Crucible of the Jacobite '15: The Battle of Sheriffmuir 1715

Description

Just over three centuries ago, there was a major battle in Scotland that was to decide the fate of the newly established - and bitterly contested - union of England and Scotland. On one hand there was a numerically superior army, trained and armed but officered by men of varying experience. Facing them was a small, but better experienced and officered British Army. Both armies; one entirely Scottish and the other a mixture of Scots, English and Irish were led by Scottish noblemen. Victory to either side meant control of the gateway from the Highlands to the Lowlands and then England, where the political prize awaited. The battle's importance can only be appreciated by an examination of its context, in what happened in the campaign before the crucial clash of arms and in the months that followed it. Furthermore, an examination of the officers and men who made up the two armies is made in order to evaluate the human material without which there would have been no battle. Although the book covers the campaigning in the decisive theatre of central Scotland, it does not neglect the wider strategic concerns of both the Jacobite court and the British government, nor the international aspects of the rising.

The author has had an interest in the Jacobite rebellions and military history since his schooldays, and this is Dr Oates' fifth book concerning the rebellions. His undergraduate thesis was a study of the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 in North-East England and his doctoral thesis covered the north-eastern counties during the '15 and '45. He has edited for publication the memoir of a Scottish volunteer during 1745 and he is currently co-editing a volume of the Duke of Cumberland's correspondence from 1745-1748. He is employed as an archivist in London and has also had books published on criminal, local and family history since 2001.

This is a well-written and thoroughly researched account. It is ideal for the wargamer on a limited budget. * Miniature Wargames - Chris Jarvis *