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Fowke had galloped back to the right, only to find that
the royal foot had already broken. Narrowly avoiding capture,
he rode off towards the sea and arrived at Berwick the same
night, where he had the presence of mind to send out boats
to warn the commander of the Dutch regiment against landing
in the Firth of Forth. From Seton, Lascelles also succeeded
in escaping to Berwick, where later, much to the annoyance
of Lieut.-Colonel Whitney, he heaped 'a Profusion of Reproaches'
on the conduct of the dragoons. In a letter denying Lascelles's
allegations, Whitney suggested that the Colonel's own retreat
had been hardly less rapid, for 'the Action ending at Half
an Hour after 5 o'clock, you was seen at the Post House
at Haddington At half an Hour after 6, Eight long scotch
Miles from the Field of Battle'. 'I can now', he ended,
'no more allow myself to think I am in any Shape, Your Humble
Servant, Shugbrough Whitney.'
Marching south by Laudcr, Cope and the dragoons reached
Coldstream on the night of the battle, and arrived at Berwick
the following afternoon, where Lord Mark Kerr is said to
have greeted him with the sarcastic comment that he was
the first general to bring the news of his own defeat. It
is a pity to spoil a good story, but, in fact, a report
of the action had reached Berwick before noon the previous
day, and Lord Mark wrote that at his meeting with Cope 'nothing
passed'. There was, however, some argument between them
as to whether Cope's troops, now on English soil, still
remained under Sir John's command, and to avoid further
bickering Lord Mark left Berwick. Before doing so he was
unable to resist a spiteful parting shot: 'I said. God bless
you. Gentlemen, I go to morrow; things have been conducted
very well hitherto, I wish you may henceforward conduct
matters as they ought to be for his Majesties Service.'
When asked at his subsequent 'Examination' before a Board
of General Officers 'from what Cause he imagined, or conceived,
the shameful and scandalous Behaviour of the Soldiers proceeded',
Cope replied that he knew of no other reason than that they
were seized by 'a sudden Pannick'. On what had led to their
panic he was silent, but in his despatch to Tweeddale written
on the day of the action, he gave as a possible explanation
' the Manner in which the Enemy came on, which was quicker
than can be described. . .'. There is little doubt that
he was right, for the speed of the High-
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