General Cope landed his army at Dunbar from transports on 17 September 1745, having sailed from Aberdeen after evading the Jacobite advance. His army was seasick and disorganised from the sea voyage. Jacobite cavalry scouts monitored the debarkation and skirmished with Cope's cavalry as the government forces moved west toward Haddington. The Jacobites gained crucial intelligence about Cope's route and numbers, enabling Lord George Murray to select the ground at Prestonpans advantageously. The naval transport operation — unique in the '45 — demonstrated the logistical resources available to the government that the Jacobites could never match.
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