The Skirmish of Loch nan Uamh was a conflict that took place on 2 May 1746 and was part of the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

. It was fought by the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

against French privateers who were supporting the Jacobite rebels.

Background

Following the Jacobite defeat at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...

on 16 April 1746, two French

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

ships from Nantes (south of Brittany), ''Le

Le Mars Le Mars is the county seat of Plymouth County, Iowa, United States. It is located on the Floyd River northeast of Sioux City. The population was 10,571 at the time of the 2020 census. Le Mars is part of the Sioux City metropolitan area. Histo ...

'' and ''La La Bellone'' arrived at Loch nan Uamh and anchored there on 30 April 1746. As they were privateers, their emblem was a black

cockade A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap. Eighteenth century In the 18th and 19th centuries, coloured cockades were used in Europe to show the allegia ...

which also happened to be the emblem of the British-Hanoverian supporters and as such the Jacobites on shore fired upon them. However, the privateers raised the French flag and the mistake was realized and sorted out. ''Le Mars'' was reluctant to unload her supplies (the

Loch Arkaig treasure The treasure of Loch Arkaig, sometimes known as the Jacobite gold, was a large amount of specie provided by Spain to finance the Jacobite rising in Scotland in 1745, and rumoured still to be hidden at Loch Arkaig in Lochaber. Background In 1745, ...

) as the British Navy was approaching and she took on board some escaping Jacobites including

James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth James Drummond, 6th Earl and 3rd titular Duke of Perth (11 May 171313 May 1746) was a Scottish landowner best known for his participation in the Jacobite rising of 1745, during which Charles Edward Stuart attempted to regain the British throne ...

and Sir

Thomas Sheridan Thomas Sheridan may refer to: *Thomas Sheridan (divine) (1687–1738), Anglican divine *Thomas Sheridan (actor) (1719–1788), Irish actor and teacher of elocution *Thomas Sheridan (soldier) (1775–1817/18) *Thomas B. Sheridan (born 1931), America ...

The Skirmish

On 2 May 1746 three British ships crept into the loch. As the British Government ships approached Captain Antoine Rouillé of ''Le Mars'' decided to stay at anchor, but Captain Claude Lory of the ''La Bellone'' set sail. This allowed the Royal Navy's to give ''Le Mars'' a

broadside Broadside or broadsides may refer to: Naval * Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare Printing and literature * Broadside (comic ...

at close quarters which caused great loss of life: Nearly a score of privateers were killed and according to eyewitnesses her decks were awash with blood. The crew panicked and had to be forced back to duty. The ''La Bellone'' and ''HMS Greyhound'' then attacked each other and the mast of the ''La Bellone'' was broken with a broadside. There was an attempt to board the ''La Bellone'' but she gave ''HMS Greyhound'' two broadsides. ''HMS Greyhound'' had to move out of range and this allowed ''Le Mars'' to set sail. tried to stop ''Le Mars'' but a volley from ''La Bellone'' disabled her. ''Le Mars'' was then led by ''La Bellone'' out to a bay at the head of Loch nan Uamh, where ''Le Mars'' started her repairs, and ''La Bellone'' engaged the British ships. Hundreds of spectators came to the shore to watch the battle, whom ''HMS Greyhound'' fired upon to try and stop them carrying away the gold and cargo that had been unloaded by the Breton ships. along with ''HMS Greyhound'' and ''HMS Terror'' tried to board the Breton ships, but ''HMS Baltimore's'' captain sustained a head wound and her rigging was shattered. She also lost her anchor and two of her masts. ''HMS Baltimore'' then headed for

The Minch The Minch ( gd, An Cuan Sgitheanach, ', ', '), also called North Minch, is a strait in north-west Scotland, separating the north-west Scottish Highlands, Highlands and the northern Inner Hebrides from Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides. It ...

to get help while the ''La Bellone'' hit ''HMS Greyhound's'' main mast and set fire to her hand grenades. ''Le Mars'' was in a bad state having been hit six times above the water line, seven times below the water line and with three feet of water in her hold. ''Le Mars'' had also suffered 29 men killed and 85 men wounded.

Aftermath

The French ships escaped, but another French ship returned in September and successfully rescued the Jacobite leader

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

who had been in hiding. Both French privateers were captured the following year by the Royal Navy.

References

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Background

The Skirmish

Aftermath

References

See also