History of Scotland by Patrick Tytler 2
Roxburgh Castle taken by Sir Douglas
Edward had committed the charge of the castle of Roxburgh, a post of the utmost importance, to a Burgundian knight, Gillemin de Fiennes. On Fasten's Even, immediately before Lent, when the soldiers and officers of the garrison were carelessly carousing, Sir James Douglas, with about sixty soldiers, favoured by a dark night, and concealed by black frocks thrown over their armour, cautiously approached the castle, creeping on their hands and feet through the trees which studded the park. They at last approached in this way so near, that they could overhear the talk of the sentinels, one of whom observed them moving; and, deceived by the darkness, remarked to his fellow, that yonder oxen were late left out. Relieved by this fortunate mistake, Douglas and his men continued their painful progress, and at length succeeded in reaching the foot of the walls, and fixing their ladders of rope, without being discovered. They could not, however, mount so quietly, but that the nearest watch on the outer wall overheard the noise, and ran to meet them.
All was like to be lost; but by this time the first Scots soldier had mounted the parapet, who instantly stabbed the sentry, and threw him over, before he had time to give the alarm. Another sentinel shared the fate of the first; and so intent were the garrison upon their midnight sports, that the terrible cry of "Douglas! Douglas !" shouted into the great hall, was the first thing which broke off the revels. In a moment the scene was changed from mirth into a dreadful carnage; but resistance soon became hopeless, and Douglas gave quarter. De Fiennes retreated to the great tower, and gallantly defended himself, till a deep wound in the face compelled him to surrender.* He retired to England, and died of his wounds soon after. Bruce immediately sent his brother Edward, who levelled the works, and reduced the rest of Teviotdale, with the exception of Jedburgh, which was still garrisoned by the English.
Edinburg Castle Taken by Randolph
At this time Randolph earl of Moray had strictly invested the castle of Edinburgh, which, for twenty years, had been in the possession of England, and was now commanded by Sir Piers de Luband, a Gascon knight, and a relative of Gaveston, the English king's favourite, The garrison suspected the fidelity of this foreigner, and, having cast him into a dungeon, chose a constable of their own nation, who determined to defend the place to the last extremity. Already had the Scots spent six weeks in the siege, when an English soldier, of the name of Frank, presented himself to Randolph, and informed him he could point out a place where he had himself often scaled the wall, and by which, he undertook to lead his men into the castle. This man, in his youth, when stationed in the castle, had become enamoured of a girl in the neighbourhood, and for the purpose of meeting her, had discovered a way up and down the perilous cliff, with which custom had rendered him familiar; and Randolph, with thirty determined men, fully armed, placed themselves under his direction, and resolved to scale the castle at midnight.The surprise, however, was not nearly so complete as at Roxburgh, and the affair far more severely contested. Besides, Randolph had only half the number of men with Douglas, the access was far more difficult, and the night was so dark, that the task of climbing the rock became extremely dangerous. They persevered, nevertheless, and, on getting about half-way up, found a jutting crag, on which they sat down to take breath. The wall was now immediately above them; and it happened that the check-watches, at this time, were making their round, and challenging the sentinels, whilst Randolph and his soldiers could hear all that passed.
At this critical moment, whether from accident, or that one of the watch had really perceived something moving on the rock, a soldier cast a stone down towards the spot where Randolph sat, and called out, Away! I see you well." But the Scots lay still, the watch moved on, and Randolph and his men waited till they had gone to some distance. They then got up, and clambering to the bottom of the wall, at a place where it was only twelve feet in height, fixed the iron crochet of their rope-ladder on the crib-stone.
Frank was the first who mounted, then followed Sir Andrew Gray, next came Randolph himself, who was followed by the rest of the party. Before, however, all had got up, the sentinels, who had heard whispering and the clank of arms, attacked them, and shouted "Treason!" They were soon, however, repulsed or slain; and the Scots, by this time on the parapet, leapt down, and rushed on to the keep, or principal strength. The whole garrison was now in arms, and a desperate conflict ensued, in which the English greatly outnumbered their assailants. But panic and surprise deprived them of their accustomed bravery; and, although the governor himself made a gallant defence, he was overpowered and slain, and his garrison immediately surrendered at discretion. Randolph liberated Sir Piers Luband from his dungeon, and the Gascon knight immediately entered the service of Bruce. The castle itself shared the fate of every fortress which fell into the hands of the Scottish king. It was instantly demolished, and rendered incapable of military occupation. If we consider the small number of men which he led, and the difficult circumstances in which the assault was made, we shall probably be inclined to agree with the faithful old historian, who characterizes this exploit of Randolph as one of the hardiest and most chivalrous which distinguished a chivalrous age.
These great successes so rapidly succeeding each other, and an invasion of Cumberland, which soon after followed, made the English king tremble for the safety of Berwick, and induced him to remove, the unfortunate Countess of Buchan from her imprison ment there, to a place of more remote confinements The conferences for a cessation of hostilities were again renewed, at the request of the French king; and Edward ostentatiously talked of granting a truce to his enemies in compliance with the wishes of Philip, which, when it came to the point, his enemies would not grant to him.
Bruce reduces the Isle of Man
These great successes so rapidly succeeding each other, and an invasion of Cumberland, which soon after followed, made the English king tremble for the safety of Berwick, and induced him to remove, the unfortunate Countess of Buchan from her imprisonment there, to a place of more remote confinements The conferences for a cessation of hostilities were again renewed, at the request of the French king; and Edward ostentatiously talked of granting a truce to his enemies in compliance with the wishes of Philip,which, when it came to the point, his enemies would not grant to him.Soon after this the King of Scotland conducted, in person, a naval expedition against Man. To this island his bitter enemies, the Macdowalls, had retreated, after their expulsion from Galloway, their ancient principality; and the then Governor of Man appears to have been that same fierce chief, who had surprised Thomas and Alexander Bruce at Loch Ryan. Bruce landed his troops, encountered and routed the governor, stormed the castle of Bussin, and completely subdued the island.
Edward Bruce lays siege to Stirling castle
He then despatched some galleys to levy contributions in Ulster, and returned to Scotland, where he found that his gallant and impetuous brother Sir Edward Bruce, had made himself master of the town and castle of Dundee, for the preservation of which so many exertions had been made in a former year. After this success, Sir Edward laid siege to the castle of Stirling, nearly the last fortress of importance which now stood between Scotland and freedom.His imprudent Treaty
Its governor, Philip de Mowbray, after a long and successful defence, had begun to dread the failure of provisions in the garrison, and made overtures for a treaty, in which he agreed to surrender the castle by the ensuing midsummer, if not relieved by an English army. This was evidently a truce involving conditions which ought on no account to have been accepted. Its necessary effect, if agreed to, was to check the ardour of the Scots in that career of success which was now rapidly leading to the complete deliverance of their country; it gave the King of England a whole year to assemble the strength of his dominions; and such were the chivalrous feelings of that age, as to agreements of this nature, that it compelled the King of Scotland to hazard the fortunes of his kingdom upon the issue of a battle, which he knew must be fought on his side with a great disparity of force. We need not wonder then, that Bruce was highly incensed, on hearing that, without consulting him, his brother had agreed to Mowbray's proposals. He disdained, however, to imitate the conduct of Edward, who, in a former year, and in circumstances precisely similar, had infringed the treaty of Dundee ; and keeping his word unbroken, he resolved, at all hazards, to meet the English on the appointed day.Edward II. Makes Great Preparations to Relive Stirling
Edward, having obtained a partial reconciliation with his discontented barons, made immense preparations for the succour of the fortress of Stirling. He summoned the whole military force of his kingdoms to meet him at Berwick on the 11th of June. To this general muster ninety-three barons, comprehending the whole body of the great vassals of the crown, were commanded to repair with horse and arms, and their entire feudal service; whilst the different counties in England and Wales were ordered to raise a body of twenty-seven thousand foot soldiers; and although Hume, mistaking the evidence of the original record, has imagined that the numbers of this army have been exaggerated by Barbour, it is certain that the accumulated strength which the king commanded exceeded a hundred thousand men, including a body of forty thousand cavalry, of which three thousand were, both horse and man, in complete armour, and a force of fifty thousand archers. He now appointed the Earl of Pembroke, a nobleman experienced, under his father, in the wars of Scotland, to be governor of that country, and despatched him thither to make preparations for his own arrival.He ordered a fleet of twenty-three vessels to be assembled for the invasion of Scotland; in addition to these, he directed letters to the mayor and authorities of the various seaport towns, enjoining them to fit out an additional fleet of thirty ships; and of this united armament, he appointed John Sturmy and Peter Bard to have the command, He directed letters to O'Connor prince of Connaught, and twenty-five other Irish native chiefs, requiring them to place themselves, with all the military force which they could collect, under the orders of Richard de Burgh earl of Ulster, and to join the army at the muster; he made the same demand upon the English barons who possessed estates in Ireland. He requested the Bishop of Constance to send him a body of sixty mounted cross-bowmen. He took care that store of provisions for the troops, and forage for the cavalry, should be collected from all quarters; he placed his victualling department under strict organization; he appointed John of Argyle, who, probably, had no inconsiderable fleet of his own, to co-operate with the English armament, with the title of High Admiral of the western fleet of England; and he took care that the army should be provided with all kinds of useful artisans—smiths, carpenters, masons, armourers—and supplied with waggons and cars for the transport of the tents, pavilions, and baggage, which so large a military array necessarily included. The various writs, and multifarious orders, connected with the summoning and organization of the army of England, which fought at Bannockburn, are still preserved, and may be seen in their minutest details; and they prove that it far exceeded, not only in numbers but in equipment, any army which was ever led by any former monarch against Scotland.
With this great force, Edward prepared to take the field, and having first made a pilgrimage with his queen and the Prince of Wales to St Albans, and with the accustomed offerings requested the prayers of the church, he held his way through Lincolnshire to York and Newcastle, and met his army at Berwick. He here found, that the Earls of Warrene, Lancaster, Arundel, and Warwick, refused to attend him in person, alleging that he had broken his word given to the lord ordinars; but they sent their feudal services, and the rest of the nobility mustered, without anyabsentees, and with great splendour: so that the monarch, having reviewed his troops, began his march for Scotland in high spirits, and with confident anticipations of victory.
Meanwhile, Bruce, aware of the mighty force which was advancing against him, had not been idle.
Bruce assembles his army
He appointed a general muster of his whole army in the Torwood, near Stirling,and here he found, that the greatest force which could be collected, did not amount to forty thousand fighting men; and that the small body of cavalry which he had, could not be expected to compete for a moment, either in the temper of their arms, or the strength of their horses, with the heavy cavalry of the English. He at once, therefore, resolved to fight on foot,and to draw up his army in ground where cavalry could not act with effect, and where the English, from their immense numbers, would be cramped and confined in their movements. For this purpose, he chose a field not far from Stirling, which was then called the New Park.
It was studded and encumbered with trees, and the approach to it was protected by a morass, the passage of which would be dangerous to an enemy. Bruce, having carefully examined the ground, determined that his right wing should rest on the rivulet called Bannock-burn, whose broken and wooded banks afforded him an excellent security against beinjr outflanked. His front extended to a village called St Ninians; and his left wing, which was unprotected by the nature of the ground, was exposed to the garrison of Stirling in the rear—a dangerous position, had not the terms of the treaty with the governor precluded attack from th'at quarter. But Bruce did not leave the defence of his left to this negative security; for in a field hard by, so firm and level that it afforded favourable ground for cavalry, he caused many rows of parallel pits to be dug, a foot in breadth, and about three feet deep. In these pits he placed pointed stakes, with a number of sharp iron weapons, called in Scotland caltkrops, and covered them carefully with sod, so that the ground, apparently level, was rendered impassable to horse.
Its numbers and position
It does not appear, however, that the English cavalry attempted to charge over this ground, although, in the subsequent dispersion of the army, many lost their lives in the pits and ditches.Having thus judiciously availed himself of every circumstance, the king reviewed his troops, welcomed all courteously, and declared himself well satisfied with their appearance and equipment. The principal leaders of the Scottish army were Sir Edward Bruce the king's brother, Sir James Douglas, Randolph earl of Moray, and Walter the High Steward of Scotland. These, with the exception of the last, who was still a youth, were experienced and veteran leaders, who had been long trained up in war, and upon whom their master could place entire reliance; and having fully explained to them his intended order of battle, the king waited in great tranquillity for the approach of the enemy.
Soon after, word was brought that the English army had lain all night at Edinburgh. This was on Saturday evening the twenty-second of June, and early in the morning of Sunday the soldiers heard mass. It was stated by the contemporary historians, that they confessed themselves with the solemnity of men who were resolved to die in that field, or to free their country; and as it was the vigil of St John, they took no dinner, but kept their fast on bread and water. Meanwhile the king, on Sunday, after hearing mass, rode out to examine the pits which had been made, and to see that his orders had been duly executed. Having satisfied himself, he returned, and commanded his soldiers to arm. This order was promptly obeyed; and all cheerfully arrayed themselves under their different banners. Bruce then caused proclamation to be made, that all who did not feel fully resolved to win the field, or to die with honour, had at that moment free liberty to leave the army; but the soldiers raised a great shout, and answered with one accord, that they were determined to abide the enemy.
The baggage of the army was placed in a valley at some distance in the rear, and the sutlers and campfollowers, who amounted nearly to twenty thousand, were stationed beside it, and commanded to await the result of the battle. They were separated from the army by a small hill, which is yet called the Gilles, or Gillies' Hill.
The king now arranged his army in a line consisting of three square columns, or battles, of which he intrusted the command of the vaward, or centre, to the Earl of Moray. His brother Edward led the right, and the left was given to Sir James Douglas, and Walter the Steward of Scotland. He himself took the command of the reserve, which formed a fourth battle, drawn up immediately behind the centre, and composed of the men of Argyle, Carrick, Kentire, and the Isles. Along with him was Angus of Isla, with the men of Bute; and he had also under his command a body of five hundred cavalry, fully armed, and mounted on light and active horses.
Having thus disposed his order of battle, the king despatched Sir James Douglas and Sir Robert Keith to reconnoitre, who soon after returned with the news, that they descried the English host advancing in great strength, and making a very martial appearance. For this intelligence Bruce was well prepared; yet, dreading its effect upon his soldiers, he directed them to give out to the army, that the enemy, though numerous, were advancing in confused and ill-arranged order.