ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the condition of the defenses of castles, forts, barracks and towns, how these were prepared for potential defence and how effective these were. The siege worthiness of the state's fortified places in 1745 was variable. The Jacobite campaigns saw a number of sieges take place, though almost all occurred in 1745 and 1746. The first Jacobite rebellion in 1689 led to Edinburgh castle being held by troops loyal to James II, in opposition to those of William of Orange. However, there were significant changes in the way that new fortifications were constructed from the sixteenth century onwards, which was part of the much vaunted 'military revolution'. The British government saw it as an act of rebellion, of high treason, by subjects against their legitimate King and government. The difference here, which was clearly not realized by Hamilton and his officers, was that this was not a conventional war between sovereign states.
