History of Scotland by Patrick Tytler 2
Conflict Between Randolph and Clifford
Stung by such words, the Earl of Moray, leaving the centre, at the head of a select body of infantry, hasted at all hazards to repair his error. As he advanoed, Clifford's squadron wheeled round, and putting their spears in rest, charged him at full speed, but Randolph had formed his infantry in a square presenting a front on all sides, with the spears fixed before them;-f- and although he had only five hundred men, he awaited the shock of Clifford with with such firmness, that many of the English were unhorsed, and Sir William Daynecourt, an officer of note, who had been more forward in his attack than his companions, was slain.Unable to make any impression upon Randolph's square by this first attack, the English proceeded more leisurely to surround him on all sides, and by a second furious and simultaneous charge on each front, endeavoured to break the line. But the light armour, the long spears, atid the short knives and battle-axes of the Scottish foot, proved a match for the heavy armed English cavalry, and a desperate conflict ensued, in which Randolph's little square, although it stood firm, seemed likely to be crushed to pieces by the heavy metal which was brought against it. All this passed in the sight of Bruce who was surrounded by his officers. At length Sir James Douglas earnestly requested to he allowed to go with a reinforcement to his relief. "You shall not stir a foot from your ground," said the king, "and let Randolph extricate himself as best he can; I will not alter my order of battle, and lose my advantage, whatever may befall him. My liege," answered Douglas, "I cannot stand by, and see Randolph perish, when I may bring him help; so by your leave I must away to his succour." Bruce unwillingly consented, and Douglas immediately held his way towards Randolph.
Personal conflict between Bruce and Sir Henry de Boune
By this time the King of England had brought up his main army, and ordered a halt, for the purpose of consulting with his leaders, whether it were expedient to join battle that same day, or take a night to refresh his troops. By some mistake, however, the centre of the English continued its march, not aware of this order, and on their approach to the New Park, Bruce rode forward alone to make some new arrangements, which were called for by the absence of Randolph, and to take a final view of the disposition of his army. He was at this time in front of his own line, meanly mounted on a hackney, but clad in full armour, with his battle-axe in his hand, and distinguished from his nobles by a small crown of gold surmounting his steel helmet.
On the approach of the English vaward, led by the Earls of Gloucester and Hereford, Sir Henry de Boune, an English knight, who rode about a bowshot in advance of his companions, recognised the king, and galloped forward to attack him. Boune was armed at all points, and excellently mounted on a heavy war-horse, so that the contest was most unequal, and Bruce might have retired; but for a moment he forgot his duties as a general in his feelings as a knight, and, to the surprise of his soldiers, spurred his little hackney forward to his assailant. There was an interval of breathless suspense, but it lasted only a moment; for as the English knight came on in full career, the king parried the spear, and raising himself in his stirrups as he passed, with one blow of his battleaxe laid him dead at his feet, by almost cleaving his head in two.
Clifford defeated
All this passed so quickly, that the contest between Randolph and Clifford was still undecided; but Douglas, as he drew near to his friend's rescue, perceived that the English had by this time begun to waver, and that disorder was rapidly getting into their ranks. Commanding his men, therefore, to halt," Let us not," cried he, "diminish the glory of so redoubtable an encounter, by coming in at the end to share it. The brave men that fight yonder, without our help will goon discomfit the enemy." And the result was as Douglas had foreseen; for Randolph, who quickly perceived the same indications, began to press the English cavalry with repeated charges and increasing fury, so that they at length entirely broke, and fled in great disorder. The attempt to throw succours into the castle was thus completely defeated; and Clifford, after losing many of his men, who were slain in the pursuit, rejoined the main body of the army with the scattered and dispirited remains of his squadron.Bruce Addresses His Troops
So steadily had the Scots kept their ranks, that Randolph had sustained a very inconsiderable loss. From the result of these two attacks, and especially from the defeat of Clifford, Bruce drew a good augury, and cheerfully congratulated his soldiers on so fair a beginning. He observed to them, that they had defeated the flower of the English cavalry, and had driven back the centre division of their great army; and remarked, that the same circumstances which gave spirit and animation to their hopes, must communicate depression to the enemy.As the day was far spent, he held a military council of his leaders, and requested their advice, whether, having now seen the numbers and strength of their opponents, it was expedient to hazard a battle, declaring himself ready to submit his individual opinion to the judgment of the majority. But the minds of the Scottish commanders were not in a retreating mood; and although aware of the great disparity of force, the English army being more than triple that of Bruce, they declared their unanimous desire to keep their position, and to fight on the morrow. The king then told them that such was his own wish, and commanded them to have the whole army arrayed next morning by day-break, in the order and upon the ground already agreed on. He earnestly exhorted them to preserve the firmest order, each man under his own banner, and to receive the charge of the enemy with levelled spears, so that even the hindmost ranks of the English would feel the shock. He pointed out to them, that everything in the approaching battle, which was to determine whether Scotland was to be free or enslaved, depended on their own steady discipline and deliberate valour. He conjured them not to allow a single soldier to quit his banner or break the array; and, if they should be successful, by no means to begin to plunder or to make prisoners, as long as a single enemy remained on the field. He promised that the heirs of all who fell should receive their lands free, and without the accustomed feudal fine; and he assured them, with a determined and cheerful countenance, that if the orders he had now given were obeyed, they might confidently look forward to victory.
Circumstances before the battle
Having thus spoken to his leaders, the army were dismissed to their quarters. In the evening, they made the necessary arrangements for the battle, and passed the night in arms upon the field. Meanwhile the English king and his leaders had resolved, on account of the fatigue undergone by the troops, and symptoms of dissatisfaction which appeared amongst them, to delay the attack, and drew off to the low grounds to the right and rear of their original position, where they passed the night in riot and disorder. At this time, it is said, a Scotsman, who served in the English army, deserted to Bruce, and informed him ^ he could lead him to the attack so as to secure an easy victory. Robert, however, was not thus to be drawn from his position, and determined to await the enemy on the ground already chosen.On Monday, the 24th of June, at the first break of day, the Scottish king confessed, and along with his army heard mass. This solemn service was performed by Maurice, the Abbot of Inchaffray, upon an eminence in front of their line, and after its conclusion the soldiers took breakfast, and arranged themselves under their different banners. They wore light armour, but of excellent temper. Their weapons were, a battleaxe slung at their side, and long spears, besides knives, or daggers, which the former affair of Randolph had proved to be highly effective in close combat. When the whole army was in array, they proceeded, with displayed banners, to make knights, as was the custom before a battle. Bruce conferred that honour upon Walter the young Steward of Scotland, Sir James Douglas, and many other brave men, in due order, and according to their rank.
By this time the van of the English army, composed of archers and lances, and led by the Earls of Gloucester and Hereford, approached within bowshot; and at a little distance behind, the remaining nine divisions, which, confined by the narrowness of the ground, were compressed into a close column of great and unwieldy dimensions.This vast body was conducted by the King of England in person, who had along with him a body-guard of five hundred chosen horse. He was attended by the Earl of Pembroke, Sir Ingram Umfraville, and Sir Giles de Argentine, a Knight of Rhodes, of great reputation.When Edward approached near enough, and observed the Scottish army drawn up on foot, and their firm array and determined countenance, he expressed much surprise, and turning to Umfraville, asked him, "If he thought these Scots would fight?'' Umfraville replied, that they assuredly would; and he then advised Edward, instead of an open attack, to pretend to retreat behind his encampment, upon which he was confident, from his old experience in the Scottish wars, that the enemy would break their array, and rush on without order or discipline, so that the English army might easily attack and overwhelm them. Umfraville, an Anglicised Scottish baron, who had seen much service against Edward's father, and had only sworn fealty in 1305, spoke this from an intimate knowledge of his countrymen; but Edward fortunately disdained his counsel.
Battle of Bannockborn and total defeat of the English
At this moment the Abbot of Inchaffray, barefooted and holding a crucifix aloft in his hand, walked slowly along the Scottish line; and as he passed, the whole army knelt down, and prayed for a moment with the solemnity of men who felt it might be their last act of devotion. "See," cried Edward, "they are kneeling, they ask mercy !" "They do, my liege," replied Umfraville, " but it is from God, not from us. Trust me, yon men will win the day, or die upon the field." "Be it so, then," said Edward, and immediately commanded the charge to be sounded. The English van, led by Gloucester and Hereford, now spurred forward their horses, and at full gallop charged the right wing of the Scots, commanded by Edward Bruce; but a dispute between the two.English barons as to precedency, caused the charge, though rapid, to be broken and irregular. Gloucester, who had been irritated the day before by some galling remarks of the king, insisted on leading the van, a post which of right belonged to Hereford, as Constable of England.
To this Hereford would not agree; and Gloucester, as they disputed, seeing the Scottish right advancing, sprung forward at the head of his own division, and, without being supported by the rest of the van, attacked the enemy, who received them with a shock, which caused the noise of the meeting of their spears to be heard a great way off, and threw many knights from their saddles, whose horses were stabbed and rendered furious by their wounds. While the right wing was thus engaged, Randolph, who commanded the centre division, advanced at a steady pace to meet the main body of the English, whom he confronted and attacked with great intrepidity, although the enemy outnumbered him by ten to one. His square, to use an expression of Barbour's, was soon surrounded and lost amidst the English, as if it had plunged into the sea; upon which Sir James Douglas and Walter the Steward brought up the left wing; so that the whole line, composed of the three battles, was now engaged, and the battle raged with great fury.+ The English cavalry attempting, by repeated charges, to break the line of the Scottish spearmen, and they standing firm in their array, and presenting on every side a serried front of steel, caused a shock and melee, which is not easily described; and the slaughter was increased, by the remembrance of many years of grievous injury and oppression, producing, on the part of the Scots, an exasperation of feeling, and an eager desire of revenge. At every successive charge, the English cavalry lost more men, and fell into greater confusion than before; and this confusion was infinitely increased by the confined nature of the ground, and the immense mass of their army. The Scottish squares, on the other hand, were light and compact, though firm; they moved easily, altered their front at pleasure, and suited themselves to every emergency of the battle. They were, however, dreadfully galled by the English bowmen; and Bruce, dreading the effect of the constant and deadly showers of arrows, which fell like hail upon them, directed Sir Robert Keith, the marshal, to make a circuit, with the five hundred horse which were in the reserve, round the morass' called Miltown Bog, and to charge the archers in flank. This movement was executed with great decision and rapidity; and such was its effect, that the whole body of the archers who had neither spears nor other weapons to defend themselves against cavalry, were in a short time overthrown and dispersed, without any prolonged attempt at resistance. Part of them fled to the main army, and the rest did not again attempt to rally or make head during the continuance of the battle.
Although such was the success of this judicious attack, the English still kept fighting with great determination; but they had already lost some of their bravest commanders, and Bruce could discern symptoms of exhaustion and impatience. He saw, too, that his own infantry were still fresh and well-breathed; and he assured his leaders that the attack, continued but for a short time, and pushed with vigour, must make the day their own. It was at this moment that he brought up his whole reserve, and the four battles of the Scots were now completely engaged in one line. The Scottish archers, unlike the English, carried short battleaxes; and with these, after they had exhausted their arrows, they rushed upon the enemy, and made great havoc. The Scottish commanders, too, the king, Edward Bruce, Douglas, Randolph, and the Steward, were fighting in the near presence of each other, and animated with a generous rivalry. At this time, Barbour, whose account of the battle is evidently taken from eye-witnesses, describes the field as exhibiting a terrific spectacle. "It was awful," says he, "to hear the noise of these four battles fighting in a line, the clang of arms, the shouts of the knights as they raised their war-cry; to see the flight of the arrows, which maddened the horses, the alternate sinking and rising of the banners, and the ground slippery with gore, and covered with shreds of armour, broken spears, pennons, and rich scarfs, torn and soiled with blood and clay; and to listen to the groans of the wounded and the dying." The wavering of the English lines was now discernible by the Scottish soldiers themselves, who shouted when they saw it, and calling out, "On them, on them, they fail!" pressed forward with renewed vigour, gaining ground upon their enemy. At this critical moment, there appeared over the little hill, which lay between the field and the baggage of the Scottish army, a large body of troops marching apparently in firm array towards the field. This spectacle, which was instantly believed to be a reinforcement proceeding to join the Scots, although it was nothing more than the sutlers and camp-boys hastening to see the battle, spread dismay amidst the ranks of the English; and King Robert, whose eye was everywhere, to perceive and take advantage of the slightest movement in his favour, put himself at the head of his reserve, and raising his emenye, or war-cry, furiously pressed on the enemy.
It was this last charge, which was followed up by the advance of the whole line, that decided the day; the English, who hitherto, although wavering, had preserved their array, now broke into disjointed squadrons; part began to quit the field, and no efforts of their leaders could restore order. The Earl of Gloucester, who was mounted on a spirited war-horse, which had lately been presented to him by the king, in one of his attempts to rally his men, rode desperately upon the division of Edward Bruce; he was instantly unhorsed, and fell pierced by numerous wounds of the Scottish lances. The flight now became general, and the slaughter great. The banners of twenty-seven barons were laid in the dust, and their masters slain. Amongst these were Sir Robert Clifford, a veteran and experienced commander, and Sir Edmund Mauley, the Seneschal of England. On seeing the entire rout of his army, Edward reluctantly allowed the Earl of Pembroke to seize his bridle, and force him off the field, guarded by five hundred heavyarmed horse. Sir Giles de Argentine accompanied him a short way, till ho saw the king in safety. He then reined up, and bade him farewell. "It has never been my custom," said he, "to fly; and here I must take my fortune." Saying this, he put spurs to his horse, and crying out, "An Argentine!" charged the squadron of Edward Bruce, and, like Gloucester, was soon borne down by the force of the Scottish spears, and cut to pieces. Multitudes of the English were drowned when attempting to cross the river Forth. Many, in their flight, got entangled in the pits, which they seem to have avoided in their first attack, and were there suffocated or slain; others, who vainly endeavoured to pass the rugged banks of the Bannockburn, were slain in that quarter; so completely was this little river heaped up with the dead bodies of men and horses, that the pursuers passed dry over the
mass as if it were a bridge. Thirty thousand of the English were left dead upon the field, and amongst these two hundred knights and seven hundred esquires. A large body of Welsh fled, under the command of Sir Maurice Berkclay, but the greater part of them were slain, or taken prisoners, before they reached England.
Such also might have been the fate of the King of England himself, had Bruce been able to spare a sufficient body of cavalry to follow up the chase. BuT when Edward left the field, with his five hundred horse, many straggling parties of the enemy still lingered about the low grounds, and numbers had taken refuge under the walls, and in the hollow recesses of the rock, on which Stirling castle is built, f These, had they rallied, might have still created much annoyance, a part of the Scottish army being occupied in plundering the camp; and it thus became absolutely necessary for Bruce to keep the more efficient part of his troops together. When Douglas, therefore, proposed to pursue the king, he could obtain no more than sixty horsemen, In passing the Torwood, he was met by Sir Laurence Ahernethy, hastening with a small body of cavalry to join the English. This knight immediately deserted a falling cause, and assisted in the chase, They made up to the fugitive monarch at Lithgow, but Douglas deemed it imprudent to hazard an attack with so inferior a force. He pressed so hard upon him, however, as not to suffer the English to have a moment's rest; and it is a strong proof of the panic which had seized them, that a body of five hundred heavy horse, armed to the teeth, fled before eighty Scottish cavalry, without attempting to make a stand. But it is probable they believed Douglas to be the advance of the army. Edward at last gained the castle of Dunbar, where he was hospitably received by the Earl of March, and from which he passed by sea to Berwick. In the meantime, Bruce sent a party to attack the fugitives who clustered round the rock of Stirling. These were immediately made prisoners, and having ascertained that no enemy remained, the king permitted his soldiers to pursue the fugitives, and give themselves up to plunder. The unfortunate stragglers were slaughtered by the peasantry, as they were dispersed over the country; and many of them, casting away their arms and accoutrements, hid themselves in the woods, or fled almost naked from the field. Some idea of the extent and variety of the booty which was divided by the Scottish soldiers, may be formed from the circumstance mentioned by an English historian, "That the chariots, waggons, and wheeled carriages, which were loaded with the baggage and military stores, would, if drawn up in a line, have extended for twenty leagues."!
These, along with numerous herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep and swine; store of hay, corn and wine; the vessels of gold and silver belonging to the king and his nobility; the money-chests holding the treasure for the payment of .the troops; a large assemblage of splendid arms, rich wearing apparel, horse and tent furniture, from the royal wardrobe and private repositories of the knights and noblemen who were in the field; and a great booty in valuable horses, fell into the hands of the conquerors, and were distributed by Bruce amongst his soldiers with a generosity and im partiality which rendered him highly popular.
Edward Flees to Dunbar
Edward at last gained the castle of Dunbar, where he was hospitably received by the Earl of March, and from which he passed by sea to Berwick. In the meantime, Bruce sent a party to attack the fugitives who clustered round the rock of Stirling. These were immediately made prisoners, and having ascertained that no enemy remained, the king permitted his soldiers to pursue the fugitives, and give themselves up to plunder. The unfortunate stragglers were slaughtered by the peasantry, as they were dispersed over the country; and many of them, casting away their arms and accoutrements, hid themselves in the woods, or fled almost naked from the field.Edward at last gained the castle of Dunbar, where he was hospitably received by the Earl of March, and from which he passed by sea to Berwick. In the meantime, Bruce sent a party to attack the fugitives who clustered round the rock of Stirling. These were immediately made prisoners, and having ascertained that no enemy remained, the king permitted his soldiers to pursue the fugitives, and give themselves up to plunder. The unfortunate stragglers were slaughtered by the peasantry, as they were dispersed over the country; and many of them, casting away their arms and accoutrements, hid themselves in the woods, or fled almost naked from the field. Some idea of the extent and variety of the booty which was divided by the Scottish soldiers, may be formed from the circumstance mentioned by an English historian, "That the chariots, waggons, and wheeled carriages, which were loaded with the baggage and military stores, would, if drawn up in a line, have extended for twenty leagues."!
These, along with numerous herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep and swine; store of hay, corn and wine; the vessels of gold and silver belonging to the king and his nobility; the money-chests holding the treasure for the payment of .the troops; a large assemblage of splendid arms, rich wearing apparel, horse and tent furniture, from the royal wardrobe and private repositories of the knights and noblemen who were in the field; and a great booty in valuable horses, fell into the hands of the conquerors, and were distributed by Bruce amongst his soldiers with a generosity and impartiality which rendered him highly popular.
Besides all this, Edward had brought along with him many instruments of war, and machines employed in the besieging of towns, such as petronels, trebuchets, mangonels, and battering rams, which, intended for the demolition of the Scottish castles, now fell into the hands of Bruce, to be turned, in future wars, against England. The living booty, too, in the many prisoners of rank who were taken, was great. Twentytwo barons and bannerets, and sixty knights, fell into the hands of the Scots. Considering the grievous injuries which he had personally sustained, the King of Scotland evinced a generous forbearance in the uses of his victory, which does him high honour: not only was there no unnecessary slaughter, no uncalled-for severity of retaliation, but, in their place, we find a high-toned courtesy, which has called forth the praises of his enemies.
Courtesy of Bruce
The body of the young and noble Earl of Gloucester was reverently carried to a neighbouring church, and every holy rite duly observed. It was afterwards sent to England, along with the last remains of the brave Lord Clifford, to be interred with the honours due to their rank. The rest of the slain were reverently buried upon the field.Early next morning, as the king examined the ground, Sir Marmaduke de Twenge, who had lurked all night in the woods, presented himself to Bruce, and, kneeling down, delivered himself as his prisoner. Bruce kindly raised him, retained him in his company for some time, and then dismissed him, not only without ransom, but enriched with presents.It happened, that one Baston, a Carmelite friar, and esteemed an excellent poet, had been commanded by Edward to accompany the army, that he might immortalize the expected triumph of his master. He was taken; and Bruce commanded him, as an appropriate ransom, to celebrate the victory of the Scots at Bannockburn—a task which he has accomplished in a composition which still remains an extraordinary relic of the Leonine, or rhyming hexameters.
On the day after the battle, Mowbray, the English governor of Stirling, having delivered up that fortress, according to the terms of the truce, entered into the service of the King of Scotland; and the Earl of Hereford, who had taken refuge in Bothwell castle, then in the hands of the English, capitulated, after a short siege, to Edward Bruce. This nobleman was exchanged for five illustrious prisoners, Bruce's wife, his sister Christian, his daughter Marjory, Wishart the Bishop of Glasgow, now blind, and the young Earl of Mar, nephew to the king. John de Segrave, made prisoner at Bannockburn, was ransomed for five Scottish barons; so that, in these exchanges, the English appear to have received nothing like an adequate value. The riches obtained by the plunder of the English, and the subsequent ransom paid for the multitude of prisoners, must have been great. The exact amount cannot be easily estimated, but some idea of it may be formed from the tone of deep lamentation assumed by the Monk of Malmesbury. "O day of vengeance and of misfortune !" says he, "day of disgraee and perdition! unworthy to be included in the circle of the year, which tarnished the fame of England, and enriched the Scots with the plunder of the precious stuffs of our nation, to the extent of two hundred thousand pounds. Alas ! of how many noble barons, and accomplished knights, and high-spirited young soldiers,—of what a store of excellent arms, and golden vessels, and costly vestments, did one short and miserable day deprive us !"