How Did Wallace Manipulate The Battle Of Moray's Fight?

When it came to the battle of Stirling Bridge itself, Wallace was a master of guerrilla style combat. This was important to the alliance of Wallace and de Moray, as, “Andrew de Moray possessed military genius and military training… Without the former neither the campaign which made Stirling Bridge possible nor the battle of Stirling Bridge itself would be possible.” The strategy that accompanied de Moray’s experience and Wallace’s fighting style allowed them to manipulate the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The companionship between these two men is what garnered their victory in 1297. It can be argued that the death of de Moray after the battle lost them the battle at Falkirk in 1298. Upon the death of de Moray, Wallace became the sole leader

There is also evidence in the form of letters that depict Wallace styling himself the ’Guardian of Scotland’ that bear no official declaration. Surrounding the Battle of Stirling Bridge there are questions about the prominence of Wallace in the preparations of the uprising, putting him in a subordinate position below more influential nobles. It can be said as well that the fame that would have been attributed to de Moray had he not died, went to Wallace instead, inflating his involvement in the conflict. There is also the underlying suspicion that the limited role Wallace had in ‘official’ accounts of the wars may not be an effect of distortion over time, but lack of actual involvement itself. From this point onward, it can be seen that there is doubt over how much influence Wallace had and how competent he actually was in battle strategy outside of guerrilla

The events of Falkirk in 1298 leave William Wallace a failure in the eyes of his Scottish contemporaries. This failure, for historians, is commonly overlooked as, “there has been a… tendency for commentators to give unstinting praise to Wallace for his conduct at Stirling Bridge and too little credit for his arrangements at Falkirk.” The same effect is seen in literature as writers such as Mrs. Hemans in her memoir only allude to the battle in select lines repeating the motifs ‘blood’ and ‘ground’, avoiding an outright description of the Scot’s defeat. In studying the events at Falkirk, it can be understood that the failure is not only the effect of Wallace’s leadership, but also the disloyalty of his supporters. To the understanding of some, the Battle of Falkirk should never have occurred as, “the tactics there were the antithesis of those which succeeded at Stirling Bridge.” This unfamiliarity for Wallace and his strategy leaves the Scots to be massacred by the English under Edward I. There are discussions of Wallace’s strategy that detail aims to force the English into retreat and from there the battle would be up to the improvisation of