A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' WarFortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
History
A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War
Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army -- History
Then the Scots lost heart and wavered; the English, horse and
foot, gathered themselves up for a final terrible charge; and the
Scottish cavalry, reeling back upon the foot, carried it away in
choking disorder towards the gorge. Meanwhile Cromwell was urging
his third regiment of foot to the left, always farther to the left;
and as, panting and breathless, they climbed the lower slopes of
the hill they saw the whole length of the battle spread out before
them and the Scotch all in confusion. "They run, I profess, they
run!" cried Oliver as he looked down. And while he spoke the sun
leaped up over the sea, and flashed beneath the canopy of smoke
on darting pikes and flickering blades and glancing casques and
swaying cuirasses, as the red-coats rolled the broken waves of the
Scottish army before them. "Now let God arise and let His enemies
be scattered," cried Cromwell in exultation, for the victory was
won. The Scots, wedged tighter and tighter between hills and
stream, were caught like rats in a pit, and like rats they ran
desperately and aimlessly up the steep slope, only to be caught
or turned back by the English skirmishers above them. Their horse
fled as best they could with the English cavalry spurring after
them, till Cromwell ordered a rally. While the broken ranks were
reforming he sang the hundred and seventeenth Psalm, the chorus
swelling louder and louder behind him as trooper after trooper
fell into his place. Then the psalm gave way to the sharp word of
command, and the horse trotted away once more to the pursuit past
Dunbar and Belhaven even to Haddington. Three thousand of the Scots
fell in the field; ten thousand prisoners, with the whole of the
artillery and baggage and two hundred colours, were taken. It was
the greatest action fought by an English army since Agincourt.
Cromwell lost no time in following up his success. On the day after
the battle he sent Lambert forward with six regiments of horse to
Edinburgh, and occupied the port of Leith and the whole of the
town, except the Castle, without resistance. Leaving sufficient
men to blockade the Castle and hold the works at Leith he pushed
on against Leslie, who had entrenched himself with five thousand
men at Stirling; but finding his position unassailable he returned
to Edinburgh and busied himself with the reduction of the Castle,
while Lambert completed the subjugation of the West. In the middle
of September the Castle surrendered, and therewith all Scotland
south of the Forth and Clyde was subject to the English.
[Sidenote: 1651.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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