Archaeologists discover new secrets from final moments of iconic, bloody battle

Archaeologists recently unearthed a trove of bullets at one of the most iconic battle sites in Scotland — shedding light on its final chaotic moments.The finds, made at Culloden Battlefield near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, were announced by the National Trust for Scotland on Oct.30.

A group of volunteers and archaeologists found the artifacts earlier that month.The Battle of Culloden took place on April 16, 1746, when a Jacobite army led by Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, clashed with King George II’s troops.In less than an hour of fighting, the Jacobites were defeated and all attempts to restore the Stuarts to the British throne were vanquished.Culloden was also the last pitched, large-scale battle fought on British soil, cementing its significance in modern British history.The key finds consisted of more than 100 projectiles, which included lead musket balls and cannon shot, per a press release from the NTS.“Among them [was] what is believed to be a three-pound cannonball fired by Jacobite artillery,” the release stated.“This collection of artifacts not only proves that archaeology from the battle has survived in this area, but project leaders believe it has provided evidence for one of the most dramatic episodes in a battle that, from beginning to end, probably lasted less than an hour.”Archaeologists dug trenches, made test pits and used metal detectors to find the artifacts — which had eluded past excavators.A spokesperson from NTS told Fox News Digital that experts weren’t surprised by the projectiles themselves — similar items had been found in the past — but they were struck by the new insight into the final moments of the battle.Because the musket balls were used by infantry, and because of the location of the projectiles, historians believe they were linked to the Irish Brigade of France, which fought with the Jacobites during the battle’s final moments.“What was most interesting is the s...