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and the official Jacobite communique at 500. Of these,
Broughton's estimate is probably the most accurate. Under
'Wounded' his figure of between 400 and 500 would also seem
to be much nearer the truth than the ' official' Jacobite
figure of 900. On the number of prisoners there is more
agreement, although Lord George Murray's total of between
1,600 and 1,700, which was compiled from lists made by the
N.C.O's. of the royal regiments, is rather higher than the
rest. These vary between 1,400 and 1,500, and confirm Home's
statement that of the survivors, all except 170 of the infantry
were captured, although many afterwards succeeded in making
their escape.
The 'official' Jacobite casualties of 30 killed and between
70 and 80 wounded have been questioned as unduly high, and
it has been suggested that they were purposely magnified
in order to lend colour to the Jacobite account of the battle.
This is not unlikely, for its writer who speaks of the '
very regular fire of the dragoons on the right and left'
and the 'close platoons of all their infantry' was certainly
given to exaggeration.
A 'return' of Hamilton's shows that the regiment 'lost'
87 horses at Prestonpans, and the figure for Gardiner's
was probably much the same. Whether they were captured or
killed is less easy to say, for Eicho makes the curious
comment that 'their would have been a great many more taken,
had it not been for a notion the Highlanders had that the
horses fought as well as the men, which made them kill a
great many of them after their riders were dismounted'.
To the captured officers their defeat was nothing short
of a dis- grace, and Carlyle, who saw them walking on the
shore near Preston- pans, describes the expression on their
faces as being a mixture of shame, dejection, and despair.
'They were deeply mortified with what had happened, and
timidly anxious about the future, for they were doubtful
whether they were to be treated as prisoners of war or as
rebels.' They had little cause for anxiety, for in addition
to finding them quarters and supplying them with food and
liquor of his own, Lord George Murray spent the night in
their company in case they should be molested by drunken
Highlanders. The men were similarly provided for, and Lord
George arranged for a supply of their own army biscuit to
be brought from Cockeraie to the courts and gardens of Bankton
where they were confined for the night.
Powke and Lascelles were more fortunate. After attempting
to rally Gardiner's squadrons during their flight to Preston
park walls,
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