Battle of Marston Moor What happened on this day in history. JULY 2nd On this day in history in 1644, took place the Battle of Marston Moor. Marston Moor was a battle of The Civil War in which the Royalist army under Prince Rupert was defeated by a combined force of the English Parliamentary army and a Scottish army. This decisive action led directly to the ultimate defeat of the Royalist cause. In 1641, tension between Charles I and Parliament grew steadily until January 1642, when Charles left London and both sides prepared for war. Charles raised his standard at Nottingham in August 1642, and after some inconclusive battles withdrew to Oxford, which became his military headquarters. In 1643, Royalists took control Yorkshire at Adwalton Moor, while Parliament held London and pushed up to Lincoln. The Southwest became a Royalist stronghold in July 1642, when Charles's nephew, Prince Rupert captured Bristol. In June 1644, Charles ordered a force under Prince Rupert to relieve the Royalist stronghold at York, which was under siege by the Parliamentarians.

Rupert assailed the besiegers, relieved York, and pursued the Parliamentary army seven miles west, to a stretch of moor land known as Marston Moor. There, Sir Thomas Fairfax with a Parliamentary force, and Alexander Leslie, with a band of Scottish Covenanters, surprised Rupert with an early evening attack. The battle lasted two hours. The left wing of the Parliamentary forces, under Oliver Cromwell, scattered Rupert's cavalry and then combined with Leslie to enclose the Royalist core. The Royalists lost 3,000 to 4,000 men, together with most of their cannon, with what remained of their army being forced to flee. Prince Rupert escaped unhurt, but his dog, Boye, was killed in action. The Parliamentary and Scottish allies were able to resume the siege of York which fell on 16th July. With the capture of York, the Royalist lost control of the north. Cromwellï¿½s success allowed him to emerge as the leading Parliamentary general. In 1645, Cromwell formed the New Model Army, a militia that would overwhelm all opposition and destroy the Royalist forces, bringing about the execution of the king and putting Cromwell in power.

The battle of Marston Moor, 1644 » Military » The English Civil War » Northern England » The battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor, 1644 When Prince Rupert arrived to raise the siege of York on 1 July, he intended to join forces with the infantry of the York garrison and to strike immediately at the Allied army. In response to the Marquis of Newcastle's elegant letter of welcome and congratulation, Rupert sent a curt military order directing Newcastle and the York garrison to be ready to march against the enemy early next morning. Newcastle took offence at Rupert's brusqueness of manner. His military adviser Lord Eythin already held a grudge against Rupert. This resulted in a lack of co-operation amongst the Royalist commanders which cost Rupert his best chances of defeating the Allies. The Allied generals Leven , Manchester and Fairfax did not expect Rupert to fight immediately. They feared that he would march southwards through Lincolnshire to join forces with the King's army. In the early hours of 2 July, the Allies began to withdraw from Marston Moor towards Tadcaster in order to cut off the route south.

The infantry had already gone when Allied rearguard cavalry patrols clashed with Rupert's advance guard as he began to deploy his forces. Realising that Rupert intended to fight, the Allied generals decided to make a stand on Marston Moor rather than risk pursuit and interception on the march. Urgent orders were sent to recall the infantry. At 9 o'clock in the morning of 2 July, the Marquis of Newcastle with an entourage of Yorkshire gentlemen joined Rupert on Marston Moor. Newcastle was reluctant to give battle immediately, arguing that Royalist reinforcements were on their way to York and also that he had received intelligence suggesting that the Allies were likely to divide their forces. However, Rupert was convinced that the King's despatch of 14 June was a direct command to fight the enemy at once, which he was duty-bound to obey. To Rupert's annoyance, Lord Eythin was slow to bring up the infantry from York, which allowed the Allied armies time to regroup. By the time Eythin finally arrived with the York garrison at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the Allies were drawn up in battle order and singing psalms.

Deployment The Covenanters provided the largest contingent in the Allied army, so Lord Leven was given overall command. The Allies occupied cornfields on the low northern slopes of Marston Hill between the villages of Long Marston and Tockwith. An area of hedged enclosures and rabbit warrens around Tockwith hampered the deployment of cavalry on the Allied left flank, which was commanded by Lieutenant-General Oliver Cromwell . The first two lines consisted of around 3,000 men of the Eastern Association horse, including Cromwell's regiment of Ironsides. They were supported by a third line of around 1,000 Scottish horse, commanded by Major-General David Leslie . The Swedish tactic of interspersing detachments of musketeers between divisions of horse to disrupt attacking cavalry was used by both sides in the battle. A force of 500 Scottish dragoons occupied the extreme left of the Allied position. The Allied centre comprised around 11,000 foot in four lines supported by a few pieces of field artillery. In the first line, soldiers from the three Allied armies were interspersed, with Major-General Lawrence Crawford commanding the English and Major-General William Baillie commanding the Scots.

Four Scottish brigades commanded by Major-General James Lumsden occupied the second line, while Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester commanded their brigades in the third line. A reserve Scottish brigade occupied the fourth line. The Allied right wing of around 5,000 cavalry and musketeers comprised mainly the horse of Lord Fairfax's Yorkshire army in two lines, the first commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax , the second by Colonel John Lambert . Three Scottish regiments under Lord Eglinton formed a third or reserve line. A long drainage ditch sparsely fringed with hedges separated the two armies. Prince Rupert deployed an unknown number of musketeers as a "forlorn hope" to harass and disrupt the Allies as they tried to negotiate the ditch. Facing Cromwell on the Royalist right wing were 2,500 horse interspersed with 500 musketeers under the command of Lord Byron . Heavily outnumbered by the opposing horse, the Royalists were deployed in two lines, with Byron leading the first line and Lord Molyneux leading the second. Sir Samuel Tuke's regiment was posted on the extreme right to guard the flank.

The bulk of the Royalist foot occupied the centre, probably around 10,000 in number. The first line of infantry were the troops that had marched to York with Prince Rupert, which had formed up early in the day under the command of Rupert's Sergeant-Major-General Henry Tillier. The second and third lines were composed of Newcastle's infantry that finally arrived on Marston Moor late in the afternoon.The Royalist centre was further bolstered by cavalry brigades led by Sir William Blakiston and Sir Edward Widdrington. Prince Rupert's Lifeguard of Horse was positioned in reserve to Widdrington's right. The Royalist left wing of around 2,100 horse and 500 musketeers was under the overall command of Lieutenant-General George Goring . The front line was commanded by Sir Charles Lucas , with Sir Marmaduke Langdale commanding the second line. Colonel Francis Carnaby commanded a regiment on the extreme left to guard the flank. Marston Moor order of battle » The battle The late arrival of Lord Eythin and the troops from York led to acrimonious scenes between the Royalist commanders.

Rupert was angry that the delay had thrown away the opportunity to attack while the Allies were still in disarray; Lord Eythin was openly critical of Rupert's battle plan and the deployment of the Royalist army. Supported by Newcastle, Eythin protested that it was too late in the day when Rupert suggested that they should take the initiative and begin operations. Discouraged by the hostility of his colleagues, Rupert decided that there would be no battle until the following day. It is probable that he did not realise that the Allied army was fully formed up because, from his position on Marston Moor, he could only see the front two lines; the third line was hidden in an area of "dead ground" formed by a depression in the terrain at the foot of Marston Hill. As the Royalist troops prepared to settle down for the night, Lord Leven took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. At about half past seven in the evening, as the sky darkened and a portentous thunderstorm broke over the Moor, the Allied line surged forward. On the Allied left flank, Cromwell's Ironsides advanced towards the ditch that separated the two armies.

Lord Byron is said to have received orders to stand his ground and to rely upon the ditch and the musketeers to disrupt any enemy attack, but he apparently disobeyed orders and mounted a counter-charge, with the result that his cavalry got in the line of fire of the Royalist musketeers and prevented them from disrupting Cromwell's attack. (This widely-accepted version of events has been questioned by Stuart Reid, who suggests that Cromwell had crossed the ditch before encountering Byron's men). Byron's first line collapsed under the impact of the Ironsides' attack, but the second line held firm and a sustained cavalry fight developed. Prince Rupert himself brought up reinforcements to strengthen the Royalist horse and to threaten the Allied flank. Cromwell was wounded and briefly left the field to have his wound dressed. Major-General Leslie brought up the Scottish reserve to support the Ironsides with a flank attack that tipped the balance in favour of the Allies and resulted in the routing of the Royalist cavalry on the right wing. Prince Rupert became separated from his lifeguard and was forced to hide in a beanfield to avoid capture. On the opposite wing, however, the Royalists were triumphant.

Sir Thomas Fairfax's cavalry came under heavy fire from Goring's musketeers as they struggled to cross the ditch, which was a more significant obstacle on the eastern side of the battlefield. When Goring's cavalry charged, Fairfax's front line was routed with heavy losses. Colonel Lambert's second line was apparently diverted to another part of the battlefield and was unable to support Fairfax. Although Lord Eglinton's Scottish reserve resisted for some time, the Allied right wing was finally routed under the impact of a charge from Sir Marmaduke Langdale and the Northern Horse. While some of the Royalist cavalry swept over Marston Hill to plunder the Allied baggage train, Sir Charles Lucas rallied others to wheel right and attack the flank of the Allied infantry. Sir Thomas Fairfax found himself surrounded by the enemy and tore off his field sign to avoid recognition before fighting his way across the battlefield with a few steadfast troopers to join Cromwell on the opposite flank. The Allied infantry advanced rapidly in the centre to storm the Royalist musketeers lining the ditch, driving them back and capturing some abandoned field guns.

As a fire-fight developed in the centre, Lord Eythin ordered the second line of Royalist infantry to advance through the gaps between the front line brigades in a furious counter-attack. The front line of Allied infantry was thrown into disarray by the force of the attack; Lord Fairfax's brigade of foot and several Scots regiments broke and fled. The panic spread to the Scottish brigades in the second line, who also began to break. With the Royalist infantry pressing forward and Goring's cavalry attacking the flank, the Allied centre seemed on the point of collapse. Even the Allied generals thought that the battle was lost. Lord Fairfax and Lord Leven both fled. The Earl of Manchester was also swept away in the rout, but succeeded in rallying about 500 infantry and returning to the field. It was the resolution of two Scottish regiments, the Earl of Lindsay's and Lord Maitland's, that prevented a complete rout in the Allied centre by holding firm against repeated cavalry charges. Meanwhile, Major-General Lumsden regrouped the second line troops that remained on the field. The return of the Earl of Manchester also helped to stabilise the position.

On the Allied left wing, Cromwell and the victorious Ironsides were unaware of the extent of the disaster on the opposite side of the field until they were joined by Sir Thomas Fairfax. With Leslie in support, Cromwell led his cavalry right across the battlefield for a second charge. Goring and Langdale hastily rallied enough troopers to form a battle-line to face him. The positions of the cavalry were now reversed: Cromwell attacked from the position that Goring had held at the start of the battle, while Goring was on the disadvantageous ground formerly occupied by Fairfax. Goring's troops, disorganised and outnumbered, were scattered by a single charge and driven from the field. With the defeat of both wings of Royalist cavalry, Cromwell joined forces with the Earl of Manchester and the Eastern Association foot to begin systematically overruning the remaining Royalist infantry in the centre. As the battle-line collapsed, Newcastle's regiment of Whitecoats made an heroic stand in a ditched enclosure called White Syke Close. Refusing to surrender, they resisted repeated charges by the Ironsides until no more than 30 were left alive. The last stand of the Whitecoats is one of the most famous episodes of the civil war.

It was probably a desperate rearguard action to cover the surviving Royalist infantry as they retreated towards York. The battle of Marston Moor had lasted two hours. It is reputed to have been the biggest battle ever to be fought in Britain. No less than five armies were involved: Prince Rupert's army and the Marquis of Newcastle's northern army for the Royalists; Lord Leven's Army of the Covenant, the Earl of Manchester's Eastern Association and Lord Fairfax's Yorkshire army for the Parliamentarians. Over 4,000 Royalists were killed and around 1,500 taken prisoner. The Allies lost about 300 killed. All the Royalist ordnance, gunpowder and baggage were captured, along with 100 regimental colours. The city of York surrendered two weeks after the battle, ending Royalist power in the north of England. Prince Rupert rallied the survivors and retreated to Chester where he stoically set about building a new Royalist army. The Marquis of Newcastle, unwilling to "endure the laughter of the Court," abandoned the King's cause and fled to the Netherlands accompanied by Lord Eythin and other senior officers.

Sources: Battle of Marston Moor - definition of battle of Marston Moor by The Free Dictionary Battle of Marston Moor - definition of battle of Marston Moor by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend: Noun 1. battle of Marston Moor - a battle in 1644 in which the Parliamentarians under the earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists under Prince Rupert English Civil War - civil war in England between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists under Charles I; 1644-1648 England - a division of the United Kingdom Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Marston Moor References in periodicals archive ? 1644: The Battle of Marston Moor took place, in which Cromwell's Roundheads defeated Prince Rupert's Cavaliers and left 3,000 dead.

ON THIS DAY There will be English Civil War armour from Durham Castle and a set of more than 100 coins from the Breckenbrough Hoard - thought to have been deposited before the 1644 Battle of Marston Moor - on loan from the collections of York Museums Trust. Exploring the revolts that made Britain; EXHIBITION An important moment in history will be marked with a fascinating Magna Carta exhibition in Durham. David Whetstone looks at this and the programme of related events Phil will talk about the locally-raised units of horse and foot, the main engagements, including the skirmishes and battles at Piercebridge, Yarm/Egglescliffe and Guisborough in 1642/43 and the later bloody sieges of Scarborough and Newcastle following the "turning of the tide" in the war with the Battle of Marston Moor near York. Learn how the North-east was affected by the English civil war After 10 weeks camped outside Newcastle, the Parliamentarian army - which included Scots who had fought at the bloody battle of Marston Moor in North Yorkshire - used gunpowder to breach the walls on October 20.

Battle of Marston Moor | Article about battle of Marston Moor by The Free Dictionary Battle of Marston Moor | Article about battle of Marston Moor by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Marston Moor, battlefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, N England, near York. The battle fought there on July 2, 1644, between the royalists, under Prince Rupert and the duke of Newcastle, and the parliamentarians, under Lord Fairfax of Cameron, Oliver Cromwell, and the earl of Leven, resulted in the first major victory for the parliamentarians in the English civil war English civil war, 1642–48, the conflict between King Charles I of England and a large body of his subjects, generally called the "parliamentarians," that culminated in the defeat and execution of the king and the establishment of a republican commonwealth. ..... Click the link for more information. .

Marston Moor an area 11 km west of York in Great Britain where, on July 2, 1644, during the English Bourgeois Revolution of the 17th century, a battle of the first civil war (1642-46) took place. At Marston Moor the Royalists (17,000 men), commanded by Prince Rupert, suffered their first major defeat at the hands of the Anglo-Scotch Parliamentary Army (27,000 men), commanded by the Earl of Manchester. Royalist losses were 6,000 men and 25 guns, whereas the Parliamentary troops lost 1,500 men. The cavalry of the Parliamentary Army under the command of O. Cromwell played the decisive part in the battle. Marston Moor Walking the Battlefields: Marston Moor (1644) Saturday, 5 November 2011 Marston Moor (1644) As far as battlefield walking is concerned I take my opportunities when I can. One such opportunity arose last month during a weeks' holiday with my wife in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Mo's thoughts turned to shopping in Harrogate whilst mine turned to nearby Marston Moor, the place where the North of England was lost to the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. We managed to cover both but I'm guessing that my readership is going to be more interested in the latter than the former! The battle was fought on the 2nd July 1644. Prince Rupert and the Earl of Newcastle had reinstated the kings' authority over the city of York the previous day. Both the Royalists and the opposing Parliamentarians gathered their forces at Marston Moor. The former force was outnumbered - the Royalist army consisting of 6,000 cavalry, 17,000 foot soldiers and 14 artillery pieces. The Parliamentarian force under the Earl of Leven, Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester fielded a total of 22, 500 men, with material advantages across all arms. The Monument at Marston Moor The monument in the picture is situated in the middle of the battlefield. The Royalist lines were a couple of hundred yards beyond the pillar. The Parliamentary lines were the other side of the modern day road on the forward slope of a low ridge.

My walk took me down Atterworth Lane and then left along the tree line through the heart of the battlefield and into the area where Cromwell's cavalry had been so decisive in rampaging through Byron's wing and, with the help of the Scots, routing Prince Rupert's elite troops. The final act of the battle was the last stand of the Earl of Newcastle's 'whitecoats' where a plucky last stand took the Royalist casualties to over 4,000. So, back to our Yorkshire holiday where a later trip to the lovely town of Skipton presented me with a chance to visit the the Norman Castle which still stands at the top of the High Street. Following the Royalist defeat at Marston Moor, Skipton held out against the Parliamentarians until December 1645. Skipton Castle, Yorkshire The castle at Skipton was given up to Cromwell after a lengthy siege. Legend has it that sheepskins were hung from the walls to provide reinforcement against cannon fire. To this day sheep skins feature on the town coat of arms. The castle is a splendid place to visit nowadays. It's empty rooms echo with the voices of history though a substantial part of the building remains a private residence.

Some years after the civil War, the owner, Lady Ann Clifford, sought Cromwell's permission to reinstate the roof which had been demolished after the siege to prevent the building being used for military purposes. Permission was granted and the castle is now topped with an ornamental parapet and a rather fragile roof - deliberately so, in order to ensure that this highpoint could not be used as a firing platform for artillery. Posted by The Battle of Montgomery, 1644 » Military » The English Civil War » Wales & the Marches » The battle of Montgomery Mid-Wales & the Battle of Montgomery, 1644 The arrival of Prince Rupert to take up his appointment as President of Wales in February 1644 initially lifted the morale of the Welsh Royalists. Rupert's military record was exemplary and he proved to be an energetic organiser and administrator. However, his policy of appointing veteran English soldiers to replace the unsuccessful aristocratic regional commanders (Lords Carbery , Herbert and Capel ) led to friction with civilian administrators.

Furthermore, signs of war weariness were beginning to appear among the Welsh people who, despite the heavy demands made upon them during 1642-3, were still expected to supply recruits and money for the King's armies. Rupert's tenure in Wales was brief. In May 1644, he marched into Lancashire on the first stage of the York March , taking the army he had mustered at Shrewsbury. In Rupert's absence, the Welsh Parliamentarians prepared to take advantage of the depletion of Royalist forces in the Marches. The Earl of Denbigh, commander of Parliamentarian forces in Shropshire and Warwickshire, joined forces with Colonel Thomas Mytton at Wem around 20 June and marched against the Royalist garrison at Oswestry. Oswestry, Shropshire, June-July 1644 Oswestry had been garrisoned by Lord Capel in 1643. The town was walled and defended by a castle under the command of Colonel Edward Lloyd. Lord Denbigh and Colonel Mytton approached the town on 22 June.

They deployed cavalry to guard the approach roads in case of a relief attempt and sent their small force of 200 infantry to attack the Royalists defending St. Oswald's Church , which lay outside the town walls. The church was captured after half-an-hour's fighting and a number of prisoners were taken. The Parliamentarians then brought up a saker , which quickly blew in the town gate. The Royalist defenders withdrew to the castle and Lord Denbigh led his troops in to occupy the town. Manoeuvres around Oswestry, 1644 The Parliamentarian field gun had little effect on the walls of Oswestry Castle . That night, Denbigh and his officers resolved to burn down the castle gate with pitch. Next day, however, before the attempt was made, the women of the town implored Denbigh to let them try to persuade the garrison to surrender. Although reluctant to accept Denbigh's terms of quarter only, the garrison eventually marched out, surrendering their weapons and ammunition. The townspeople paid £500 to the Parliamentarians in order to avoid being plundered.

Colonel Mytton was left to garrison Oswestry while Lord Denbigh withdrew to Cheshire with the intention of gathering forces to pursue Prince Rupert into Lancashire. The fall of Oswestry was a serious blow to the Royalists. It opened a route into mid-Wales for the Parliamentarians and severed direct communications between the strongholds of Chester and Shrewsbury. Prince Rupert had left the veteran officer Sir Fulke Huncke in command at Shrewsbury, who quickly mustered all available Royalist troops and marched to recover Oswestry. In late June, Huncke approached the town with 2,000 foot, 600 horse and two pieces of artillery. News of the Royalist advance had reached Lord Denbigh, who sent Sir Thomas Myddelton with all the forces that could be spared from Cheshire to reinforce Mytton. As Myddelton's force approached Oswestry, Huncke ordered Colonel Marrow to send out scouts to discover the strength of the Parliamentarian army.

Apparently against Huncke's orders, Marrow took the whole body of horse and attacked Myddelton at Whittington, three miles east of Oswestry, where the Royalist cavalry were ignominiously routed. With his cavalry scattered, Huncke was obliged to lift the siege and retreat with his guns to Shrewsbury. Prince Rupert's Departure, August 1644 On 2 July 1644, Prince Rupert suffered a major defeat at the hands of the combined Parliamentarian and Scottish armies at the battle of Marston Moor in Yorkshire. After the battle, Rupert rallied the remnants of his army and retreated back across the Pennines to the Welsh border, arriving at Chester on 25 July. While Rupert attempted to recruit a new army from north Wales, Parliamentarian commanders took advantage of the weakened state of the Royalists in the Marches and began a new series of offensives all along the border. On 4 August, Sir Thomas Myddelton and Colonel Mytton led 500 horse in a dawn raid on Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, where they routed a Royalist cavalry detachment under Sir Thomas Dallison and plundered the town.

On the same day, Sir Edward Massie defeated Colonel Nicholas Mynne at Redmarley in Gloucestershire. Mynne, who had ably defended Herefordshire for the King, was killed in the battle and his regiment destroyed, which exposed Herefordshire to Massie's raids. On 21 August, the veteran Royalist cavalry commander Colonel Marrow was killed during a Parliamentarian raid on Tarvin in Cheshire. Around 26 August, Sir Marmaduke Langdale 's Northern Horse, having retreated into Cheshire after Marston Moor, were routed at Malpas by Sir William Brereton and driven into north Wales. Meanwhile, Prince Rupert's attempt to raise money and new forces from Wales had foundered. His reputation for invincibility was destroyed at Marston Moor; the levies he raised were reluctant to serve and quickly deserted. Some of his veteran officers left him to find employment abroad, or even with Parliament. He was unable to find weapons and ammunition to equip a new army. In late August, Rupert abandoned the task and left the Welsh Marches to set up his headquarters at Bristol.

The battle of Montgomery, September 1644 Early in September 1644, Sir Thomas Myddelton and Colonel Thomas Mytton advanced from Oswestry with 500 foot and 300 horse, intent upon securing Parliamentarian control of the upper Severn valley. On 3 September, they surprised and overwhelmed Sir Thomas Gardiner's garrison at Newtown in Montgomeryshire and seized a powder convoy on its way north from Bristol to supply the beleaguered garrisons at Chester and Liverpool. Laden with their captured gunpowder, Myddelton and Mytton advanced to attack Montgomery. The town of Montgomery was poorly defended by a ruinous medieval wall. On a hill-top to the west of the town, however, Montgomery Castle was one of the most formidable fortresses in the region. It was held by Lord Herbert of Chirbury, a noted scholar and patron of the arts, who lived in a mansion within the castle attended by a small retinue of retainers. By the time of the civil war, Lord Herbert was old and in poor health.

Apart from attending the King at Oxford, he had played no active part in the war, and had refused to co-operate with Prince Rupert or to install a Royalist garrison in the castle. Myddelton's forces occupied the town and called upon Lord Herbert of surrender the castle, fixing a petard to the castle gate in order to coerce him. Terms were agreed on 5 September. Myddelton promised that no harm would come to Herbert or to his possessions, in particular his valuable library. In return, a Parliamentarian garrison occupied the castle and the captured gunpowder was secured. The battle of Montgomery, 1644 The loss of Montgomery Castle was a serious blow to the Welsh Royalists. Within days, Major-General Sir Michael Erneley and Sir William Vaughan gathered contingents of horse and foot from Shrewsbury and the surrounding garrisons and marched to counter-attack. Apparently undetected, the Royalists approached Montgomery on 8 September when the Parliamentarians were on a foraging expedition. Surprised and outnumbered, the Parliamentarian foot fell back to the castle while Myddelton rode away with most of the horse to seek reinforcements, leaving Colonel Mytton to defend the castle.

The Royalists proceeded to surround Montgomery, digging trenches and throwing up earthworks in preparation for a sustained siege. Myddelton hurriedly gathered all available Parliamentarian forces for the relief of Montgomery. Sir John Meldrum withdrew a large body of his forces from the siege of Liverpool; Sir William Fairfax brought troops from Yorkshire and Sir William Brereton mustered the Cheshire foot. Joined with Myddelton's horse, and under Meldrum's overall command, the combined Parliamentarian army of around 2,000 foot and 1,500 horse approached Montgomery on 17 September. Meanwhile, the Royalists before the castle had also been reinforced. Appreciating the strategic significance of Montgomery, Lord Byron had marched from Chester and Sir Michael Woodhouse from Ludlow to join Erneley and Vaughan. The combined army of around 2,800 foot, 1,400 horse and 300 dragoons brought together the full strength of the Royalists in north Wales and the Marches. On the approach of the Parliamentarians, Byron withdrew from his position before the town.

Leaving enough troops to guard the trenches and siege-works, Byron deployed the bulk of his forces on a steep-sided hill crowned by ancient earthworks north-west of the castle. The Parliamentarians drew up on flat ground two miles north of the town, with the remains of Offa's Dyke and the River Camladd to protect their flank and rear. The two armies remained in position overnight. On the following day, with no sign of an engagement, the Parliamentarian commanders sent out nearly a third of their cavalry to gather provisions for the garrison in the castle. Seeing the enemy weakened, Byron took the opportunity to order a general attack, with the object of seizing Salt Bridge over the River Camladd to cut off Meldrum's escape. Although the ensuing battle is poorly documented, the initial assault seems to have favoured the Royalists. Colonel Trevor's horse drove back the outnumbered Parliamentarian cavalry and the Royalist foot gained ground. The Royalists threatened to outflank the Parliamentarians and capture the bridge. However, Major-General Lothian succeeded in rallying the Cheshire foot to check the Royalist advance with concentrated musket fire, and the tide of the battle turned dramatically against the Royalists.

They may have been discouraged by the unexpected Parliamentarian rally; it is also possible that the Parliamentarian foraging party returned to tip the balance against them. The Parliamentarians regrouped and counter-attacked. Myddelton's horse charged and put the Royalist cavalry to flight; Brereton's infantry broke through the Royalist foot. Colonel Mytton's forces sallied out of Montgomery Castle to overwhelm the Royalists guarding the trenches. After an hour's fighting, the battle ended with the rout of the Royalists. Around 500 were killed, with 1,500 taken prisoner. The Parliamentarians lost forty men, including Sir William Fairfax, commander of the Yorkshire contingent. Montgomery was the biggest battle fought in Wales during the civil wars and a major victory for Parliament. The Royalists were never again able to muster a field army in north Wales and were forced onto the defensive, awaiting attack in castles and garrisons weakened by the loss of men, arms and ammunition at Montgomery. The loss of morale was also significant. Local gentry previously loyal to the King began to shift their allegiance towards Parliament.

After the battle, Meldrum went back to the siege of Liverpool and Brereton returned to Cheshire to tighten the noose on Chester. Sir Thomas Myddelton consolidated his grip on mid-Wales with an advance on Powis Castle near Welshpool. During the night of 2 October, Myddelton's forces blew in the outer gate of the castle with a petard and the small garrison of only sixty men surrendered. A shortage of men and supplies prevented Myddelton from advancing into north Wales to threaten major fortresses like Denbigh Castle, or even from recapturing his estates at Chirk and Ruthin. However, the capture of Montgomery and Powis established a strong Parliamentarian base in central Wales, from which Myddelton led regular raids on surrounding Royalist garrisons. Sources: Battle of Marston Moor | Military Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor, by J.

Barker Date Decisive Parliamentarian and Scottish Covenanter victory Belligerents 14 guns Casualties and losses 300 killed 4,000 killed, 1,500 prisoners The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince Rupert of the Rhine and the Marquess of Newcastle . During the summer of 1644, the Covenanters and Parliamentarians had been besieging York , which was defended by the Marquess of Newcastle. Prince Rupert had gathered an army which marched through the northwest of England, gathering reinforcements and fresh recruits on the way, and across the Pennines to relieve the city. The convergence of these forces made the ensuing battle the largest of the Civil Wars. On 1 July, Rupert outmanoeuvred the Scots and Parliamentarians to relieve the city. The next day, he sought battle with them even though he was outnumbered.

He was dissuaded from attacking immediately and during the day both sides gathered their full strength on Marston Moor, an expanse of wild meadow west of York. Towards evening, the Scots and Parliamentarians themselves launched a surprise attack. After a confused fight lasting two hours, Parliamentarian cavalry under Oliver Cromwell routed the Royalist cavalry from the field and annihilated the remaining Royalist infantry. After their defeat the Royalists effectively abandoned the north of England. They lost much of the manpower from the Northern Counties of England which were strongly Royalist in sympathy, and access to the continent of Europe through the ports on the North Sea coast. Although they partially retrieved their fortunes with victories later in the year in the south of England, the loss of the North was to prove a fatal handicap the next year, when they tried unsuccessfully to link up with the Scottish Royalists under Montrose . Contents Edit In Northern England, the Royalists had the advantage in numbers and local support, except in parts of Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire, where the Parliamentarians had support from the clothing-manufacturing towns which "naturally maligned the gentry".

[1] On 30 June 1643, the Royalists commanded by the Marquess of Newcastle defeated the Parliamentarian army of Lord Fairfax at the Battle of Adwalton Moor near Bradford . Fairfax and his son, Sir Thomas Fairfax , fled with their remaining forces to the port of Hull, which was held for Parliament. Newcastle sent some of his army south into Lincolnshire, as part of a planned "three-pronged" advance on London, but was forced to besiege Hull with most of his forces. The siege failed, as the Parliamentarian navy could supply and reinforce the port and the garrison flooded wide areas around the city, while the Royalist detachments sent into Lincolnshire were defeated at the Battle of Winceby . In late 1643, the English Civil War widened. King Charles I negotiated a "cessation" in Ireland, which allowed him to reinforce his armies with English regiments which had been sent to Ireland following the Irish Rebellion of 1641 , [2] but Parliament took an even greater step by signing the Solemn League and Covenant , sealing an alliance with the Scottish Covenanters .

Early in 1644, a Covenanter army under the Earl of Leven invaded the north of England on behalf of Parliament. [3] The Marquess of Newcastle was forced to divide his army, leaving a detachment under Sir John Belasyse to watch the Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax in Hull, while he led his main body north to confront Leven. [4] Siege of York Edit During March and early April, the Marquess of Newcastle fought several delaying actions as he tried to prevent the Scots from crossing the River Tyne and surrounding the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. [5] Meanwhile, a Parliamentarian cavalry force under Sir Thomas Fairfax, who had been campaigning in Cheshire and Lancashire during the winter, crossed the Pennines and entered the West Riding of Yorkshire. To prevent Sir Thomas rejoining Lord Fairfax in Hull, Belasyse occupied the town of Selby which lay between them. On 11 April, Sir Thomas Fairfax's force, reinforced by infantry under Sir John Meldrum , stormed Selby , capturing Belasyse and most of his force. [6] Hearing the news, Newcastle realised that the city of York was threatened.

York was the principal city and bastion of Royalist power in the north of England, and its loss would be a serious blow to the Royalist cause. [7] He hastily retreated there to forestall the Fairfaxes. Leven left a detachment to mask the Royalist garrison of Newcastle upon Tyne, and followed Newcastle's army with his main body. On 22 April, Leven and the Fairfaxes joined forces at Wetherby, about 14 miles (23 km) west of York. Together, they began the Siege of York . Initially, the siege was a rather loose blockade as the Scots and Parliamentarians concentrated on capturing smaller Royalist garrisons which threatened their communications with Hull. On 3 June, they were reinforced by the Parliamentarian army of the Eastern Association under the Earl of Manchester . York was now completely encircled and siege operations began in earnest. Leven was accepted as Commander in Chief of the three combined allied armies before York (referred to by Parliament as the "Army of Both Kingdoms").

It was politic to make the Scots pre-eminent in the north and the Scots were the largest single contingent in the Army, but Leven was also a respected veteran of the Thirty Years' War . [8] Relief moves Edit Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619–1682) – Prince Rupert was ordered to retake the north from Parliament and their Scottish allies News of the siege soon reached Oxford, where King Charles had his wartime capital. From 24 April to 5 May, he held a council of war attended by his nephew and most renowned field commander, Prince Rupert . It was settled that while Charles attempted to play for time in Oxford, Rupert would relieve York. [9] Rupert set out from Shrewsbury with a small force on 16 May. His first moves were intended to gather reinforcements along the way to bolster his army, and secure Lancashire for the troops heading over from Ireland for the Royalist cause. He assumed the direction of a small Royalist army, based on Chester and commanded by Lord John Byron , raising his force to 2,000 horse and 6,000 foot.

Having forced a crossing of the River Mersey at Stockport, he stormed Bolton , allegedly killing 1,600 of the Parliamentarian defenders and citizens. [10] Resting at Bury nearby, Rupert was joined by the Marquess of Newcastle's cavalry under Lord George Goring , which had broken out of York early in the siege, with a small contingent from Derbyshire, and several regiments which were being freshly raised in Lancashire by the Earl of Derby . Bypassing the Parliamentarian stronghold of Manchester, Prince Rupert approached Liverpool on 6 June and wrested control of the city from Parliament after a five-day siege. [11] Rupert now hesitated, unsure whether to proceed to the relief of York or remain to consolidate the Royalist hold on Lancashire, securing more reinforcements in the process. He also distrusted some of the members of Charles’s council of war and was wary of being so far from the King's side. On 16 June, he received a dispatch from the King which contained troubling news. The King's advisors on the council of war had overturned Rupert’s defensive policies, sending the garrisons of Reading and Abingdon on an offensive in the West Country.

This had left Oxford exposed to a sudden threat from the Parliamentarian armies commanded by the Earl of Essex and Sir William Waller and forced the King to leave the city in haste and head to Worcester, where he was still in danger. [12] Together with this unfortunate news, the letter contained some ambiguous orders regarding Rupert's northern offensive and future plans: But now I must give the true state of my affairs, which, if their condition be such as enforces me to give you more peremptory commands than I would willingly do, you must not take it ill. If York be lost I shall esteem my crown little less; unless supported by your sudden march to me; and a miraculous conquest in the South, before the effects of the Northern power can be found here. But if York be relieved, and you beat the rebels' army of both kingdoms, which are before it, then (but otherwise not) I may possibly make a shift upon the defensive to spin out time until you come to assist me. Wherefore I command and conjure you, by the duty and affection that I know you bear me, that all new enterprises laid aside, you immediately march according to your first intention, with all your force to the relief of York.

But if that be either lost, or have freed themselves from the besiegers, or that for want of powder, you cannot undertake that work, that you immediately march with your whole strength, directly to Worcester to assist me and my army; without which, or you having relieved York by beating the Scots, all the successes you can afterwards have must infallibly be useless onto me. [13] Rupert understood the letter to be an order both to relieve York and defeat the allied army before heading south once more to aid the King. [14] By this time Rupert's army numbered nearly 14,000. He set out from Liverpool to Preston, which surrendered without a fight. From there he proceeded via Clitheroe and crossed the Pennines to Skipton, where he paused for three days from 26 June to 28 June to "fix arms" and await some final reinforcements from Cumberland and Westmoreland. [15] He arrived at the Royalist garrison at Knaresborough Castle 14 miles (23 km) northwest of York on 30 June.

Relief of York Edit The allies were aware of Rupert's approach and had been hoping that reinforcements from the Midlands under Sir John Meldrum and the Earl of Denbigh could ward off this threat, but they learned that these forces could not intervene in time. [16] The allied armies around York were separated from each other by rivers, and if Rupert attacked them in their siege lines he could destroy any one army before the other two could come to its aid. Therefore they abandoned the siege on the night of 30 June, and concentrated their forces near the village of Hessay before taking position on Marston Moor, where they blocked Rupert's expected direct march to York (along the old Roman road named Ermine Street , the modern A59 ), and could easily move to their left to prevent Rupert making any move to the south via Wetherby. [17] Early on 1 July, some Royalist cavalry advanced from Knaresborough and appeared on the Moor, and the allies prepared for battle. [18] However, Rupert had made a 22-mile (35 km) flank march to the northeast with his main body, crossing the River Ure at Boroughbridge and the River Swale at Thornton Bridge.

These two rivers merge to form the River Ouse , which Rupert had successfully put between himself and the allied armies. Later that day, his forces defeated the Earl of Manchester's dragoons , who had been left to guard a bridge of boats across the Ouse at the village of Poppleton a few miles north of York. [19] This had been the only crossing available to the allies above another bridge of boats at Acaster Malbis 5 miles (8.0 km) south of York, and its capture prevented the allies crossing the Ouse to engage Rupert. More of Rupert's cavalry arrived at York to gain touch with the garrison. With York definitely relieved, Newcastle sent Rupert a fulsome letter of welcome and congratulations. Rupert replied, not in person but through Goring, with a peremptory demand for Newcastle to march his forces to Rupert's assistance on the following morning. [20] Battle Edit On learning that they had been outmanoeuvred, the allied commanders debated their options. They decided to march south to Tadcaster and Cawood , where they could both protect their own supply lines from Hull, and also block any move south by Rupert on either side of the Ouse.

[21] The Parliamentarian foot (infantry), ordnance and baggage set off early on 2 July, leaving the cavalry and dragoons, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax, as rearguard. At about 9 am, the allied generals learned that Rupert's army had crossed the captured bridge of boats at Poppleton, and was advancing onto Marston Moor. The Scottish and Parliamentarian foot, some of whom had already reached Tadcaster, were hastily recalled. [22] Around midday, Rupert was joined on Marston Moor by Newcastle, accompanied by a mounted troop of "Gentleman Volunteers" only. Rupert greeted him by saying, "My Lord, I wish you had come sooner with your forces, but I hope we shall yet have a glorious day." Newcastle was strongly opposed to a pitched battle . [23] He counselled that the three allied armies, with separate base areas and lines of communication to protect, would eventually separate. [24] He also suggested waiting for a force of 3,000 under Colonel Clavering and collected garrisons amounting to another 2,000 to join the Royalist army.

[25] Rupert was adamant that the King's letter (which he never showed to Newcastle) was a command to engage and defeat the enemy immediately. [26] Furthermore, Rupert wished to compensate for the Royalists' numerical inferiority by catching the enemy unawares, and before further Parliamentarian reinforcements could increase their superiority in numbers. [23] However, Newcastle's soldiers in York had refused to fight unless given their delayed payment. A number were also absent, pillaging the abandoned allied siege works and encampments outside the city, and had yet to return. [23] Rupert's own infantry were exhausted from their long march on the previous day. Rupert therefore did not attack, and the odds against him lengthened as the day wore on, and the Scots and Parliamentarian infantry and artillery returned from their aborted move south and took position. There were brief cannonades and skirmishes, but neither side attacked. At about 4:00 pm, the contingent from York belatedly arrived, accompanied by Newcastle's Lieutenant General, Lord Eythin . Rupert and Eythin already knew and disliked each other.

Both had fought at the Battle of Vlotho in 1638, where Rupert had been captured and held prisoner for several years. Rupert blamed Eythin's caution for the defeat on that occasion, while Eythin blamed Rupert's rashness. On the Moor, Eythin criticised Rupert's dispositions as being drawn up too close to the enemy. His main concern was that a fold in the ground (referred to by some eye-witnesses as a "glen") [27] between the ridge on which the allied forces were drawn up and the track between Long Marston and Tockwith concealed the front line of the allied infantry from both view and artillery fire, allowing them to attack suddenly from a comparatively close distance. [28] When Rupert proposed to either attack or move his army back as Eythin suggested, Eythin then pontificated that it was too late in the day for such a move. [29] The Royalist army prepared to settle down for the night, close to the allied armies.

Deployment Edit Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven (1580–1661) – Leslie commanded the Covenanter and Parliamentarian armies The Covenanters and Parliamentarians occupied Marston Hill, a low feature (actually part of a terminal moraine ) less than 100 feet (30 m) above the surrounding countryside [30] but nevertheless prominent in the flat Vale of York, between the villages of Long Marston and Tockwith. They had the advantage of elevation, but cornfields stretching between the two villages hampered their deployment. At some point in the day, the Royalists attempted to seize a rabbit warren to the west of the cornfields from where they might enfilade the Parliamentarian position, but they were driven off and the Parliamentarian left wing of horse occupied the ground. [31] The wing was under the command of Manchester's Lieutenant General Oliver Cromwell . The first two lines consisted of over 3,000 cavalry from the Eastern Association, including Cromwell's own double-strength Regiment of Ironsides .

They were deployed in eleven divisions of three or four troops of cavalry each, with 600 "commanded" musketeers deployed as platoons between them. [32] The use of musketeers to disrupt attacking cavalry or dragoons was a common practice in the Swedish army of the Thirty Years' War, and was adopted by both the Parliamentarians and Royalists at Marston Moor. [33] [34] No surviving map or account states who commanded the second line, but Colonel Bartholomew Vermuyden was Manchester's Commissary General, or second in command of the Eastern Association horse. Three regiments of Scots horse, numbering 1,000 and mounted on lighter ponies, formed a third line to Cromwell's rear under Sir David Leslie . Five hundred Scottish dragoons under Colonel Hugh Fraser were deployed on the extreme left. [35] The centre, under the three generals-in-chief with no overall commander, consisted of over 14,000 foot, with 30 to 40 pieces of artillery.

The various regiments had been hastily deployed as they returned to the field and were considerably mixed up, [36] but most of Manchester's infantry under Sergeant Major General Lawrence Crawford were on the left of the front line, and some of Lord Fairfax's in the centre. Two Scots brigades each of two regiments, the "Vanguard" of their army under Lieutenant General William Baillie , made up the right of the front line. The second line consisted of four Scots brigades, their "Main Battle" or simply "Battle", under Sergeant Major General James Lumsden . The weaker third and fourth lines consisted of the rest of Lord Fairfax's infantry, a single Scots brigade and an incomplete Scottish regiment, and the Earl of Manchester's own Regiment of Foot. The right wing was commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax, with John Lambert as his second in command. He had at least 2,000 horse from Yorkshire and Lancashire, deployed in nine divisions, and 600 musketeers, with three regiments of Scots horse, numbering about 1,000 and commanded by the Earl of Eglinton , to his rear.

[37] Royalists Edit The Royalists occupied the low-lying moor, behind a drainage ditch that Rupert noted as an effective obstacle to a cavalry charge. There is some dispute over the course of the ditch at the time of the battle. Some contemporary accounts support the contention by later historians that it was non-existent on the Royalists' right wing. On the other hand, a near-contemporary plan of the Royalist dispositions by Rupert's chief engineer, Bernard de Gomme , shows the ditch in its present-day alignment. [28] It is generally accepted that the ditch was at least less of an obstacle on the Royalist right. [38] The Royalist left wing was commanded by Lord Goring. It consisted of 1,700 cavalry from the Marquess of Newcastle's cavalry (the "Northern Horse"), 400 cavalry from Derbyshire and 500 musketeers. The first line was commanded by Goring and the second by Sir Charles Lucas . [39] Their centre was nominally commanded by Eythin.

A brigade numbering 1,500 and consisting of Rupert's and Byron's regiments of foot under Colonel Robert Napier of Byron's regiment [40] was deployed at the ditch, at the junction of the right wing and centre, possibly to protect some artillery which may have occupied a slight hummock near this point. [41] To their left, a forlorn hope of musketeers lined the ditch. Behind them, the first line and the left wing of the second line were composed of the remaining infantry units of Rupert's army, numbering 5,500, under Rupert's Sergeant-Major General Henry Tillier. The 3,000 infantry from Newcastle's army under Sergeant Major General Francis Mackworth formed the right wing of the second line and an incomplete third line behind the right centre when they arrived. A brigade of 600 "Northern Horse" under Sir William Blakiston was deployed behind the left centre. A total of 14 field guns were deployed in the centre. [39] It has been suggested that some at least of Mackworth's infantry had not taken up their assigned positions when the battle began, leaving the right of the Royalist centre understrength.

[28] The right wing was commanded by Lord Byron, with 2,600 horse and 500 musketeers. The second line, which included Prince Rupert's Regiment of Horse but also some comparatively inexperienced regiments, was commanded by Lord Molyneux , although the experienced but unprincipled Sir John Hurry apparently acted as Byron's second in command. [42] Unlike the Scots and Parliamentarians, Rupert retained a reserve of 600 cavalry, including his elite Lifeguard of Horse, under his personal command. This reserve was situated behind the centre. [39] Main Action Edit Delayed by the late arrival of the York garrison, it was late evening before the Royalists were fully deployed. A flurry of rain showers and the discouragement of Newcastle and Eythin persuaded Rupert to delay his attack until the next day. From the ranks of the allied army he could hear the singing of psalms. As the Royalist troops broke ranks for their supper, Leven noted the lack of preparation among his opponents, and ordered his men to attack at or shortly after 7:30 pm, just as a thunderstorm broke out over the moor.

[43] On the allied left, Crawford's infantry outflanked and drove back Napier's brigade while Cromwell's horse quickly defeated Byron's wing. Though under orders to stand his ground and rely on the ditch and musket fire to slow and disorganize an enemy attack, Byron instead ordered a hasty counter-charge which disordered his own troops and prevented his musketeers and four "drakes" (field guns) attached to Napier's brigade [44] from firing for fear of hitting their own cavalry. [45] In the clashes which followed, Byron's front line regiments were put to flight. Cromwell was slightly wounded in the neck, by a pistol ball in most accounts, and briefly left the field to have the wound dressed. Noting the setback on this flank, Rupert led his reserve towards the right, rallying his own fleeing Regiment of Horse and leading them in a counter-attack.

[46] A Parliamentarian officer wrote: Cromwell's own division had a hard pull of it; for they were charged by Rupert's bravest men both in front and flank; they stood at the sword's point a pretty while, hacking one another; but at last (it so pleased God) he [Cromwell] brake through them, scattering them before him like a little dust. [47] —Scoutmaster-General Watson to Henry Overton, quoted in Young, Marston Moor 1644 Sir David Leslie's Scots eventually swung the balance for Cromwell, outflanking and defeating the Royalist cavalry. [48] Rupert's right wing and reserve were routed and he himself narrowly avoided capture by hiding in a nearby bean field. [49] In the centre, Crawford's, Lord Fairfax's and half of Baillie's foot initially succeeded in crossing the ditch, capturing at least three pieces of artillery. On the allied right, Sir Thomas Fairfax's wing fared worse.

He later wrote: Our Right Wing had not, all, so good success, by reason of the whins and ditches which we were to pass over before we could get to the Enemy, which put us into great disorder: notwithstanding, I drew up a body of 400 Horse. But because the intervals of Horse, in this Wing only, were lined with Musketeers; which did us much hurt with their shot; I was necessitated to charge them. We were a long time engaged with one another, but at last we routed that part of their Wing ... [I] myself only returned presently, to get to the men I left behind me. But that part of the Enemy which stood, perceiving the disorder they were in, had charged and routed them, before I could get to them. [50] —Sir Thomas Fairfax, quoted in Young (1970) Fairfax wrote that his second-in-command, Major-General Lambert, could not get up to him, and so charged in another place. A lane, the present-day Atterwith Lane, crossed the ditch on this flank, and some accounts suggest that several units were easy targets for the Royalist musketeers as they advanced along the lane only four abreast.

[51] When a small embankment alongside the ditch at this point was removed in the 1960s, several hundred musket balls were recovered. [28] When Goring launched a counter-charge, the disorganised Parliamentarians were routed, although some of the Scottish cavalry behind them resisted stoutly for some time. [52] Most of Goring's victorious wing either scattered in pursuit, or fell out to loot the Allied baggage train, but some of them under Sir Charles Lucas wheeled to attack the right flank of the Allied infantry. Meanwhile, some of Newcastle's foot counter-attacked Lord Fairfax's foot in the centre of the allied front line and threw them into confusion. Following up this advantage, Blakiston's brigade of horse (probably reinforced by the troop of "Gentleman Volunteers" under Newcastle himself) charged the allied centre. Under Lucas's and Blakiston's assaults in the confusion and the gathering darkness, over half the Scots infantry and all of Fairfax's infantry fled the field.

The Scottish Sergeant-Major General Lumsden stated that "These that ran away shew themselves most baselie." [53] Leven and Lord Fairfax also left the field, believing all was lost. [54] Leven fled 20 miles (32 km) to Leeds, while Fairfax went to Cawood Castle . The Earl of Manchester also briefly left the battlefield, but rallied some infantry and returned, though from this point he effectively commanded only his own Regiment of Foot near the allied rear. One isolated Scottish brigade which had been at the right of their front line and consisted of the regiments of the Earl of Crawford-Lindsay and Viscount Maitland stood firm against Lucas, who launched three charges against them. In the third charge, Lucas's horse was killed, and he was taken prisoner. [54] Behind them, Sergeant Major General Lumsden managed to re-form part of the allied centre, using two Scottish brigades from the second line which had stood fast. Behind them in turn, the Earl of Manchester's regiment repulsed and scattered Blakiston's brigade. [52] By now it was nearly fully dark, although the full moon was rising.

The countryside for miles around was covered with fugitives from both sides. A messenger from Ireland riding in search of Prince Rupert wrote: In this horrible distraction did I coast the country; here meeting with a shoal of Scots crying out, 'Weys us, we are all undone'; and so full of lamentation and mourning, as if their day of doom had overtaken them, and from which they knew not whither to fly; and anon I met with a ragged troop reduced to four and a Cornet; by and by with a little foot officer without hat, band, sword, or indeed anything but feet and so much tongue as would serve to enquire the way to the next garrisons, which (to say the truth) were well filled with the stragglers on both sides within a few hours, though they lay distant from the place of the fight 20 or 30 miles. [55] —Mr. Arthur Trevor to the Marquess of Ormonde , quoted in Young (1970) With no general present in command of either side, a drawn battle might have resulted, but Cromwell's disciplined horsemen had rallied behind the right of the original Royalist position.

Sir Thomas Fairfax, finding himself alone in the midst of Goring's men, removed the " Field Sign " (a handkerchief or slip of white paper which identified him as a Parliamentarian) from his hat, and made his way to Cromwell's wing to relate the state of affairs on the allied right flank. [50] Cromwell now led his cavalry, with Leslie's Scots horse still in support and Crawford's foot on his right flank, across the battlefield to attack Goring's cavalry. By this time, Goring's troops were tired and disorganised, and several of his senior officers were prisoners. [56] They nevertheless marched down the hill from the Parliamentarian baggage to occupy roughly the same position which Sir Thomas Fairfax's cavalry had held at the start of the battle, which most contemporary accounts stated to be a disadvantageous position. [57] When Cromwell attacked, Goring's outnumbered troops were driven back. Many of them retired to the "glen", the fold of ground beneath Marston Hill, but refused to take any further part in the battle despite the efforts of officers such as Sir Marmaduke Langdale and Sir Philip Monckton to rally them.

Eventually they obeyed orders to retreat to York late at night. [58] The triumphant allies meanwhile turned against the remains of the Royalist centre, overrunning successive units and cutting down many fugitives. Finally some of Newcastle's foot, the "Whitecoats", gathered for a last stand in a ditched enclosure. This has been stated to be White Sike Close, in the rear of the Royalists' original position, where some of Newcastle's infantry would have retreated when they found their right flank "in the air" following Byron's and Rupert's defeat. Later research suggests it is more probable that the enclosure was Fox Covert, a mile north of Long Marston on the natural line of retreat towards York. [28] The Whitecoats refused quarter and repulsed constant cavalry charges until infantry and Colonel Hugh Fraser's dragoons were brought up to break their formation with musket fire. The last 30 survivors finally surrendered. [59] Casualties Edit Approximately 4,000 Royalist soldiers had been killed, many in the last stand of the "Whitecoats", and 1,500 captured, including Sir Charles Lucas and Major General Henry Tillier.

The Royalists lost all their guns, with many hundreds of weapons and several standards also falling into the hands of the allied forces. The allied generals' dispatch, and other Parliamentarian accounts, stated that 300 of their soldiers were killed. [60] One of those mortally wounded among the Parliamentarians was Sir Thomas Fairfax's brother, Charles. [50] Another was Cromwell's nephew, Valentine Walton, who was struck by a cannonball early in the day. Cromwell was present when he died afterwards, and wrote a famous letter to the soldier's father, Cromwell's brother-in-law, also named Valentine Walton , which briefly described the battle and then informed the father of the son's last words and death. [61] Outcome Edit Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Marston Moor (1599–1658). Cromwell's reputation as an effective cavalry commander and leader was cemented by his success at Marston Moor. Late at night, the Royalist generals reached York, along with many routed troops and stragglers.

The Governor of York, Sir Thomas Glemham , allowed only those who were part of the garrison (in effect, only a few officers who had participated in the battle as volunteers) into the city, in case Parliamentarian cavalry entered the city on the heels of the fleeing Royalists. Many fugitives, including wounded, crowded the streets before Micklegate Bar , the gate into the city. Newcastle, having seen his forces broken and having spent his entire fortune in the Royalist cause, resolved that he would not endure the "laughter of the court". He departed for Scarborough on the day after the battle (3 July) and went into exile in Hamburg, with Eythin and many of his senior officers. [49] Two days after the battle, Rupert rallied 5,000 cavalry and a few hundred infantry whom he mounted on spare horses. He considered that, rather than attempt to restore Royalist fortunes in the north, he was required to return south to rejoin the King. Leaving York by way of Monk Bar on the north east side, he marched back over the Pennines, making a detour to Richmond to escape interception. The victorious allies regrouped, although too slowly to intercept Rupert as he left York.

Once the allied army had reformed, they resumed the siege of York. Under the agreement that no Scottish soldiers were to be quartered in the city, the garrison surrendered on honourable terms on 16 July. [62] At Marston Moor, Prince Rupert had been decisively beaten for the first time in the war and lost his reputation for invincibility. He was deeply affected by the defeat, and kept the King's ambiguous dispatch close to him for the remainder of his life. [62] He had suffered an additional blow through the death during the battle of his dog "Boye" , who had been a constant companion by his side throughout his campaigns. Parliamentarian propaganda made much of this, treating Boye almost as a Devil's familiar . [63] By contrast, Oliver Cromwell's reputation as a cavalry commander was firmly established. Despite attempts by his political rivals such as Denzil Holles and military critics such as Major General Lawrence Crawford to belittle the part he played, [64] it was acknowledged that the discipline he had instilled into his troops and his own leadership on the battlefield had been crucial to the victory.

Cromwell would later declare that Marston Moor was "an absolute victory obtained by God's blessing". [65] From this moment, he was to exert increasing influence both in the House of Commons and in the Parliamentarian armies in the field. [65] Aftermath Edit With the departure of Newcastle and Rupert, the Royalists effectively abandoned the north, except for isolated garrisons. The allied army soon dispersed. Leven took his troops north to besiege Newcastle upon Tyne and Carlisle , while Manchester's army returned to Lincolnshire and eventually moved into the south of England to take part in the Second Battle of Newbury . [49] Over the next few months the Scots and Parliamentarians slowly eliminated the remaining Royalist garrisons throughout northern England. The remnants of Byron's troops were driven from Lancashire in August, and were involved in another Royalist disaster at the Relief of Montgomery Castle in Wales in September. [66] The Royalist cavalry from the Northern counties, the "Northern Horse", continued to fight for King Charles under Sir Marmaduke Langdale.

They relieved a Royalist garrison at Pontefract Castle in south Yorkshire in February 1645, but their undisciplined and licentious conduct turned many former sympathisers away from the Royalist cause. [67] After being involved in the defeats of King Charles at the battles of Naseby and Rowton Heath , they made a final attempt to reach Scotland and were routed at Sherburn-in-Elmet in October 1645. [68] References

Question: Taking place in 1644, the Battle of Marston Moor took place in which English county?
Answer: YORKSHIRE