[Mike]

Lord George Murray, born 4 October 1694, was a Scottish general most known for his 1745 Jacobite campaign with Bonnie Prince Charlie, Charles Edward Stewart, into England.

Lord George was born the fifth son of the 1st Duke of Atholl, John Murray, who was also Chief of Clan Murray. His mother was Catherine, daughter of the 3rd Duke of Hamilton.

In 1712, Lord George left his home at Huntingtower near Perth and joined the army in Flanders. In 1715, he went against his father's wishes and joined the Jacobite rebels rallied under the Earl of Mar. He and his two brothers, the Marquis of Tullibardine and Lord Charles Murray, each commanded a regiment of the men of Atholl. Lord Charles was taken prisoner at Preston and after the collapse of the 1715 Rising, Lord George escaped with Tullibardine to South Uist and then on to France.

In 1719, Murray became involved with the Jacobite military in the Western Highlands, where the Earl of Marischal and Tullibardine had joined forces with the Spaniards. This campaign came to an end at the Battle of Glen Shiel on 10 June. Lord George was wounded on this day, as he led the Jacobite right wing. Over the next several months, he hid in the Highlands and then in May 1720 made his way to Rotterdam.

There is little evidence of Murray's life on the Continent and he returned to Scotland in 1724, to be pardoned the following year. In 1724, the Duke of Atholl had died and his title passed to his second son, James. Lord George leased the family property of Tullibardine in Strathearn from his brother and lived there until 1745.

In 1728, Lord George married Amelia, the daughter and heiress of James Murray of Strowan and Glencarse, who bore him three sons and two daughters.

The Duke of Perth had made several approaches to Lord George on behalf of Charles Edward Stewart, prior to the 1745 Jacobite uprising. Murray was skeptical of the plans, even after the arrival of Charles in Scotland, accompanied by Tullibardine.

On 21 August, Murray traveled with his brother the Duke of Atholl to pay respects to Sir John Cope, who was the commander of the government troops. During this trip, Cope appointed Lord George Deputy-Sheriff of Perthshire. This has given rise to many discussions as to his hesitation regarding Charles.

Less than one month later, Lord George took up the Jacobite cause, explaining that he was doing so for reasons of conscience, even with the risk of ruin his shift might cause him. He joined the Jacobite forces and was made a Lieutenant-General, however he was treated with distrust by Charles and his many Irish advisers. Lord George brought discipline and order to his new army and won the confidence of the Highland men serving him, as he was familiar with their ways. He was largely responsible for the overwhelming Jacobite victory at Prestonpans, on 21 September.

Charles was planning to invade England and Lord George disagreed, even going so far as to counsel against the plan as being folly. The decision to invade was carried out despite his objections. He suggested Charles make his way to Cumberland to take advantage of the hilly ground there, rather than launching an open attack against General Wade, whose army was posted at Newcastle. Lord George knew the terrain at Cumberland would favor the Highlanders' fighting tactics.

Lord George led the siege at Carlisle, but when the town surrendered on 14 November, he immediately resigned his command, stating his authority had been undermined by the Prince. He then obtained permission to serve as a volunteer with the men from Atholl.

The Duke of Perth was selected to replace Lord George, but it quickly became clear the army was unhappy with their new leader, so the Prince reinstated him. Murray then led the march to Derby, After occupying the city, Murray could see the best plan of action was to retreat, as the lack of support from the English Jacobites and France was going to undermine the invasion.

Murray now had the support of the council and the retreat was agreed upon, which enraged the Prince.

Murray's aide-de-camp, James Chevalier de Johnstone stated, "had Prince Charles slept during the whole of the expedition and allowed Lord George Murray to act for him, according to his own judgment, he would have found the crown of Great Britain on his head when he awoke."

During the retreat from England, Lord George commanded the rear-guard. His task was a difficult one as the government forces, led by the Duke of Cumberland, were in close proximity to his rear and flank. He was also dealing with the enraged Prince by this time.

At Clifton Moor, Lord George turned and fought, which enabled the army to reach Carlisle without further losses of stores. The army then advanced to Stirling by January 1746, where the Prince then laid siege to Stirling Castle, aided by reinforcements from Perth.

At this time, Lord George was busy defeating General Hawley at Falkirk. By this time, Lord George could see the army being decimated by sickness and desertion. As Cumberland advanced, Lord George advised a retreat to the Highlands was then necessary. The Prince had little choice but to agree, which angered him even more, causing him to then accuse Lord George of being a traitor.

In April, the Jacobite army was near Inverness and Charles decided to turn and fight Cumberland. His army was by now exhausted, with many being sick. The Prince took up position on the left bank of the Nairn River at Culloden, ignoring Lord George's suggestion to set up on the opposite bank.

The 16 April 1746 Battle of Culloden sounded the death knell for the Stewart cause, as the Jacobites were routed by the Duke of Cumberland's forces in less than an hour.

After this defeat, Lord George led a small force of Jacobites to Ruthven, in order to organize and start another campaign of resistance. By this time, the Prince had determined to abandon his cause and dismissed Lord George from his service. Lord George responded by criticizing the Prince for his mismanagement and distrust.

Lord George Murray once again escaped to the Continent, where he was well received and granted a pension by the Prince's father, James Stewart. In 1746, Lord George traveled to Paris where the Prince refused to receive him.

Ove the next several years, Lord George lived in several places on the Continent and on 11 October 1760, he died at the age of 66 in Medemblik, Holland.