In the middle of the 18th century, the British Atlantic world erupted in rebellion and war. In the Highlands of Scotland, Scots calling themselves Jacobites rose up against King George II in 1745. They rallied to the standard of the famous Charles Edward Stuart – better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie – all in a last-ditch effort to rid Britain of the House of Hanover and restore the House of Stuart to the throne. But their crushing defeat by the British army at Culloden Moor in early 1746 dashed their hopes and ended the Jacobite threat once and for all.
Nearly a decade later, and almost 4,000 miles to the west, a brief skirmish in the Pennsylvania woods triggered the Seven Years’ War, a global conflict that reshaped the map of British America, one that led to another rebellion in 1775 that quickly became a revolution.
At first glance it may appear that the Scottish north and the early American west have little in common, but they are linked far more than you may realize. To officials in London and even Edinburgh, as well as to officers in the British Army, these regions were on the fringes of empire, places between civility and savagery, where loyalties were suspect, and rebellion but a moment away.
In this episode, Dr. Jim Ambuske is joined by Dr. Nicola Martin to discuss her recent book, The British Army in Scotland and North America, 1745-1775: Militarisation on the Fringes of the Empire.
Hosted by Dr. Jim Ambuske. Executive producers are Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, Jeanette Patrick, and Patrick Long. Audio and video editing by Patrick Long. Revolutions in Retrospect is a joint production of Primary Source Media and Revolutionary Histories.
