‘A Tale of Two Generals’

Published in 18th–19th - Century History, Issue 4 (Winter 1999), Letters, Letters, Volume 7

Sir,—In his excellent essay, ‘A Tale of Two Generals’, Jim Smyth states(p.36), ‘captured French soldiers were treated as bona fide prisonersof war, and returned fairly promptly to France’ after the battle ofCulloden in April 1746. It is sadly not the case that all the ‘French’prisoners taken were accorded prisoner-of-war status and returned toFrance. The following records can be quoted:

Royal Scots (French army)

Capt. Sir John
Arbuthnot            transported
Lt. Duncan Colquhoun    hanged, 28 April 1746
Sgt. Robert Gravenour    transported
Cpl. Peter McLean        transported
Cpl. John Morgan        transported
Pte. Richard Cook        hanged
Pte. Hugh Fraser        transported
Pte. James Hewatt        transported
Pte. John Martin        transported
Pte. Gilbert Purdon    transported
Pte. Jeremy Sullivan    transported
Pte. Edward Valiva
(born France)        transported
Pte. Edward Walsh        transported
Irish Piquets (French army)
Capt. Robert Crosbie
(Lally’s Regiment)        hanged,
17 Sept. 1746
Capt. The Hon. Charles
Ratcliffe (Dillon’s Regt.)    hanged, 8 Dec. 1746
Surgeon John Crosbie    transported
Physician Robert Young            transported
Pte. John Chalmers
(Dillon’s Regt)        transported
Pte. John Goff
(Dillon’s Regt.)        transported
Pte. Michael Lyons
(Rooth’s Regt)        transported
John McDonald
(officer’s servant
aged 14)            transported
Pte. Edward Morris    transported
Pte. John Smith        transported
Pte. John Thomas        transported
FitzJames Horse (French army)
Tpr. James Louden    transported

Reference may be made to the Scottish History Society’s Prisoners ofthe ‘45 (Edinburgh 1928). All of the above who were either hanged ortransported (as opposed to discharged or banished) were members ofregiments of the French army.—Yours etc.,

JAMES SHORTT
Borrmount Manor
Enniscorthy
County Wexford

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