BattlefieldsCope baggage train captured at Prestonpans aftermath 1745
Jacobite Risings

Cope baggage train captured at Prestonpans aftermath 1745

1745
East Lothian, Scotland
Era
Jacobite Risings
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
East Lothian, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Government
Forces
Government soldiers and camp followers
VS
Victor
Jacobites
Forces
Jacobite clansmen
Outcome
Government baggage train, pay chest and artillery captured; Cope's army destroyed; Jacobites enriched
The Battle

History & Significance

After the Battle of Prestonpans, Jacobite clansmen pursued and plundered Cope's fleeing army as far as Dunbar and beyond. The government baggage train — containing the army's pay chest, military equipment, cannon and supplies — was captured almost intact. Dragoons who had fled from the battlefield without fighting were pursued across East Lothian. A significant number of government soldiers were captured in farmhouses and behind dykes, having hidden from the pursuing Highlanders. The plunder from Prestonpans enormously enriched the Jacobite army and provided much-needed artillery and military stores. Cope himself escaped on horseback and became the subject of the famous satirical song 'Hey Johnnie Cope, are ye waukin yet?'

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