ne opposite to the
flank of the enemy, who upon that motion made a half wheel to face him,
expecting, as it was imagined, that he then designed to attack them, and
which L. G. M--y[88] proposed, as the Highlanders were then full of
spirits, and above all things desirous to engage; but the night being
then far advanced, the Chevalier thought it better to delay coming to an
engagement till next morning, not knowing what might be the consequence
of a rencounter in the night should the enemy, if beat, rally and come
upon him while in confusion and not able to get his people together,
knowing how difficult it was to keep irregular troops together in a body
after an action, so resolved to delay it till early next morning, and
ordered his army to halt upon the ground about three or four hundred
yards from the enemy, and to continue under arms to be ready to march
upon a minutes warning.

They accordingly lay close in order of battle the whole night without
the least whisper or noise to be heard, while G^ll Cope made some fires
in his camp and threw a few shells, which did no hurt. Having continued
in this position for some time, he was informed that the detachment of
five hundred Atholl men which he had posted upon the west side of the
village of Preston had rejoined the army; this made him very uneasy
least the enemy had filed off during the night by that road and had
taken possession of the City of Edin^r, to prevent which and to
intercept the runaways had enduced him to make that disposition. He at
first seemed resolved to make them return, but when he reflected that
their march, if discovered by the enemy, might induce them to believe it
was the whole army, and occasion them to alter their disposition or
occasion any confusion or distrust amongst his own people, he judged it
safer and better to put up with the disappointment and continue the rest
of his plan, tho he could not help complaining that his orders had been
neglected in so material a point.

Notwithstanding this _faux pas_, he kept in very high spirits the rest
of the night, laying on the ground without any covering but his plaid,
and in the morning, about an hour before daylight, made his army, guided
by the gentleman above mentioned, march from the left in three columns,
making the left of the first line the right of the army for the attack,
which motion, tho perhaps irregular, was yet necessary, and executed
with so much order and silence that the small body