Ossian Collection > History of the Highlands and of the Highland clans > Volume 3

BATTLE OF FALKIRK. 189
The confusion was greatly increased by the obscurity of the night, and
for several hours they wandered over the moor, uncertain whether they
were to meet friends or foes. Early in the evening, many of the High-
landers had retired from the field of battle, either thinking it lost, or in-
tending to seek shelter from the weather. During this disorder, the
fate of the prince himself was eqnally unknown. Early in the action,
he had sent one of his aides-de-camp with an order; but, on returning
with an answer, the prince was no more to be seen. The officer, in
searching for him, fell in with the prince's own life-guards, drawn up in
order of battle, near a cottage on the edge of the hill, with their command-
er. Lord Elcho, at their head ; but his lordship could give him no infor-
mation respecting the prince. Lord Lewis Gordon, and several chiefs of
the clans, ignorant even of the fate of their own regiments, met together
at the seat of Mr Primrose, at Dunnipace, where they were joined every
instant by other officers all equally ignorant of the result of the battle.
At length about eight o'clock in the evening, all doubt was removed
from the minds of this party, by the arrival of Macdonald of Loch-
gary, who announced that tlie Highland army had obtained a com-
plete victorj', — that the English were flying in disorder towards Edin-
burgh, — and that the prince was in possession of Falkirk, and in tlie
quarters which had been occupied by General Hawley. He added,
'.hat he had been sent to Dunnipace, by the prince, with orders to the
rest of the army to repair to Falkirk next morning by break of day.*
Partly fi'om the darkness of the evening, and partly from the impossi-
bility of collecting a sufficiently numerous bodj' of the Highlanders
together, the prince was unable to continue the pursuit. About fifteen
hundred of them had entered the tovvn, but so intent were they upon
securing the spoils of the English camp, that it was with difficulty that
sufficient guards could be got for the town, and the prince's person, dur-
ing the night. Besides, the Highlanders had been upon their legs for
twelve hours, without receiving any refreshment, and were completely
drenched to the skin, so that even had pursuit been otherwise practica-
ble, they must have speedily desisted from excessive fatigue, and might
probably have suffered from the dragoons which covered the rear of
Hawley 's foot.
In addition to seven pieces of cannon which had been abandoned by
the captain of the train at the commencement of the action, Hawley left
behind him all his baggage, and a large quantity of military stores.
Owing to the rain, very few of his tents, to which he had set fire, were
r.onsumed. Besides the materiel of the royal army, several standards
and stands of colours fell into the hands of the victors. According to
the official returns, the loss of the English, in killed, wounded, and
missing, was two hundred and eighty, including a considerable numbei
• Johnstone's Memoirs, p. 187.