Highland charge The Highland charge was a battlefield shock tactic used by the clans of the Scottish Highlands which incorporated the use of firearms . Historical development . Greek and Roman commentators who wrote of the Celts described a society that is sometimes called ' heroic ' , meaning a society of contending tribes each dominated by an aristocracy which valued fearlessness and daring above all things ; held wealth as cattle ; used ostentatious ornamentation ; and spent much time in drinking feasts where bards told of the great deeds performed by warriors . Aspects of this way of life survived into the 18th century in the Scottish clans . Most of those on a clan ' s territory were not warriors , but tenants who worked some of the poorest land in Europe ; Highlanders have been described as much poorer than Plains Indians . Those who could be described as warriors were known as tacksmen or daoine - uaisle - gentry , in effect , who were often blood relatives of the chief . They wore full Highland dress and habitually carried weapons such as broadsword , dirk , and firearms . A targe was only carried in time of war , when tacksmen would spearhead the charge in addition to mustering the lower ranking landholder and acting as officers . Often those who followed behind the warriors in a charge would be less well armed , sometimes with an improvised Lochaber axe . Prior to the 17th Century , Highlanders had fought in tight formations , led by a heavily armoured warrior elite , that carried heavy battle - axe s or two - handed broadsword s known as " claidheamh mor " or " claymore s " – meaning " great sword " in Scottish Gaelic . However , with the widespread use of muskets and cannon , such formations became vulnerable . As a result , in the 17th century , Highlander warriors developed a lighter , one - handed broadsword with a basket hilt that protected the hand . This was generally used with a shield or " targe " strapped to the body and a " dirk " or " biotag " ( long knife ) held in the other hand . Scottish - Irish warrior Alasdair MacColla is sometimes credited with inventing the Highland charge during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms to meet a particular set of battlefield challenges . The use of the charge greatly mimicked the Celtic fighting styles of battle , where one side would rush at the other in an attempt to break the line of battle . The charge . The charge required a high degree of commitment as the men were rushing into musket range and would suffer casualties from at least one volley . Speed was essential to the charge , so the Highlanders preferred to employ the charge downhill and over firm ground ; they removed clothing from their lower body for the same reason . They ran forward in clusters of a dozen ( often blood relatives ) which formed a larger wedge shaped formation . Once in effective musket range ( 60 yards ) those with firearms would shoot ; gun - smoke from this mass discharge having obscured enemies ' aim , the Highlanders obtained further protection from the expected return volley from the opposing force by crouching low to the ground immediately after firing . Then , firearms were dropped and edged weapons drawn , whereupon the men made the final rush on the enemy line uttering Gaelic yells . On reaching striking distance the Highlander would attempt to take the opponent ' s sword or bayonet point on his targe while lunging in low to deliver an upward thrust to his enemy ' s torso . Bayonet technology and the charge . Before the adoption of ring attachments for bayonets the attachment consisted of a plug inserted into the barrel , which meant a musket could not be fired or reloaded with a fixed bayonet . During their charge Highlanders made a relatively instant transition from firearms to swords as they swiftly closed with the opposing force . Those enemy soldiers with plug attachments ( some carried a pike ) had only moments to fix bayonets while under psychological pressure from the onrushing Highlanders brandishing swords and roaring their war cries . At the Battle of Killiecrankie Lowland Scots who were veterans of the Dutch wars were overwhelmed by Highlanders of clan Cameron ; the Highlanders secured a complete victory by a charge which killed 2000 redcoats for the loss of 800 Highlanders . The ring bayonet reduced the effectiveness of the Highland charge , but it remained an example of shock tactics , with the key factor being psychological ; rather than being an attempt to cut through a solid enemy line , the charge aimed at causing some enemy troops in the opposing line to break ranks before contact , thereby leaving openings which could be exploited to ' roll up ' the rest . This happened at the battles of Tippermuir and Falkirk . The final and least successful use of the Highland charge was in 1746 during the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising , the Battle of Culloden . The battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by Prince William , Duke of Cumberland loyal to the British government . The under - nourished and unpaid Jacobite force was badly outnumbered and outgunned by well - trained regular troops who maintained discipline when charged . Culloden . To the dismay of his military advisors , Charles Edward Stuart insisted on offering battle to the pursuing army of Cumberland on the open moorland of Culloden with the intention of fighting defensively , a decision that most historians have seen as playing into the hands of the government forces . The Jacobites failed to take advantage of the opportunity of attacking before the enemy had positioned their artillery and were ready for action . Cumberland ' s artillery bombarded the Jacobite army , which was stationary and exposed , until up to a third of Charles ' men were dispersed or made casualties ( including a groom decapitated while holding Charles Edward ' s horse ) . At this point - and without orders from the by now unnerved Jacobite command - Clan Mackintosh in the centre of the Jacobite line began to charge . Donald Cameron of Lochiel led the Camerons to join them and some other clans followed in a spontaneous , uncoordinated and disorganized charge in which many failed to use their firearms . Despite canister shot and volleys , the charge reached - and in places broke through - the British front line ( though many Highlanders were without targe s to protect from bayonets ) . However , Coehorn mortar shelling and devastating enfilade musket fire from the deeply echeloned government forces killed those who had made a breakthrough , while the others , after suffering heavy casualties , fell back in a retreat that quickly became a rout . Celtic ancestry and the tactical offensive . Grady McWhiney argued that , due to a high proportion of Celtic ancestry , Southerners during the American Civil War had a predilection for attack but lacked self - discipline and patience ; this led to them repeatedly making reckless attacks that lost battles . He drew comparisons between the battles of Telamon ( 225 BC ) , Culloden ( 1746 ) and Gettysburg ( 1863 ) . According to this thesis , the South lost the Civil War because Southerners made risky charges like their Celtic ancestors at a time when the rifled musket had shifted the balance against offense ( as shown by the casualties suffered in attacks like Pickett ' s Charge ) . Paddy Griffith was the proponent of an almost exactly countervailing view ; he contended that lack of discipline among Civil war volunteers on both sides meant that potentially successful shock actions failed due to lack of commitment ; rather than pressing assaults home , troops routinely went to ground at about sixty yards from the enemy line or entrenchment and engaged in short range firefights .