Book Review: On Gladsmuir Shall the Battle Be!: The Battle of Prestonpans 1745 By Arran Johnston

Dear Reader,



Today, we are going to examine a book by Arran Johnston, describing the key battle of Prestonpans during the 1745 Jacobite uprising. In this detailed battle study published by Helion & Co's "From Reason to Revolution" series, Johnston argues that the Jacobite army won an astounding victory at Prestonpans. He also indicates that previous historians have undervalued the battle, placing it only as part of a narrative which leads to final Jacobite defeat at Culloden.  Johnston sums up this sentiment near the end of the book, stating, "Hindsight makes us blind, but in 1745, nothing was certain. In fact after the Battle of Prestonpans, after victory at Gladsmuir, nothing seemed impossible at all." [1] Thus, far from a simple campaign and battle narrative, Johnston presents a call for understanding contingency in history, one which many historians would do well to heed.

The book is roughly 220 pages, with copious maps and black and white illustrations of key figures. On Gladsmuir breaks down into eight chapters, with one describing the geographic setting, two giving background information on the Jacobite movement in Scotland, two describing the operational movements before the battle, and three on the battle and its aftermath. The heart of the book is absolutely the final three chapters, where Johnston treats the battle in fine detail. The book also contains two appendices, detailing forces at the battle, as well as a letter from British Colonel Witney describing how best to fight the Jacobite army.

Johnston writes well throughout the book, but chapters four and seven are especially strong. Chapter four, "The Race to the Capital" depicts the attempt by both the Jacobite and British forces to concentrate on Edinburgh, and suggests that popular support, and weather enabled the Jacobites to occupy the capital before Cope's army could arrive.[2] The chapter describing the actual fighting at Prestonpans, chapter seven, is especially strong. Johnston suggests that Jacobite fire wounded Lt. Colonel Shugborough Whitney, who commanded the 1st Squadron of Gardiner's Dragoons, at a pivotal moment in the battle.[3] With their officer wounded and temporarily unable to command, the Dragoons took flight, setting of a costly chain of retreats for the British. Johnston uses previously unseen sources to provide details on this part of the fight.

The book's bibliography is a bit small for a work of this size and detail, but Johnston has conducted archival research in both London and Edinburgh, and at the Derbyshire Records Office. With that said, the work contains many quotations, particularly block quotations of correspondence, which really allow the reader to place themselves in the historical narrative. This book will be of great interest to both military historians of Britain and military history enthusiasts. It has much new information to offer reenactors and wargamers of the '45, and the maps are particularly good.

Arran Johnston knows how to write in an interesting manner, and is an excellent storyteller. The book's title, On Gladsmuir Shall the Battle Be! actually comes from a medieval prophecy.The author has spent a lifetime researching this battle, and is able to weave the history of Scotland, military history, and the history of the '45 together in a book ostensibly about a single battle. I highly recommend this book.



Thanks for Reading,



Alex Burns



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[1]Arran Johnston, On Gladsmuir Shall the Batlte Be!: The Battle of Presontonpans 1745, 212.
[2]Ibid, 95.
[3]Ibid, 164.