Battle of Prestonpans

On September 21, 1745, Jacobite forces under Charles Edward Stuart defeated the government army of Lieutenant General Sir John Cope near Prestonpans, east of Edinburgh. Lord George Murray led a dawn surprise attack after a local guide showed the Jacobites a path through marshland to reach Cope's flank. The battle lasted under fifteen minutes. Stuart had landed in Scotland two months earlier, raised Highland support, and entered Edinburgh on September 17 with approximately 2,400 troops. The victory gave the Jacobites temporary control of Scotland.