as Walpole's influence weakened, many Whig MPs did not contest the 1741 election, including Cope. His military career continued to progress. In 1730, he became colonel of the 39th Foot, then successively the 5th Foot, the 9th Dragoons and finally the 7th Dragoons in 1741. He served in Flanders during the War of the Austrian Succession and was promoted lieutenant general in February 1743. He led a cavalry brigade at the Battle of Dettingen in June 1743, where King George II became the last ruling British monarch to command troops in battle. In the aftermath of victory, Cope was appointed commander of military forces in Scotland. 1745 Rising The July landing of Prince Charles on Eriskay was confirmed in early August. Most of Cope's 3,000–4,000 men were inexperienced recruits, but his main handicap was the poor advice he received from local experts, particularly John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale, the Secretary of State for Scotland. Leaving his cavalry at Stirling under Thomas Fowke, Cope and the infantry marched on Corrieyairack Pass, the key connection point between the Western Highlands and the Lowlands. He found the Jacobites already in possession, and after conferring with his officers, withdrew to Inverness on 26 August, leaving Edinburgh exposed. Using the newly constructed military road network, the lightly equipped Jacobite army moved much faster than expected. Cope loaded his troops onto ships at Aberdeen, and reached Dunbar on 17 September, only to find Charles had entered the city earlier the same day. Joined by Fowke and the cavalry, Cope advanced towards Edinburgh, confident he could deal with a Jacobite army of no more than 2,000. While a reasonable assessment, his army's effectiveness was undermined by inexperience, and the poor quality of many senior officers. This included James Gardiner, later mythologised for his heroic death, who was described as a 'nervous wreck'. On 16 September, his dragoons fled in panic from a small party of Highlanders, the so-called 'Coltbridge Canter'. The two armies made contact on the afternoon of 20 September; Cope's forces faced south, with a marshy area immediately in front, and park walls protecting their right (see Map). The 1746 court-martial agreed the ground was well chosen, and the disposition of his troops appropriate. During the night the Jacobites moved onto his left flank and Cope wheeled his army to face east (see Map); his dragoons panicked and fled, exposing the infantry in the