476 
THE BROME-WALTON FAMILY. 
continent as to the merits of the 4-pr., 1 2 the Board of Ordnance did not 
arm the Royal Artillery with this field weapon until 1744/5 3 —the 4-pr. 
iron guns, cast in 1715, having been supplied for garrison service, under 
Royal Warrant of 6th -July, 1716. 
Artillery writers concur in asserting that Captain Cunningham did 
not belong to the Royal Artillery (because his name is not in “ Kane's 
List"); that the guns at Prestonpans were not served by Royal Artil¬ 
lery, but by seamen hastily collected from the ships;" and that the 
guns were lost because the drivers ran away with the horses, led by 
Cunningham, who was dismissed with ignominy by court-martial. 3 
Captain Cunningham was a Royal Artillery officer 4 ; had fought at 
Dettingen, 1743 5 ; commanded Royal Artillery at Prestonpans; and 
accompanied the army (when re-equipped) in subsequent operations : 
while the Royal Artillery pay lists show that only three “ seamen" were 
attached to the Royal Artillery, and only at Falkirk. 6 The guns were lost 
at Prestonpans because the drivers ran away with the horses; but the 
drivers ran away with the horses because the guns were captured and 
the English army of 10,000 utterly routed 7 by 8000 undisciplined 
highlanders. 8 Let us confess the truth. The highlanders were 
invincible, and had not any “ Cork Heel'anders" among them; they 
rushed our guns (Cust, p. 87); with their shields turned the 
bayonet; and the dragoons fled before the broadswords, leaving the 
guns behind them (Cust, p. 88). Nothing but guns could overpower 
these impetuous Highlanders, and, as we shall presently see, the 4-prs. 
served by ex-Flanders gunners did this dire duty effectually. 
1 Lieut.-Colonel Hime, 11.A., has briefly stated the nature of this controversy in “ Proceedings,” 
II.A.I., Yol. VII., No. 3, pp. 136-7. The French adopted the 4-pr. and 8-pr. field guns in 1726, 
and with these fought at Dettingen and Fontenoy. The English had adopted the 3-pr. and 6-pr. 
until 1744; Frederick employed 3-prs. and 12-prs. in 1741 (“ Proceedings,” R.A.I., Vol. VII., 
No. 7, p. 457). Colonel Hime shows (p. 461, note), that Napoleon I. suppressed the 4-pr. in the 
Italian campaign in favour of the 6-pr. In a MS. official return, among Sir Alexander Dickson’s 
papers, dated 14th January, 1814, only two French 4-prs. are shown as captured in the depot at 
Arrauntz. The English suppressed the 4-pr. in 1746-7. 
2 The 4-pr. bronze field train was peculiar to Scotland; and has never been employed in war by 
Royal Artillery elsewhere. It was “ laid up ” in Edinbui’gh Castle in November 1722 (“Cleave- 
land MSS,” p. 202); but was not “ fitted up ” until by Captain Cunningham, January 1745 
(R.A. “Pay List”). 
3 “England’s Artillerymen ” (Browne), p. 13; “History of Eoyal Artillery ” (Duncan), Vol. I., 
p. 128 ; “ Mobility of Field Artillery ” (Hime), “Proceedings,” R.A.I., Vol. VII., No. 3, p. 143, 
note. 
4 Cadet-Gunner, November 1729; Lieutenant-Fireworker, March 1737 ; 2nd Lieutenant, 1st 
January, 1740; Captain-Lieutenant, 1st September, 1741; Captain, 1st January, 1744; Cashiered, 
May 1746 —vide R.A. “Pay Lists” in R.A. Record Office. (His brothers, George and "William, 
were Artillery and Engineer Officers). 
5 R.A. Muster-Roll, 1713; Flanders Roll, ibid. 
6 Pay list of Cunningham’s company, 1st to 31st January, 1746:—“ To Cash paid to 1 sergeant, 
9 soldiers (infantry), and 3 sailors, that served as additional gunners at Falkirk, by order of 
General Hawley, £2 4s.” 
"“The Dragoons fled before the broadswords, leaving the guns behind them” (“Annals of 
"War,” 1746, p. 88). By Royal Warrants, 1746, five regiments alone had “broken and lost at 
Prestonpans and Falkirk” 1433 musquets and bayonets, 73 halberts, 45 drums, 268 pairs of 
pistols. 
8 Russell’s “ Modern Europe,” Vol. II., p. 418. 
