Editing Battle of Culloden (section)

===Engagement of government left wing===
[[File:Bayonet drill (Culloden comparison).svg|thumb|left|[[Bayonet]] drill innovation said to have been developed to counter the "[[Highland charge]]". Each soldier would thrust at the enemy on his right – rather than the one straight ahead – in order to bypass the ''[[targe]]'' of Highlanders.{{sfn|Reid|1996b|pp=9, 56–58}}]]

As it charged, the Jacobite right was hit hard by a volley at nearly point-blank range, but many of its men still reached the government lines. The brunt of the Jacobite impact, led by Lochiel's regiment, was taken by only two government regiments: [[4th Regiment of Foot|Barrell's 4th Foot]] and [[37th Regiment of Foot|Dejean's 37th Foot]]. Barrell's lost 17 killed and suffered 108 wounded, out of a total of 373 officers and men. Dejean's lost 14 killed and had 68 wounded, with the unit's left wing taking a disproportionately higher number of casualties. Barrell's regiment temporarily lost one of its two [[regimental colours|colours]].{{efn|An unknown British Army corporal's description of the charge into the government's left wing: "When we saw them coming towards us in great Haste and Fury, we fired at about 50&nbsp;Yards Distance, which made Hundreds fall<!--does the original really say this twice?-->; notwithstanding which, they were so numerous, that they still advanced, and were almost upon us before we had loaden again. We immediately gave them another full Fire and the Front Rank charged their Bayonets Breast high, and the Center and Rear Ranks kept up a continual Firing, which, in half an Hour's Time, routed their whole Army. Only Barrel's Regiment and ours was engaged, the Rebels designing to break or flank us but our Fire was so hot, most of us having discharged nine Shot each, that they were disappointed".{{sfn|Reid|1996b|pp=9, 56–58}}|group=note}} 

[[John Huske]], commanding the government second line, quickly organised a [[counterattack]] by Lord Sempill's Fourth Brigade, comprising 1,078 men from the [[25th Regiment of Foot|25th]], [[48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot|59th]], and [[8th Regiment of Foot]]. He also instructed the [[20th Regiment of Foot|20th Foot]] to take up position between the 25th and 37th, leaving the Jacobite right surrounded on three sides by five battalions.{{sfn|Reid|2002|pp=68–72}}{{efn|"Poor Barrell's regiment were sorely pressed by those desperadoes and outflanked. One stand of their [[regimental colours|colours]] was taken; [[Sir Robert Rich, 5th Baronet|Collonel Riches]] hand cutt off in their defence&nbsp;... We marched up to the enemy, and our left, [[Flanking maneuver|outflanking]] them, wheeled in upon them; the whole then gave them 5 or 6 fires with vast execution, while their front had nothing left to oppose us, but their pistolls and broadswords; and fire from their center and rear, (as, by this time, they were 20 or 30 deep) was vastly more fatal to themselves, than us"|Captain-Lieutenant James Ashe Lee of [[8th Regiment of Foot|Wolfe's 8th Foot]]{{sfn|Reid|2002|p=72}}}}

[[File:The Well of the Dead, Culloden Moor - geograph.org.uk - 494157.jpg|thumb|right|The Well of the Dead; modern remains of the park wall on the Jacobite right]]

With the Jacobite left under Perth failing to advance further, Cumberland ordered two troops of [[10th Royal Hussars|Cobham's 10th Dragoons]] to ride them down. The boggy ground, however, impeded the cavalry, and they turned to engage the Irish Picquets whom Sullivan and Lord John Drummond had brought up in an attempt to stabilise the deteriorating Jacobite left flank. Cumberland later wrote: "They came running on in their wild manner, and upon the right where I had placed myself, imagining the greatest push would be there, they came down there several times within a hundred yards of our men, firing their pistols and brandishing their swords, but the Royal Scots and Pulteneys hardly took their fire-locks from their shoulders, so that after those faint attempts they made off; and the little squadrons on our right were sent to pursue them".{{sfn|Roberts|2002|p=173}}{{sfn|Reid|2002|pp=72–80}}