Key Facts
- Start of operations
- 20 March 1746
- End of siege
- 3 April 1746
- Duration of active siege
- ~2 weeks
- Context
- 1745 Jacobite Rising
- Reason abandoned
- Duke of Cumberland's army marched from Aberdeen
Strategic Narrative Overview
Following the fall of Fort Augustus on 1 March 1746, Jacobite forces moved against Fort William. Advance elements arrived on 8 March and formal operations commenced on 20 March. The besieging force made little headway against the government garrison, and the siege stalled without significant progress throughout its duration.
01 / The Origins
The siege of Fort William occurred within the broader context of the 1745 Jacobite Rising, in which supporters of the Stuart claimant Charles Edward Stuart sought to overthrow the Hanoverian government. After abandoning the siege of Stirling Castle in February 1746, Jacobite forces withdrew to Inverness and used the intervening weeks to reduce government-held strongpoints across the Highlands, including Blair Castle and Fort Augustus.
03 / The Outcome
When the Duke of Cumberland led his government army out of Aberdeen in early April 1746, the Jacobite high command recalled the besieging troops to Inverness to concentrate forces. The siege was abandoned without Fort William falling, leaving the garrison in government hands. The rising itself ended shortly after at the Battle of Culloden on 16 April 1746.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.