At the end of May, Cumberland shifted his headquarters to Fort Augustus at the southern end of Loch Ness. From this base, he oversaw the organized reduction of the Highlands through military looting and burning. In addition, of the 3,740 Jacobite prisoners in custody, 120 were executed, 923 were transported to the colonies, 222 were banished, and 1,287 were released or exchanged. The fate of over 700 is still unknown. In an effort to prevent future uprisings, the government passed a series of laws, many of which violated the 1707 Treaty of Union, with the goal of eradicating Highland culture. Among these were the Disarming Acts which required that all weapons be turned over to the government. This included the surrender of bagpipes which were seen as a weapon of war. The acts also forbid the wearing of tartan and traditional Highland dress. Through the Act of Proscription (1746) and the Heritable Jurisdictions Act (1747) the power of clan chiefs was essentially removed as it forbid them from imposing punishments upon those within their clan. Reduced to simple landlords, the clan chiefs suffered as their lands were remote and of poor quality. As a demonstrative symbol of government power, large new military bases were constructed, such as Fort George, and new barracks and roads were built to aid in keeping a watch over the Highlands.
The "Forty-Five" was the last attempt by the Stuarts to reclaim the thrones of Scotland and England. Following the battle, a bounty of £30,000 was placed on his head, and he was forced to flee. Pursued across Scotland, the Prince narrowly escaped capture several times and, with the aid of loyal supporters, finally boarded the ship L'Heureux which transported him back to France. Prince Charles Edward Stuart lived another forty-two years, dying in Rome in 1788.