-west,
supposed to be as old as the time of William Rufus, and by a citadel on the south-east,
erected in the reign of Henry the Eighth. The castle, on the present occasion, was well
furnished with artillery, and was garrisoned by a company of invalids; but, like the city,
its fortifications were not in good repair. To aid the inhabitants in defending the city,
the whole malitia of Cumberland and Westmorland had been assembled within its walls.
When approaching the city on the 9th, a party of the prince's horse advanced to Stanwix
Bank, a small hill near Carlisle, to reconnoitre; but they were forced to retire by a few
shots from the castle. The whole of the army having passed the Eden next day, Charles
proceeded to invest the city on all sides. One of his parties, in marching round from the
Irish to the English gate, was fired upon both from the castle and the town, but did not
sustain any loss. Having completed the investment, the prince, about noon, sent a letter
to the mayor of the city, requiring him to open its gates, and allow the army to enter in
peaceable manner; promising, in case of compliance, to protect the city from insult, but
threatening an assault in the event of refusal. The prince stated, that should an assault
be made, he might not have it in his power to prevent the dreadful consequences which
usually befall a city captured in that way. An answer was required within two hours, but
none was given, and a discharge of cannon from the besieged announced their determination
to hold out. In consequence of this reception, the trenches were opened at night, under
the orders of the Duke of Perth, at the distance of eighty yards from the walls. Mr Grant,
an Irish officer, of Lally's regiment, who had lately arrived from France, and who was an
experienced engineer, ably availing himself of some ditches, approached close to the city
without suffering from the fire of the besieged. The artillery consisted of six Swedish
field pieces, which had been received from France, and of the pieces which had been taken
at Preston. |
