12
majesty, conveyed provisions to Fort Augustus and
Fort William, and secured the person of Lord
Lovat; but this cunning veteran found means to
escape. Charles being joined by Lord John
Drummond, invested the castle of Stirling, in
which General Blakeney commanded; but his
people not being much used to enterprises of this
kind, they made very little progress in their operations.
By this time a considerable body of forces was
assembled at Edinburgh, under General Hawley,
who determined to relieve Stirling Castle, and
advanced to Linlithgow on the 13th of January.
Next day his army rendezvoused at Falkirk, while
the rebels were cantoned at Bannockburn. On
the 17th day of the month they began their march
in two columns to attack the King’s forces, and
had forded the water of Cawen within three miles
of Hawley’s camp, before he discovered their in-
tention ; but such was his obstinacy or contempt
of the enemy, that he paid no attention to the
repeated intelligence he received of their motions,
being firmly persuaded that they would not ven-
ture to hazard an engagement. Perceiving,
however, that they had got possession of a rising
ground to the southward of Falkirk, he ordered
his cavalry to advance, and drive the enemy from
