 William did not have a high opinion of his English and Scottish troops, with the exception of the Ulster Protestant "skirmishers" who had held Derry in the previous year; the English and Scottish troops were felt to be politically unreliable, since James had been their legitimate monarch up to a year before.Moreover, they had only been raised recently and had seen little action.James’s flag was erected at the town of Donore, on the opposite side of the river Boyne.