HOW DID WILLIAM WALLACE MANAGE TO ESCAPE THE MASSACRE AT THE BATTLE OF FALKIRK ON 22 JULY 1298?
HOW DID WILLIAM WALLACE MANAGE TO ESCAPE THE MASSACRE AT THE BATTLE OF FALKIRK ON 22 JULY 1298? In the summer of 1298 King Edward I of England invaded Scotland with a very large army that included thousands of cavalry and archers. The army probably numbered between 20,000 and 30,000 men. Edward's first objective was to locate and defeat William Wallace who himself had a sizeable force of approximately 8,000. But by 21 July there was still no sign of Wallace who had likely opted for a scorched-earth policy in the hope of starving the English and forcing a retreat, or at least to weaken them for battle. On that day Edward was considering a withdrawal to Edinburgh when a spy or scout rode into the English camp and told him not only of Wallace’s location, but also of his tactics. The spy or scout told Edward, "My lord king, the Scots army and all your enemies are no more than eighteen miles from here, just outside Falkirk … They have heard that you intend to retreat to Edinburgh,