Page:History of the Scottish rebellion, 1745.pdf/7

 numbers, therefore, they were rather superior to Cope's army; but many of them were either unarmed or very ill armed. On arriving in sight of the camp of Cope, they were convinced of the impossibility of attacking it, and were thrown into consternation, and quite at a loss what course to pursue; when Mr Anderson, a gentleman that joined the Prince at Edinburgh, who was present at the council which determined the plan and mode of attack, told Mr Hepburn of Keith that he knew the ground well, and thought there was a better way to come at the king's army than that which they had resolved to follow. "I would undertake," said he, "to show them a place where they might easily pass the morass without being seen by the enemy, and form without being seen by the enemy, and form without being exposed to their fire." Hepburn advised him go to the lieutenant general Lord George Murray, who would like to receive this information without the presence of a third party,. Anderson sought Lord George, whom he found asleep in a field of cut pens, with the Prince and several chiefs lying near him. The young gentleman awoke his lordship, and informed him of his project: and it appeared so eligible he awoke the Prince, Lochiel, and other leaders to take counsel. They all approved of the plan; and a resolution was passed to take advantage of Mr Anderson's service.

Lord Nairn's party being recalled from Preston, the Highland army began to move about three o'clock in the morning. It was thought necessary to reverse the order of the march, by the rear of the column to the van. Mr Ker, who surveyed Cope's position on the preceding evening, managed this evolution with great skill and prudence. Passing slowly from the head to the other and of the column, desiring the men as he went along to