Lord George Murray vs. Bonnie Prince Charlie

In OTL the Jacobite Uprising of Bonnie Prince Charlie had two main leaders. One was the Stewart Pince himself and the other was Lord George Murray. Between the two of them they managed to achieve early success for the Jacobite cause but when egos clashed and idea's differed the cause was lost.

Of the two of them Murray was the better choice to lead, millitarilly speaking, having been involved in military affairs since 1719 when he served for the Jacobite Army at the Battle of Glenshiel and having, according to some sources, been involved in European militaries before his return to Scotland.

Bonnie Prince Charlie, on the other hand, had no prior military experiance but was a charismatic man who managed to draw men to his cause. He, however, was suspicious of Murray and prefered to trust his French and Irish advisors.

Prior to the Prince's arrival in Scotland Murray had been approached by the Duke of Perth on the Princes behalf but had been reluctant to agree. He, instead, chose to pay his respect to Sir John Cope, commanders of the government forces, and was appointed the Deputy-Sheriff of Perthshire by Cope.

So what if George Murray remained a government General but the Jacobite uprising continued without him? Would Bonnie Prince Charlie have half he success he did without Murray or would his uprising be ended at Prestonpans or somewhere similar? Is the Jacobite cause doomed to fail without its most able and popular commander or will someone else take his place?
 
I would think that Charles Edward Stuart could carry the rebellion forward without Lord George Murray. At the least the Jacobites could push on past Derby, and without Murray's influence the war council might swing more the Bonnie Prince's way. I don't know if the rebellion would ultimately succeed -- I've heard both that London was undefended and that it was very defended -- but I don't think it would collapse quickly if Murray wasn't there.

And if similar circumstances occurred at Prestonpans but with Murray on HMG's side, it could very well end up in the Jacobites' favor, couldn't it? It wasn't like Murray was the one who found that path, just that he was convinced to use it.
 
Don't rise and follow Charlie

Bonnie Prince Charlie reaches Derby but unless Dudley Bradstreets misinformation didn't take place, the chiefs would have turned back. Had he pressed onwards he would have faced a slightly larger army on Finchley Common but not a well trained out but having defeated them he would still have to face Marshall Wade and the Duke of Cumberland from the North even if he gained London. A bit like Harold facing another battle after Stamford Bridge
 
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