The king marched upon Edinburgh, where at Leith there came such a sickness and famine upon the common soldiers of that great army, that they were forced to beat a retreat for want of food; at which time the king's light horse were defeated by James de Douglas.
The ruler's advance on Edinburgh was hindered by a severe outbreak of disease and food shortages among the common soldiers in his massive army, leading them to retreat due to lack of supplies. It was then that the king's lightly armed horsemen suffered a defeat at the hands of James de Douglas.