Battle of Naseby

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Battle of Naseby
Part of English Civil War
Battle memorial and beyond, the fields of Broad Moor, the site of the Battle
Date June 14, 1645 Location Naseby, near Market Harborough, Northamptonshire Result Decisive Parliamentarian victory
Belligerents
Parliamentarian New Model Army	Royalists
Commanders
Sir Thomas Fairfax Oliver Cromwell	King Charles I Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Strength
13,500: 6,000 horse 500 dragoons 7,000 foot	8,000: 4,500 foot 3,500 horse
Casualties and losses
400 killed & wounded	1,000 killed 5,000 captured

The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On June 14, 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.

[edit] The campaign

At the beginning of 1645, King Charles's advisors urged him to attack the New Model Army while it was still forming. However, Prince Rupert of the Rhine, recently appointed General of the Army and therefore the King's chief military adviser, proposed instead to march north to recover the north of England and join forces with the Royalists in Scotland under Montrose. This course was adopted, even though the King's army had to be weakened by leaving a detachment (including 3,000 cavalry) under Lord Goring, the Lieutenant General of Horse, to hold the West Country and maintain the Siege of Taunton.

At the same time, after an aborted attempt to relieve Taunton (Somerset), Parliament's Committee of Both Kingdoms had directed Fairfax to besiege Oxford, the King's wartime capital. Initially, Charles welcomed this move, as Fairfax would be unable to interfere with his move north. Then at the end of May he was told that Oxford was short of provisions and could not hold out long. To distract Fairfax, the Royalists stormed the Parliamentarian garrison at Leicester on May 31. Having done so, Prince Rupert and the King's council reversed their former decision and decided to march south to relieve Oxford.

Parliament had indeed been alarmed by the loss of Leicester, and Fairfax was now instructed to engage the King's main army. He accordingly marched north from Oxford on June 5. His leading detachments of horse clashed with Royalist outposts near Daventry on June 12, alerting the King to his presence. On June 13, the Royalists, who were now making for Newark (Nottinghamshire) so as to receive reinforcements, were at Market Harborough (Leicestershire).

Fairfax was eager to engage them, and held a council of war, during which Oliver Cromwell, recently re-appointed Lieutenant General, arrived with some cavalry reinforcements. The New Model Army moved in pursuit of the Royalist army, and late in the day Henry Ireton attacked a Royalist outpost at Naseby, six miles (10 km) to the south of the royalist army. The King now had to accept battle, or retreat with Fairfax at his heels. On June 14, urged on by Rupert, he took the former course.

[edit] The battle

Further information: Naseby order of battle

Fairfax had drawn up his army on a ridge a mile north of Naseby, with Ireton's wing of cavalry (five and a half regiments) on the left, Cromwell's cavalry (six and a half regiments) on the right and the infantry (five large regiments in the front line and three in reserve) under Sir Philip Skippon in the centre. The Parliamentarian army occupied a front about two miles long. A Parliamentarian engraving of the battle^[1] (which is accurate in most respects) shows 11 pieces of artillery, in the intervals between the infantry regiments. They apparently played little part in the battle; their first salvos went high, and Royalist and Parliamentarian infantry were subsequently too closely engaged for the guns to be used.

The Royalist army first occupied a strong position about two miles south of Market Harborough, but seeing no sign of the enemy, they advanced two and a half miles south until they came into sight of Fairfax's army. As it was now impossible to withdraw without Cromwell attacking their rear, they deployed into line. On their right, 2,500 Royalist horse under Rupert and his brother Prince Maurice faced Ireton, while 1,500 truculent "Northern Horse" under Sir Marmaduke Langdale faced Cromwell. In the centre, the Royalist foot were organised as three "tertias" commanded by Lord Astley. The King commanded a small reserve of infantry (his own and Prince Rupert's regiments of foot) and his Lifeguard of Horse. The Royalist army occupied a front of about a mile and a half.

Fairfax held a strong position on the high ground of the field. The Royalists under Charles were reluctant to advance, as they feared it would be suicide for cavalry to charge up such a slope. Cromwell, noticing this sent to Fairfax, a message saying: "I beseech you, withdraw to yonder hill, which may provoke the enemy to charge us". Fairfax agreed, and moved his army back slightly. This move provoked the Royalists into an advance. At the last minute, Cromwell sent a detachment of dragoons under Colonel Okey into the hedges on the Parliamentarian left flank, which provided perfect cover.

The Royalist right flank of horse began to charge. When they passed Okey's force, Okey's men unleashed a volley of gunfire into them. Not willing to risk his cavalry in a two-way fight with dragoons and the Parliamentarian horse, Prince Rupert ordered his men to charge the opposing Parliamentarians. After fierce fighting, most of Ireton's regiments were broken and put to flight, some not stopping until they reached Northampton, 15 miles away. Rupert (or it may have actually been his brother Maurice) led his men in all-out pursuit, leaving some of Ireton's men behind them, only temporarily disordered.

As he had done at the Battle of Edgehill, Rupert charged his cavalry off the field for some two miles until they reached the Roundhead baggage train. Unable to resist the temptation, many of them broke ranks in a scramble for booty.^{[citation needed]} Rupert did lead his cavalry belatedly back onto the field, but they were too late to prevent the King's defeat.

As Rupert was driving back Ireton's cavalry, the Royalist infantry advanced. Initially, the Royalist centre and left pushed ahead while the right wing appeared to hesitate as the Parliamentarian infantry being out of sight behind the crest of the ridge. Suddenly the Roundhead infantry moved to the crest of the ridge and both sides fired a volley. However, many of the Parliamentarian shots went high, and did little effect. With both sides so close, there was no time for the cumbersome reloading of muskets, and both sides charged into each other. Hand to hand fighting of considerable ferocity took place, but the impact of the Royalist charge had managed to fragment Parliament's infantry.

The Parliamentarian foot began to strain under this enormous pressure, the fiercest resistance was put up by Skippon's regiment on the far left. Skippon was badly wounded during the battle by a musket ball, hitting him in the chest. However, many regiments began to break and flee.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentarian right wing of horse under Oliver Cromwell faced the Royalist Northern Horse, neither willing to charge to the aid of their infantry while the other could threaten their flank. Eventually after an hour, the Royalist cavalry began to charge and Cromwell's troops moved to meet them. Langdale's men were not only outflanked and outnumbered two to one, but forced to charge up a slope broken up by bushes and a rabbit warren. After a brief contest they were routed.

Unlike Rupert, Cromwell sent only two regiments after them, and turned his reserves against the Royalist centre. Okey's dragoons, who were so inspired by what they were seeing, charged from their hedges and some of Ireton's horse also attacked on the other flank. The reinvigourated Parliamentarian infantry, the dragoons and Cromwell's horsemen overpowered the Royalist infantry and put them to flight. One regiment, Prince Rupert's Bluecoats, stood their ground and resisted the victorious Parliamentarian forces in a desperate last stand. One eyewitness said "they [the bluecoats] were like a wall of brass". Parliament's cavalry charged at least twice, but to no avail. However, the New Model Army relentlessly pursued its assault, and their ranks were broken.

Archaeological evidence (recovered musket balls etc) suggest that this episode took place on the slopes of Castle Yard, a wooded eminence which once had a motte and bailey castle, about a mile and a half behind the Royalist position at the start of the battle. Fairfax was at the centre of this mêlée, and is said to have killed the Bluecoats' ensign. The King attempted to lead his Lifeguard of Horse to their rescue, but was prevented from doing so by the Scottish Earl of Carnwath, who seized his bridle, swore at him and said, "Would you go upon your death?". Charles, who was a person who was always swayed by the last person to talk to him, took the warning and fled.

Fairfax's forces pursued Royalist survivors fleeing north to Leicester in an attempt to destroy their army as a fighting force. Many Royalists were butchered when they mistakenly followed what they thought was the main road to Leicester into the churchyard in the village of Marston Trussell, and were unable to escape their pursuers. Parliamentarian troops also hacked to death at least 100 women camp-followers in the apparent belief they were Irish, though they were probably Welsh whose language was mistaken for Irish. This massacre was widely celebrated by the Parliamentarians.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Aftermath

Fairfax recovered Leicester on June 18. He immediately led his army southwest to relieve Taunton and capture the Royalist-held West Country.

Royalist military force had been shattered at Naseby. The King had lost his veteran infantry (including 500 officers), all his artillery, and many arms. He was unable to take the field again until they had been replaced, and he could never again raise an army of similar quality.

The Parliamentarians had also captured the King's personal baggage, with correspondence which showed he intended to seek support from the Irish Catholic Confederation, and Catholic nations in Europe. By publishing this correspondence, Parliament gained much support in favour of fighting the war to a finish. Within a year, the First Civil War ended in a Parliamentarian military victory.

[edit] Images of the Battlefield

Battle of Naseby monument	Plaque	Plaque - Map detail	Central view towards the Royalist positions
Right view towards the Royalist positions	Left view towards the Royalist positions	Historical re-enactment

[edit] See also

• The ship Naseby of the Commonwealth of England was named after the battle.
• English Civil War
• Wars of the Three Kingdoms
• Naseby

[edit] References

• Naseby 1645: The Campaign and the Battle by Peter Young ISBN 0-7126-0489-8
• Mark Stoyle, Soldiers and Strangers. An Ethnic History of the English Civil War, Yale: Yale University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-300-10700-5

[edit] Notes

[edit] External Sources

http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/civil-war/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=51