BattlefieldsFords of Frew crossing skirmish 1745
Jacobite Risings

Fords of Frew crossing skirmish 1745

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

Who Fought

Defeated
Government
Forces
Government cavalry at the ford
VS
Victor
Jacobite
Forces
Jacobite army c.2,500 (Lord George Murray)
Outcome
Jacobite army fords the Forth at Frew; government cavalry check overcome; Stirling flanked
The Battle

History & Significance

The Jacobite army under Lord George Murray outmanoeuvred Argyll's defensive position at Stirling by crossing the River Forth at the Fords of Frew, ten miles west of Stirling, on 13 September 1745. Government cavalry observed the crossing and skirmished with the Jacobite advance cavalry at the ford. The crossing was opposed by local government horse but the Highland infantry waded the river despite the cavalry opposition. The flanking move through Frew bypassed Stirling entirely, leaving the government's main defensive position outmanoeuvred. Edinburgh was now accessible. The Fords of Frew crossing was one of Lord George Murray's finest operational manoeuvres.

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