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The English king having effected a temporary
reconciliation with his refractory nobility, lost no time in making all
the preparations which his great power and resources allowed of, to
relieve the castle of Stirling, in the first place, and recover the almost
entirely revolted kingdom to his authority. He summoned the whole power of
the English barons to meet him in arms at Berwick on the 11th of June;
invited to his aid Eth O’Connor, chief of the native Irish of Connaught,
and twenty—six other Irish chieftains; summoned his English subjects in
Ireland to attend his standard, and put both them and the Irish
auxiliaries under the command of the earl of Ulster. "So vast,"
says Barbour, "was the army which was now collected, that nothing
nearly so numerous had ever before been arrayed by England, and no force
that Scotland could produce might possibly have been able to withstand it
in the open field." A considerable number of ships were also ordered
for the invasion of Scotland by sea, and for transporting provisions and
warlike stores for the use of the army.
The Scottish king, meanwhile, used every effort in his power to provide
adequately against the approaching contest, resolved resolutely to defend
the honour and independence of the crown and kingdom which through so many
dangers and difficulties he had achieved. Re appointed a general
rendezvous of his forces at the Torwood, between Falkirk and Stirling. The
fighting men assembled in consequence of his summons, somewhat exceeded
thirty thousand in number, besides about fifteen thousand unarmed and
undisciplined followers of the camp, according to the mode in those times.
Two days before the battle, Bruce took up his position in a field
not far from Stirling, then known by the name of New Park, which had the
castle on the left, and the brook of Bannock on the right. The banks of
the rivulet were steep and rugged, and the ground between it and Stirling,
being part of a park or chase, was partly open, and partly broken by
copse-wood and marshy ground. The place was naturally well adapted for
opposing and embarrassing the operations of cavalry; and to strengthen it
yet more, those places whereby horsemen might have access, were covered
with concealed pit-falls, so numerous and close together, that according
to our ancient authority, their construction might be likened to a
honey-comb. They were a foot in width, and between two and three feet
deep, many rows being placed, one behind the other, the whole being
slightly covered with sods and brushwood, so as not to be obvious to an
impetuous enemy. The king divided his regular forces into four divisions.
Three of these occupied the intended line of battle, from the brook of
Bannock, which covered his right flank, to the village of St Ninians,
where their left must have remained somewhat exposed to the garrison of
Stirling in their rear; Bruce, perhaps, trusting in this disposition some
little to the honour of Moubray, who by the terms of the treaty was
precluded from making any attack, but probably more to his real inability
of giving any effectual annoyance. Edward Bruce commanded the right wing
of these three divisions, which was strengthened by a strong body of
cavalry under Keith, the rnareschal of Scotland, to whom was committed the
charge of attacking the English archers; Sir James Douglas, and the young
Stewart of Scotland, led the central division; and Thomas Randolph, now
earl of Moray, the left. The king himself commanded the fourth or reserve
division, composed of the men of Argyle, the islanders, and his own
vassals of Carrick. The unarmed followers of the camp, amounting, as we
have said, to about fifteen thousand, were placed in a valley at some
distance in the rear, separated from the field by an eminence, since
denominated, it is supposed, from this circumstance, the Gullies (that is,
the servants’) hill. These dispositions were made upon the 22d of June,
1314; and next day, being Sunday, the alarm reached the Scottish camp of
the approach of the enemy. Sir James Douglas and the mareschal were
despatched with a body of cavalry to reconnoitre the English army, then in
full march from Falkirk towards Stirling. They soon returned, and, in
private, informed the king of the formidable state of the enemy; but gave
out publicly, that the English, though indeed a numerous host, seemed ill
commanded and disorderly. The hurried march of Edward into Scotland might
give some colour of truth to this information; but no sight, we are told
by the ancient authors, could in reality be more glorious and animating
than the advance of that great army, in which were concentrated the whole
available chivalry, and all the martial pomp, which the power and riches
of the English monarch could command.
Robert was particularly anxious that no succours from the English army
should be allowed, previous to the engagement, to reach the garrison in
Stirling castle, and enjoined Randolph, who commanded the left wing of his
army, to be vigilant in repelling any attempt which might be made for that
purpose. This precaution was not unsuccessful; for, as the English forces
drew near, a body of eight hundred horsemen were detached under the
command of Clifford, who, making a circuit by the low grounds to the east
and north of St Ninians, attempted by that means to pass the front of the
Scottish army, and approach the castle. They were perceived by the king,
who, coming hastily up to Randolph. angrily exclaimed "Thoughtless
man! you have suffered the enemy to pass where you were set to keep the
way. A rose has fallen from your chaplet." On receiving this sharp
reproof, Randolph instantly made haste, at the head of a body of five
hundred spearmen, to redeem his negligence, or perish in the attempt. The
English cavalry, perceiving his advance, wheeled round to attack him.
Randolph drew up his small body of men into a compact form, presenting a
front of spears extending outwards on all sides, and with steady
resolution awaited the charge of the enemy. In this porcupine-like form
were they assailed on every side by the greatly superior force of Clifford’s
cavalry, but without effect. At the first onset a considerable number of
the English were unhorsed, and Sir William Daynecourt, an officer of rank,
was slain. Environed, however, as he was, there seemed no chance by which
Randolph and his desperate band might escape speedy destruction. Douglas,
who witnessed with deep interest the jeopardy of his friend, requested
permission of the king to go and succour him. "You shall not move
from your ground," said Robert; "let Randolph extricate himself
as he best may. I will not for him break purpose." "In
truth," replied Douglas, after a pause, "I cannot stand by and
see Randolph perish; and, with your leave, I must aid him." The king
unwillingly consented, and Douglas hastened to the assistance of his
friend. The generous support of the good knight was not required; for, he
had not advanced far when he perceived the English to waver, and fall into
confusion. Ordering his followers to halt, "those brave men,"
said he, "have repulsed the enemy; let us not diminish their glory by
sharing it." The assailants had indeed begun to flag in their
fruitless efforts; when Randolph, who watched well his opportunity,
ordering, in his turn, a sudden and furious charge among them, put the
whole body to flight with great slaughter, sustaining on his own side a
loss so small as to seem almost incredible.
While this spirited combat
was yet being maintained in one part of the field, another, of a still
more extraordinary and striking character, was destined to arrest the
attention of both armies. The English army, which had slowly advanced in
order of battle towards the Scottish position, had at length, before
evening, approached so near, that the two opposing vaunguards came
distinctly into view of each other. Robert was then riding leisurely along
the front of the Scottish line, meanly mounted on a small palfrey, having
a battle axe in his hand, and distinguished from his knights by a circlet
or crown of gold over his helmet, as was the manner in those days. Henry
de Bohun, an English knight, completely armed, chanced to ride somewhat in
advance of his companions, when recognising the Scottish king alone, and
at such disadvantage, he rode furiously towards him with his spear
couched, trusting surely to have unhorsed or slain him on the spot Robert
calmly awaited the encounter, avoided agily the spear of his adversary,
and next instant raising himself in the stirrups, struck Bohun, as he
passed, to the earth, with a blow of his battle axe, so powerfully dealt
as to cleave the steel helmet of the knight, and break the handle of the
axe into two. The Scots much animated by this exploit of their leader,
advanced with a great shout upon the vanguard of the English, who
immediately fell back in some confusion upon their main body, leaving a
few of their number slain upon the field. When the Scottish army had again
recovered order, some of the king’s principal men gathering about him,
kindly rebuked Robert for his imprudence. The king, conscious of the
justice of their remarks, said nothing, but that he was sorry for the loss
of his good battle axe. These two incidents falling out so opportunely
upon the eve of battle, strengthened the confidence, and greatly animated
the courage of the patriot army; while, in a like degree, they abashed and
dispirited the proud host of the enemy.
On Monday the 24th of June,
at break of day, the two armies mustered in order of battle. The van of
the English, consisting of archers and lancemen, was commanded by the earl
of Gloucester, nephew of king Edward, and the earl of Hereford, constable
of England. The main body, comprising nine great divisions, was led on by
the king in person, attended by the earl of Pembroke and Sir Giles d’Argentine,
a knight of Rhodes, and a chosen body of five hundred well-armed horse, as
his body guards. The nature of the ground did not permit the extension of
this vast force, the van division alone occupying the whole front of
battle, so that to the Scots they appeared as composing one great compact
column of men. The Scots drew up in the order which we have already
described. Maurice, abbot of Inchaffrey, placing himself on an eminence in
view of the whole Scottish army, celebrated high mass, the most imposing
ceremony of the catholic worship, and which was then believed of efficacy
to absolve all faithful and penitent assistants from the burthen of their
past sins. Then passing along the line barefooted, and bearing a crucifix
in his hand, he exhorted the Scots in few and forcible words to combat for
their rights and their liberty; upon which the whole army knelt down and
received his benediction. When king Edward observed the small and
unpretending array of his hardy enemies, he seemed surprised, and turning
himself to Sir Ingram Umfraville, exclaimed, "What! will yon Scotsmen
fight?" "Yea, sickerly," replied the knight; who even went
the length of advising the king, that instead of making an open attack
under so great disadvantages of position, he should feign a retreat,
pledging himself, from his own experience, that by such means only could
he break the firm array of the Scots, and overwhelm them. The king
disdained this counsel; and chancing then to observe the whole body -of
the Scots kneel themselves to the ground—"See," said he,
"yon folk kneel to ask mercy." "You say truly," Sir
Ingram replied, "they ask mercy, but it is not of you, but of God.
Yon men will win the field or die." "Be it so, then !" said
the king, and immediately-gave order to sound the charge.
The signal- of attack being
given, the van of the English galloped on to charge the right wing of the
Scots, commanded by Edward, the king’s brother, and were received with
intrepid; firmness. The advance of this body allowed part of the main body
of the English to come up, who moving obliquely to the right of their own
van, were soon engaged with the centre and left flank of the Scottish
army. The conflict, thus, soon became general along the whole Scottish
line, and the slaughter considerable on both sides. Repeated and desperate
attempts were made by the English cavalry to break the firm, or as they
seemed, immovable, phalanxes of the enemy, but with no effect. Straitened
and harassed by the nature of the ground, they with difficulty maintained
order; and but that they were pressed on by the mass in their rear, the
front lines of the English would have been inevitably repulsed. The king
of Scots perceiving that his troops were grievously annoyed by the English
archers, detached a small but chosen band of cavalry under Sir Robert
Keith, who, making a circuit by the right extremity of the Scottish line,
fell furiously upon the unprotected archers in flank, and put them to
flight. This body of men, whose importance in an English army has been so
often and so fatally exemplified, both before and since, were so
effectually discomfited, as to be of no after use in the battle, and by
their precipitate retreat were instrumental in spreading confusion and
alarm through the whole army. Robert with the body of reserve under his
command now joined battle ; and though the fury on both sides was not
relaxed, the forces of the English were every moment falling more and more
into disorder. Matters were in this critical state, when a singular
accident or device, for it never has been ascertained which, turned
decisively the fortune of the day. We have before stated, that the
Scottish camp was attended by a large body of disorderly followers,
amounting to about fifteen thousand in number; and that these, along with
the camp baggage, were stationed by Bruce to the rear of a little eminence
called Gillies’ hill. These men, either instructed for the purpose, or,
what seems more likely, perceiving from their position that the English
army began to give way, resolved with what weapons chance afforded them,
to fall down into the rear of their countrymen, that by so doing they
might share in the honour of the action, and the plunder of the victory.
Choosing leaders, therefore, among themselves, they drew up into a sort of
martial order, some mounted on the baggage horses and others on foot,
having sheets fastened upon tent-poles and spears, instead of banners. The
sudden and appalling spectacle of what seemed to the English in the
distance, to be a new and formidable army, completed the confusion and
consternation which had already begun widely to invade their ranks. The
Scots felt their advantage; and raising a great shout, in which they were
joined heartily by the auxiliaries in their rear, they pressed forward on
the ground of their enemies with a fury which became more and more
irresistible. Discipline and union were soon entirely lost, and the rout,
on every side, became general and disastrous.
Pembroke, when he saw that
the day was lost, seized Edward’s horse by the bridle, and constrained
him, though not without difficulty, to leave the field. When Sir Giles d’
Argentine, the brave knight of Rhodes, was informed of the king’s
flight, and pressed to accompany him ;—" It never was my wont to
fly," said he, and putting spurs to his horse, be rushed furiously
into the battle and met his death. It was a vulgar opinion, that the three
greatest warriors of that age were Henry of Luxemburg emperor of Germany,
Robert king of Scotland, and Sir Giles d’Argentine. Sir James Douglas,
with sixty horsemen, followed hard in pursuit of the English king. At the
Torwood he was met by Sir Lawrence Abernethy with twenty horse hastening
to the English rendezvous, but who, as soon as he understood that the
Scots were victorious, joined the party of Douglas in the pursuit. Edward
rode on without halting to Linlithgow ; and had scarcely refreshed himself
there, when the alarm that the Scots were approaching, forced him to
resume his flight. Douglas and Abernethy followed so close upon his route,
that many of the king’s guards, who, from time to time, had chanced to
fall behind their companions, were slain. This pertinacious chase
continued as far as Tranent, a distance of about forty miles from the
field of battle, and was only given up from the inability of the horses to
proceed further. Edward at length reached the castle of Dunbar, where he
was received by the Earl of March, and shortly afterwards conveyed by a
little fishing skiff to Bamborough, in England.
Thirty thousand of the
English are estimated to have fallen upon the field of Bannockburn. Of
barons and bannerets there were slain twenty-seven, and twenty-two were
taken prisoners; and of knights the number killed was forty-two, while
sixty were made prisoners. Barbour affirms that two hundred pairs of gilt
spurs were taken from the heels of slain knights. According to English
historians the most distinguished among those who fell, were the Earl of
Gloucester:, Sir Giles d’Argentine, Robert Clifford, Payen Tybelot,
William le Mareschah, and Edmund de Manley, seneschal of England. Seven
hundred esquires are also reckoned among the number of the slain. The
spoil of the English camp was great; and large sums also must have accrued
from the ransom of so many noble prisoners. If we may believe the
statement of the monk of MaImsbury, a contemporary English writer, the
loss sustained by his countrymen on this occasion did not amount to less
than two hundred thousand pounds; a sum equal in value to upwards of three
millions of our present currency. The loss sustained by the Scots is
allowed on all hands to have been very inconsiderable; and the only
persons of note slain were Sir William Vipont and Sir Walter Ross. The
last named was the particular friend of Edward Bruce, who, when informed
of his death, passionately exclaimed, "Oh that this day’s work was
undone, so Ross had not died." On the day after the battle, Mowbray
surrendered the castle of Stirling, according to the terms of the truce,
and thenceforward entered into the service of the king of Scotland.
Such was the signal victory
obtained by Robert at Bannockburn, than which none more important was ever
fought, before or since, between the so long hostile nations of England
and Scotland. It broke effectually and for ever the mastery, moral and
physical, which the one had so nearly succeeded in achieving over the
other; and, while it once more re-established the liberties of Scotland,
awakened or restored that passion for independence among her people which
no after dangers or reverses could subdue. "We have only," as a
late historian has well observed, "to fix our eyes on the present
condition of Ireland, in order to feel the present reality of all that we
owe to the victory at Bannockburn, and to the memory of such men as Bruce,
Randolph, and Douglas." |
