said with a very determined
countenance, Gentlemen, I have flung away the scabbard, with God's
assistance I don't doubt of making you a free and happy people, Mr. Cope
shall not escape us as he did in the Highlands, and then began his
march, ordering the few horse, he then had, not above fifty in number,
to advance at some small distance in front, and to detach a few to
discover the enemy's march. In this manner, with the Camerons in front,
he marched in good order, crossing Musselburgh bridge by Pinky park
wall. By this time the party of horse sent intelligence that G^ll Cope
was nigh to Tranent, from which the Chevalier conjectured that he would
engage him on the muir to the west ward of that village, and therefore
quickened his march to prevent his gaining the brow of Carberry hill
before him, but before he had near reached the top of the hill he was
told that Sir John had marched to the left, and posted himself in a low
ground betwixt Preston and Seaton. This naturally led him to imagine
that he intended to avoid coming to action; and made him determine, if
possible, to attack him the same day. With this view he advanced to the
hill and drew up his army opposite to G^ll Cope, who was formed in the
low ground before mentioned in two lines, with the two regiments of
Dragoons on his wings. So soon as the Chevalier had taken a view of the
enemy he judged it impossible to attack them in the post they was then
in, having a deep ditch in their front which runs along the high road,
where he must have sustained great loss before he could pass it; but
being determined that at no rate the enemy should give him the slip a
second time, he ordered a detachment to take possession of the Church
yard which commanded their camp on the left, and as that seemed the only
side where it was possible to come at them, he enquired if there was
none in the army acquainted with the country to know if the ground would
allow him to attack them on the left. There happened to be a gentleman
in the army of that county, who told him that there was only one pass on
the left whereby not guarded he could come to them, upon which he
ordered it to be reconnoitred, and finding it neglected he ordered a
detachment of 500 men to be posted upon the high road to the west of
Preston to prevent the enemys retiring by that road to Edinburgh, and
recalling the detachment from the Church yard he marched his army
eastward by the town of Tranent, and drew up in one li