I was wondering if anyone has run across any evidence weathe the highlanders of the 45 carried any rifles at all. I know fowlers and muskets where common I also know that england and Germany where building rifles by this time.
Hi there,
This is a interesting question, and it is one that we have discussed in my Jacobite reenacting group as well as on our website. You are correct that rifles were being made in Britain and Germany well before the Jacobite era, however I am not aware of a source that specifically states that any Jacobite ever carried a rifle on campaign. There are many accounts, contrary to common belief, of Scottish Highlanders being more than capable marksmen
if and when they could get their hands on firearms. The biggest issue with Jacobite troops being armed with rifles is the fact that guns in general were very scarce in Scotland during this era. The reason for this is that guns were something that required hard money to purchase, which is something that Highlanders generally had precious little or any of. During the 1745, most of the Jacobite troops would have been armed with muskets, however most of these were French and Spanish muskets that Prince Charlie brought over with him from France, and British Land Pattern muskets that were captured at Prestonpans. Fine English, Dutch, and Spanish fowlers would only have been carried by the privileged few who could afford them, and some captured Government issued muskets as well as pirated muskets and fusils from Spain, France, and Holland would have been carried by the fighting men of the individual clans. While it is true that English sporting rifle were made for wealthy English gentlemen, and a few of them would have likely made their way to Scotland, the chances of one of these falling into a Jacobite soldier's hands is unlikely.
However there is an interesting possibility about Jacobites and rifles. There was a small but highly unique gunsmith school in Scotland going back to the 1400's (you are probably familiar with the all steel Scottish pistol which was created to get around a dispute with the carpenter's guild in Glasgow) and from the 1670's up through the early 1700's an unknown number of what are known as "Scottish National Longarms" were produced in Scotland. What is interesting is that of the 28 of these guns which are known to still exist 3 of them are rifled! It is not known for certain if any of these gun were used in the Jacobite Uprisings, and it is questionable if even a Highland chief that was not allied with the English could have even afforded to buy one, it is just possible that a rifled one of these could have been carried by someone in one of the Uprisings.
If you are interested in Jacobite reenacting let me know if I can be of any other assistance!
Sincerely,
Tacksman45
