In the hours before the Battle of Prestonpans, Jacobite advance parties scouted Cope's defensive position along the shore of the Firth of Forth. The position — protected by a boggy marsh on one flank and the sea on the other — appeared strong. But a local man, Robert Anderson of Whitecraig, offered to guide the Jacobites through a pathway across the marsh that was unknown to Cope. This local intelligence transformed the battle before it began. The advance guard actions also confirmed Cope's order of battle and allowed Lord George Murray to plan the devastating dawn attack that followed.
Jacobite advance cavalry and scouts; government outpost sentries
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