the greatest part of it shifting for themselves the Lord Iermyn accompanied with the French Marquesse and the Officers only of his Regiment thought it as safe a way as well as the most honourable to venture forwards through their whole Army rather then to Charge back through those that had inviron'd him and so with admirable successe the unhappy losse of that gallant Marquesse excepted he brought 4 Colours all his Officers off safe having made their way round through the grosse of the Enemies Foot The Lord Digby being stonn'd and for the present blinded with his shot was fortunately rescued out of the middle of a Regiment of the Enemies by a brave Charge which Prince Rupert in Person made upon them with his owne Troop wherein his Highnesse Horse was shot in the head under him but yet by Gods blessing brought him off and so the Enemies horse being beaten quite up to their Foot and Cannon the night comming upon us gave a period to that action That night we quarter'd in the Field some 2 miles distant from the Enemy who by the next morning was stolen away as farre as Hungerford whereupon the Prince conjecturing rightly the course they would hold drew his Horse the directest way towards Newbury assigning the Foot also their Rendezvous there that night where luckily they met in the Evening at the same instant that the Earle of Essex his Army appeared within a mile of the Towne with little thought as I conceive of finding his intended quarter so prepossest upon sight of our Army they retreated into certaine hedges and fastnesses a mile halfe distant from Newbury westward The Rebells thus happily overtaken in their flight cōsultation was held of the way to prevent their farther evading us it was resolved on for the best to draw all the Kings Army that night into a large field on the other side of Newbury adjoyning to those closes where the Enimy had made this hault to the end that we might be in readinesse to presse upon the first motions of theirs The night was past in much uncertainty but with opinion on our part that they were marcht away The next morning being Wednesday the 20. of Sept. by break of day in stead of the flight which upon all their former proceedings we had reason to expect we discovered them setled in the most advantagious way imaginable of receiving us whether invited to it by the extraordinary advantages of the place or ingaged to it by the despaire of escaping us by a Retreat I know not but there we found them their Foot their Horse their Cannon planted with much skill not only for molesting us and preserving themselves but even for temptation to us to assayle them upon those disadvantages For having lodged their Baggage and Principall Reserve both of Horse and Foot upon a hillside under a Wood neer Hampsted fenced by Hedges and Ditches inaccessable but by such and such passes and having disposed another principall part of their strength betwixt that and a place called Enbourne in strong hedges and houses with apt Batteries on both sides for bravado sake or to invite us they had drawn out into Battalia into little Heath on the South-side of Enbourne three bodies of foot both lined and flanked with strong bodies of Horse and under favour of Cannon so as that upon all occasions they might conveniently power out thither from their holds what new strength they pleased or if beaten might have a safe retreat into the adjoyning fastnesses which nature and they had both so well secured they being so advantagiously placed for fight and so disadvantagiously for subsistence we having Newbury at our backs to susteine us and so many more Horse then they to cut off provisions It may well occurre to your Lordship to question why since it doth to so many more to censure that we did not indeavour to combate them so by their necessityes as to oblige them for want of sustenance to retreat over some more equall country rather then to assayle them upon such dangerous oddes of scituation The answer to this objection by way of excuse that we were in some sort to lead on and ingaged by the tempting prospect of that little Battalia I mentioned upon the Heath and by way of justification I am to tell you that there was within the Enemies dominion a round hill not suspected nor observed by us the night before from whence a battery would command all the plain before Newbury where the Kings Army stood insomuch that unlesse we possest our selves of that hill there was no holding of that Field but the King must have retreated with his Army thence the dishonour of which I beleeve you will easily consent ought to outweigh the hazard of attempting them and to say the truth even without their having that hill the Kings Person was exposed all day to much more hazard of the Cannon them was fitting the Rebells imploying it very freely where ever by any signes they could discover his presence This hill and that heath I mention'd were the two eminent sceanes of all that dayes action from 7 a clock in the morning till 7 at night except only one attempt made by them from their grand Reserve upon a passe on our right hand neare the River possest by the Kings Life-guards in which they were repulsed The issue of the Battaile on the heath first begunne and quickly ended was a totall routing of their horse the possessing of five peeces of Cannon there though able to bring off but one of them the forcing the Foot to retreat into their strength though unbroken for give them their due they shewed themselves like good men and lastly the gaining and holding the place This action was done meerly by our Horse for to say truth our Foot having found a hillocke in the heath that sheltered them from the Enemies Cannon would not be drawne a foot from thence The Generall and Prince Ruperts personall presence and conduct contributed much to this good successe as also the Lievtenant general Willmots Chief Officers of horse that bore a principall part in the action it selfe were my Lord of Carnarvon Colonell Gerard Sir Charles Lucas the Earle of Northampton the Lord Chandois and Daniell Oneale To name them all that did eminently there were to give you a Catalogue of all our Gentlemen of quality there present for there is scarcely any that did not behave himselfe remarkably Persons of note killd there were the Earle of Carnarvon the Earle of Sunderland Colonell Morgan Lievtenant Colonell Feilding and some more Volunteeres whose name I cannot collect amongst the rest Sir George Strodes eldest Sonne a Valiant and an ingenuous young man Persons of note hurt of prime Officers the Lord Andover Sr Charles Lucas Colonell Charles Gerard and Colonell Ivers Of lower Officers abundance but none that I heare either of them or these dangerously Of Volunteeres the Earle of Peterborough and Mr John Russell Mr Edward
A TRUE AND IMPARTIALL Relation of the BATTAILE BETWIXT HIS MAJESTIES ARMY and that of the REBELLS neare Newbury in Berk-shire Sept. 20. 1643. WITH The severall Actions of the KINGS Army since HIS MAJESTIES removing it from before Gloucester Sent in a Letter from the Army to a Noble LORD Printed 1643. My Lord I Have omitted all this last Week to give your Lordship an accompt of the condition of His Majesties affaires here every day till these three last having produced little in effect but much in expectation But now that the long lookt for Crisis of a Battail is over I have thought in fit to informe your Lordship not only of the successe and circumstances of that but also of the steps and progresse to it being doubly obliged so to doe in relation to His Majesties service as well as in what I owe to your Lordships satisfaction both which I find in as much danger of suffering by some of our own parties charging the conduct of His Majesties designes with rashnesse and imprudence as in the Rebells perverting the truth of the successe of His Armies by their usuall arts of falsity by which they have hitherto still appeared able to make better use of Defeates then we of Victories Your Lordship may be pleased to understand that the Earle of Essex having descended with his Army into the Vale of Gloucester before the King could well draw His from the Siege up to the hilles to fight with him it was not thought fit to follow him into the inclosed Country where the King should loose the great advantage he had above him in strength of horse but rather to make choice of such a place to incamp his Army as might be aptest for these three ends to accommodate his Quarters to strengthen him in Provisions and equally to intercept his flight a faire Country whether he should take it by the way of Worcester to wards Warwick or by the way of Cyrencester towards Reading and to these purposes the Towne of Winchcombe and Sudely Castle were made choyce of as the most appropriate But after two daies lodging there the Queenes Regiment having in their coming to that Quarter defeated one of the Earles best Regiments of Horse of Dutchmen commanded by one Blaire upon intelligence that the Earle was advanced as farre as Teuxbury and Vpton bridge whereby it was made probable unto us that he intended Warwick way the King removed his Army to Evesham from whence having beaten up a Quarter of theirs we were quickly hurried by the newes that Essex had faced about and had in the night with great silence secrecy and strange diligence almost gained Cirencester and surprized two new raised Regiments of ours there before we could get any certain notice of his motions having left as it seems most of his great Ordnance and baggage behind him and amusing us with a shew of Forces still in Teuxbury and Vpton which were as I conceive those now remaining in Garrison at Glocester Vpon certainty of his remove on the Thursday our whole Army on the Saturday morning marcht after him our Horse with such diligence that on the Sunday night they Quartered within six miles of him he at Suningdon we about Farringdon Vpon the Munday morning Colonell Vrrey with a partee of a Thousand commanded men was sent to follow them in the Reare from their Quarters whilest Prince Rupert with the body of the Cavalry drew over the directest way to meet him and it was our good luck to crosse his Army just as our party had overtaken it upon the open Downe two miles on the Northwest side of Aubourne the Rebells discrying us drew up in Battalia leaving only a body of some two hundred Horse upon a hill somewhat distant from the grosse of their Army which we found means so to steale upon with Vrries party as to charge and rout them and taking two Coronets and killing Forty or Fifty men without any losse on our part we beat them into their Foot Cannon upon which occasion we discovered such evident symptomes of feare and distraction in their whole Army as that the Prince was well nigh tempted from his temper and was once resolved to have charged with 3000 horse alone their whole Army cōsisting of 2000 horse and 5000 Foot at least and store of Cannon But newes arriving at the instant that our Foot was beyond expectation advanced within 6 or 7 miles of us it imposed upon his Highnesse prudence this caution not to advēture upon halfe our strength that rest which the next day he might be sure to fight for with double power upon which consideration he made a stand resolving that night only to attend them and hinder their March We had not stood long when we discovered that the Enemy prepared for a retreat and by degrees drew away there baggage first then their Foot leaving their horse at a good distance from them The Prince his Design hereupon was to have charged them when halfe their Forces should have beene drawne off the field into those Lanes whereinto their baggage was already advanced but their motions being so very slow and the night drawing on upon second thoughts his Highnesse judg'd it the best course to trye if by a small partee be could ingage their horse which was then grown to be at a good distance from their Foot this Partee he cōmitted to the care of Vrrey with two Regiments only neare at hand to second him keeping the Body of his Horse at such a distance as might incourage the Enemy to venture on that sever'd part which they did with a little too much incouragement for to say the truth the Regiments that should have seconded Vrrey not doing their parts so well as they ought forced his Partee also to make somewhat a disorderly retreat and the Prince to send hasty succours to them which the Queenes Regiment Commanded by my Lord Iermyn was ordered to doe which his Lordship performed with much gallantry being received very steadily by a strong body of the Enemies horse and with a composednesse in the Officer that commanded them very remarkably For his Lordship advancing before his Regiment with the Marquesse de la Vieuville on the one hand the L d Digby on the other the Enemies Volley of Carabines given them smartly at lesse them 10. yards being past the Cōmander somewhat forwarder then the rest was plainly seene to prye into their countenances and removing his leavell from one to another to discharge his Pistoll as it were by election at the L d Digbyes head but without any more hurt saving only the burning of his face than he himselfe received by my L d Jermyn's sword who upon the Lord Digbyes Pistoll missing fire ran him with it in to the back but he was as much beholding to his Armes there as the Lord Digby to his head-peece Immediately upon this shocke the Queenes Regiment was so charged in the reare by a fresh body of theirs that
Sackvile Mr Henry Howard George Porter with many more The action of the hill was carried with as much bravery both by our Horse and Foot as on the Heath by the Horse alone the Foot Commanded by Sir Nicholas Byron the Horse by Sir John Byron who after six houres the hottest dispute that hath beene seene gain'd it from my Lord of Essex his owne guards that had possest it enjoyed it quietly many houres and in the end the Enemy setting up his rest to regaine it after as hot a fight as at their taking it repulsed him and kept it still Officers of note hurt there were Colonell Darcy George Lisle and Ned Villiers and the Lord Viscount Falkland volunteering it with too much bravery unfortunately killed I may have omitted many persons as eminent in their actions that day as some of these I have named but it being so endlesse a task to nominate all I have only particularized such as I conceive to be of your Lordships acquaintance Your Lordship doth not expect that I should tell you of noble men killed on the othe side nor much of Gentry but of such things as they call Officers their Prisoners assure us concurringly that the most and principall of them are slaine The night comming upon us soon after the Enimies finall repulse from that hill the King drew all his Army up to the top of the heath keeping possession both of that and of the hill till towards night at which time His Horse and Foot being extreamly tyred and beeing probably informed that the Enimy had retreated with their carriages and a principall part of their Army it was thought sit to draw his Horse into Quarters on the other side of the River and His foot into the Towne principally to refresh them and to inable them for the next daies pursuit but in part for J will conceale nothing from your Lordship to make a Bridge to a flying Enimy least indeed too great a despaire of retreat might have made them opiniate a second fight in that disadvantagious place where having not to tell you the truth Powder enough left for halfe such another day having spent foure score barrells in it threescore more then had served the turne at Edge-hill nor could we be assured that the supply from Oxford of 100. Barrells more could come to us till the next day at noon Thus my Lord have I given your Lordship as true an accompt as I can of Gods blessing upon the justice of His Majesties Armies that day which considering the disadvantages we fought upon may well be counted in it selfe a happy successe but in the effects it hath since had in our pursuit of my Lord of Essex our defeating in that pursuit his two best remaining Regiments of Horse our dissipating in so great a measure his Army and sending the Rebells back with so much terrour to their nest London may well be reputed a great victory and yet I am confident that our having gained the Field Colours Cannon store of Prisoners from them beaten them from all places that we under took repulsed them from all that they attempted our having execution on them in their flight ' and all this with the losse of halfe their numbers and the confest ensignes of a battaile gained will not have kindled lighter bonefires with us in joy and thankesgiving then with the remaining Rebells in hopes yet farther to abuse the people by passing still upon them deliverancies for Victories From NEWBURY this 22. of Sept. 1643. Your Lordships most humble Servant