The Battle of Prestonpans 1745 (battle footage from 2018)

Footage of the main battle display from the East Lothian Battle Weekend 2018, held at Greenhills, Prestonpans, East Lothian. On the afternoon of 20th September 1745 the Jacobite army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart secured the high ground at Birslie Brae overlooking the position of the British army column under Sir John Cope. The latter deployed to meet the coming attack, but it soon became apparent that the marshy ground between the two armies prevented them from closing to full contact. After sporadic light skirmishing through the afternoon and evening, the Jacobites were informed of a route around the redcoats' flank to the east. By dawn on the 21st September the Jacobite army was deployed on the open ground east of General Cope, who had redeploy his line to face the threat. The Jacobites launched a furious assault, and once the dragoons had been routed, the British infantry were at the mercy of the Highland charge. The whole line broke and the Jacobite Highlanders secured a swift and unexpectedly decisive victory. As a result their cause appeared to be in the ascendant and they gained sufficient confidence and materiel to march on London. The events of the two days were told through a spectacular re-enactment at Prestonpans on the 15-16 September 2018, organised by the Scottish Battlefields Trust with support from East Lothian Council and Event Scotland.