Battle of Falkirk Muir During the Second Jacobite Rising , the Battle of Falkirk Muir ( Scottish Gaelic : ) was the last noteworthy Jacobite success . The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Historic Environment ( Amendment ) Act 2011 . Background . After turning back from Derby , for want of either any significant support from English Jacobites or a French invasion , the Jacobite Army returned to Scotland and besieged Major General Blakeney in Stirling Castle . Lieutenant General Henry Hawley led his troops from Edinburgh to relieve Blakeney . The Jacobite army was 8 , 000 strong , the largest assembled throughout the Rising . They were pitched against a regular Hanoverian army . The battle itself was a hectic and scrambling affair , fought in a storm of wind and torrential rain , so confusing that neither side was initially aware of the outcome . Prelude . The Jacobite army left Glasgow on 3 January in two columns . One column of six Highland battalions , led by Lord George Murray marched towards Falkirk , via Cumbernauld , to make it appear as if they were heading towards Edinburgh . Instead he turned north before reaching Falkirk and moved just outside of Stirling in Bannockburn . Murray stationed Lord Elcho at Linlithgow with a detachment of cavalry to patrol the road to Edinburgh . The Pretender moved another column to Bannockburn via Kilsyth . There he set his headquarters and resided at Bannockburn House as the guest of Sir Hugh Paterson , a Jacobite supporter . Lord John Drummond set forth from Perth with four thousand men and heavy artillery . Now boasting a force of 8 , 000 men the Jacobites sent a drummer to Stirling on 5 January demanding the surrender of the town . A garrison of 500 militiamen responded by shooting at the drummer who then ran for his life . Three days later the town council agreed to surrender . Yet , Stirling Castle itself was held by a small garrison of trained militiamen and troops under the command of Major General William Blakeney , who politely declined to surrender . Thereupon the Pretender ordered the castle to be besieged . He entrusted this task to a French artillery ' expert ' of Scottish descent , Monsieur Mirabel de Gordon . Gordon chose a poor location in digging trenches for the Jacobite cannons , lower and completely in range of the castle ' s own guns . Following the victory at Falkirk the cannon would be destroyed after firing a single shot . Because of the man ' s demonstrated incapacity , the Scots afterward referred to Mirabel as " Mr . Admirable . " At the same time , dissension arose as the Highland chiefs resented the Pretender ' s decision to not hold councils , relying only on the advice of his Irish " Men of Moidart . " Also causing concern was Charles ' s continued drinking . As this went on , General Hawley brought an army of 13 , 000 from Newcastle upon Tyne to Edinburgh , sending an advance unit to Linlithgow on 13 January . Lord Elcho fell back to Falkirk where he met Lord George Murray . Hawley advanced with his main army of 6 , 000 on 15 January , intending to relieve Stirling Castle , whereupon Murray and Elcho withdrew to Bannockburn . The Jacobites planned for battle on 15 January at Plean Muir , just southeast of Bannockburn . They were expecting an attack from Hawley ' s forces , but it never came . Battle . Hawley was encamped at Falkirk , and showed no signs of moving . Thus , on the morning of 17 January , the Jacobites planned an offensive . The army moved cautiously towards Falkirk , avoiding the main road and heading for the Hill of Falkirk which overlooked Hawley ' s encampment below . With General Hawley established at nearby Callendar House , the government army was taken by surprise . At 1 : 00 pm an officer informed Hawley of the Jacobite approach . Hawley refused to believe the message and did not verify the information for himself . Instead , he remained at Callendar House , 2000 yards behind his camp , and only sent instructions for his troops to put on their equipment as a precaution . By 2 : 00 pm the Jacobite attack was imminent and a second messenger from Major General John Huske was sent to Callendar House . Finally aware of the seriousness of the situation , Hawley arrived at his camp hatless and at the gallop . Led by the dragoons , the Hanoverian army rapidly filed south on Maggie Wood ' s Lane past the Bantaskin House and up the slope of the Falkirk ridge . As the leading elements reached the summit , they could see the Pretender ' s army bearing down on them from the northwest . Marching across the front of the Highlanders , the dragoon regiments reached a bog on the far side of the rise and faced to their right . The infantry began to form to the right of the dragoons , facing west . About this time a storm struck the area with very heavy rain , hindering deployment and wetting the black powder cartridges . In the subsequent action one out of four muskets missed fire . From left to right , the Hanoverian front line consisted of Ligonier ' s ( 13th ) , Cobham ' s ( 10th ) and Hamilton ' s ( 14th ) Dragoon Regiments . Continuing the first line were Edward Wolfe ' s ( 8th ) , Cholmondeley ' s ( 34th ) , Pulteney ' s ( 13th ) , The Royal ( 1st ) , Price ' s ( 14th ) and Ligonier ' s ( 59th ) British Regiments of Foot . In the second line stood Blakeney ' s ( 27th ) , Munro ' s ( 37th ) , Fleming ' s ( 36th ) , Barrel ' s ( 4th ) and Battereau ' s ( 62nd ) British foot regiments . Last to arrive , Howard ' s ( 3rd " Old Buffs " ) regiment took position in a third line . A few hundred yards behind the dragoons , the Glasgow militia were drawn up . The Argyll militia took position on the far right of Hawley ' s line . Two cannon became stuck in a bog . When the battle began , the English gun crews were still trying to free them . The Jacobite army marched up and deployed in three lines , facing east . In the front line , from right to left were the MacDonalds , Camerons , Frasers , MacPhersons , Mackintoshes , Mackenzies , Farquharsons , and Stewarts of Appin . Posted in the second line were the regiments of Lord Lewis Gordon , Lord Ogilvy and the Atholl Brigade . In the third line were small units of horsemen , plus a unit of French regulars ( Irish Picquets from the Irish Brigade ) . The Prince failed to appoint a left wing commander , though Lord George Murray took charge of the right wing . Murray dismounted and led the three MacDonald regiments on the extreme right . Because Hawley ' s army formed up so hurriedly , its dispositions were unusual . The dragoons on the left wing were directly opposed to the Highland right flank foot soldiers . The left of the British infantry faced the Highland army ' s center . Three foot regiments on the Hanoverian right completely overlapped the Jacobite left , but there was a ravine separating the two sides . The ravine prevented the British units from flanking the Stewarts of Appin , but it also protected Hawley ' s right . At 4 : 00 pm , Colonel Francis Ligonier received orders to charge the Jacobite right with the British dragoons . Hawley apparently believed in the superiority of cavalry over the Highlanders . The Jacobites waited until the dragoons trotted into pistol range then let loose with a crushing volley . " Eighty dragoons fell dead upon the spot . " A handful of the British horsemen closed with the Highlanders , but most fled . Cobham ' s dragoons rode north between the infantry battle lines . The other two regiments bolted to the rear . One company of the Glasgow militia was ridden over and scattered by Hamilton ' s fleeing dragoons . Those horsemen who continued to fight fell victim to an unusual tactic . The Highlanders dropped their muskets and crouched on the ground , using their dirk s to kill the horses and stabbing the riders as they fell . Another Highlander tactic when confronted with cavalry was to aim their swords at the horse ' s head rather than the rider . A horse wounded this way will tend to circle and render the rider an easy target . The complete rout of the cavalry compromised the entire Hanoverian position . Murray tried to restrain the MacDonalds , but they spontaneously rushed after the fleeing horsemen . The Highland right and center fired one volley , flung down their muskets and dashed toward the Hanoverian infantry , claymores in hand . Attacked in front and flank , with rain now beating in their faces , Hawley ' s left - wing infantry fired an ineffective volley and ran for the rear , carrying away the second line as well . Shielded by the ravine in their front , only the government right flank regiments held firm . Price ' s and Ligonier ' s regiments were joined by Barrel ' s from the second line . General Huske marched them a short distance uphill where they fired into the flank of the Highlanders who were in pursuit of the panicked Hanoverian left and center . Soon they were joined by Cobham ' s rallied dragoons , who tried to attack the Jacobite rear . This attack was foiled by the Irish Picquets ( French regulars ) who had been held in reserve . Most of Hawley ' s army was routed while most of the Jacobite army was scattered in pursuit or pillaging the dead . The Atholl Brigade remained intact and Murray took charge of it and some MacDonalds . Huske soon withdrew with his three foot regiments , leaving the field to the Jacobites . It was now dark and the storm was growing fiercer ; confusion ensued and Murray lost sight of the enemy . The Hanoverian survivors retreated east towards Linlithgow , with Grenadiers pulling Hawley ' s remaining cannon as the artillery horses had been lost . Murray had won a huge victory but did not realize it yet . It was not until the next morning that some 300 Hanoverian soldiers were seen lying dead in the rain . Aftermath . The Jacobites emerged victorious , but failed to take advantage of the encounter . Hawley claimed to have suffered only 280 casualties , but his losses were much greater . Around 350 Royal troops were killed , wounded or missing , and some 300 captured . On the Hanoverian side , Sir Robert Munro and three lieutenant - colonels were killed . Ligonier fell ill and died soon after the battle . The Jacobite losses were around 50 dead and 80 wounded . The Jacobites seized some Hanoverian tents , ammunition , wagons , and three of their cannons , but they remained in or around Falkirk for most of the month and lost any initiative they may have gained from the victory . Instead of pursuing Hawley , the Young Pretender chose to stay in Bannockburn House , where he developed a feverish cold and was taken care of by Clementina Walkinshaw . This gave Hawley the opportunity to reorganize and strengthen his army in Edinburgh . Following the Battle of Falkirk , the Royal troops were billeted at the Palace of Holyroodhouse , where they did a huge amount of damage to the famous Jacob de Wett paintings in the Great Gallery . The paintings were restored in 2003 by Brian McGlauchlen . It is said that Sir John Cope made ₤10 , 000 in a wager that his successor would be beaten by the Highlanders as he had been .