Siege of Fort William

The siege of Fort William took place in the Scottish Highlands during the 1745 Jacobite Rising, from 20 March to 3 April 1746.

Siege of Fort William
Part of the Jacobite rising of 1745

Photo taken by Erskine Beveridge in 1883 of the old fort at Fort William, Scotland, before it was demolished
Date20 March to 3 April 1746
Location56.8214°N 5.1077°W / 56.8214; -5.1077
Result Government victory
Belligerents
 Great Britain Jacobites
France
Commanders and leaders
Captain Scott
Alexander Campbell
Colonel Stapleton
Mirabel de Gordon
Lochiel
MacDonald of Keppoch
Strength
400 Estimated 1,000
Location within Scotland

On 1 February 1746, the Jacobites abandoned the siege of Stirling Castle and withdrew to Inverness to wait for spring. This period was used to reduce government strongpoints in the Highlands, including Blair Castle and Fort Augustus; after its surrender on 1 March, they moved onto Fort William.

Advance elements of the Jacobite force arrived outside the fort on 8 March; operations began on 20 March but made little progress. When the Duke of Cumberland and his army left Aberdeen in early April, the besiegers were recalled to Inverness and the siege abandoned.

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