Page:History of Prince Charles Edward Stuart.pdf/16

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     different plaees. Charles having ordered his for-
     ces to assemble, proposed marehing to Aberdeen,
     to attaet the Duke of Cumberland; but in con-
     sequenee of a remonstranee from the elans, who
     declined leaving their families at the mercy of
     the King's garrison in Fort William, he resolved
     previously to reduee the fortress. The siege
     was aecordingly undertaken by Brigadier Stap-
     leton, an engineer in the Freneh service; but the
     place was so bravely defended by Captain Seot,
     that in the beginning of April it was thought pro-
     per to relinquish the enterprise.
       In the beginning of April, 1746, the Duke of
     Cumberland began his mareh from Aberdeen, and
     on the 12th passed the river Spey, without any
     opposition from the rebels, though a considerable
     body of them made their appearanee on the other
     side. His Royal Higliness then proceeded to
     Nairn, where he reecived intelligenee that the
     enemy had advanced from Inverness to Culloden,
     about the distanee of nine miles from the royal
     army, with intention of making an attack. Char-
     les' design was to mareh in the night time, and
     to surprise the Duke's army at the break of day.
     For this purpose, the Englislı camp had been
     reconnoitred, and on the night of the 15th, the
     Highland army began to mareh in two columns.
     They intended to surround the enemy, and