Page 41 - History of War - Issue 18-15

BATTLE OF NASEBY

At this time, the king was campaigning in While suffering casualties from the heavy
CheshirewithhisexperiencedOxfordArmy OPPOSINGFORCES musket fire, Rupert and Maurice’s cavalry
andherespondedtothesiegeofhiscapital charged uphill to meet Ireton’s on the
by moving south, sacking the Parliamentarian THEKING PARLIAMENT Parliamentarian left. Here, the Royalist charge
stronghold of Leicester. Though this caused provedasuccessinpart,withtheextremeleft
uproar in London, Parliament’s strategy had LEADERS LEADERS of Ireton’s force buckling under the onslaught
worked – the king had moved south. Fairfax King Charles I, Prince Sir Thomas Fairfax, Oliver and losing several of their guns. Their leader,
lifted the siege of Oxford and marched Rupert,PrinceMaurice, Cromwell, Henry Ireton, Colonel John Butler, also suffered serious
Sir Langdale, Lord Astley
Philip Skippon
northwards in a bid to bring the king to battle. wounds.Thedragoons,however,continuedto
INFANTRY INFANTRY
Scattered skirmishes on 12 and 13 June 6,000 7,000 pepper the Royalist cavalry and Okey wrote:
notified the king of Fairfax’s close proximity and “Had not we by God’s providence been there,
CAVALRY CAVALRY
Charles, ignoring advice to move north, turned 5,500 8,000, including a regiment therehadbeenbutfewofColonelButler’s
to offer battle with his numerically inferior, GAME CHANGERS of dragoons regiment left.”
though battle-hardened, force. Prince Rupert’s cavalier GAME CHANGERS On the battlefield’s western lip, the
After scouting the countryside and jockeying horsemen had many Cromwell’s mounted ‘Ironsides’ Parliamentarians managed to contain the
for position, the armies deployed during the experienced warriors were well-disciplined and Royalistcharge,thoughIretonthenmadea
morningof14Juneonanelevatedplateau among its ranks vigorous horsemen critical error. Believing that his men had fully
crisscrossed by small hills and vales; much of stemmed the Royalist surge, he switched his
Sources differ wildly on the numbers involved and even modern
the area was unenclosed and therefore ideal historians disagree. The fi gures cited are research-based estimates. attention to the infantry battle unfolding on his
for a showdown. The R undh d f rm d up ri ht in th ntr f the two armies, leading
north of Naseby village to the relief of Skippon’s
anduponitsnortherns POT HELMET nghardpressedbythe
the Royalists deployed Three bars crossing the e.
further north on the so face were designed to orse shot from beneath
slopeofDustHill.Ash defl ect sword strokes. wound to the torso
called Broad Moor ran his face, before being
twopositionswithapa oops.Hewasableto
asSulbyHedge,runnin dMauricehadbythen
western rim. iamentarian left wing,
ch of which began to
Thebattlebegin CUIRASS eat from the battlefield.
Thearmiesformedinc Each plate would be Royalist cavalry then
the infantry placed cen shot with a pistol, to test tinued forward, pursuing
massing on the wings. its strength. on’s fleeing men and
Major-General Lord Ast COAT rgingontoattackthe
commanded the Royal Troopers often wore dhead rear. It is thought
infantry in the centre, a simple woolen coats e Royalist cavalry
Sir Marmaduke Langd under armour. w Model infantry but,
took command of the penetrable, moved
cavalryonthearmy’sl Edgehill, the first major
rightwereplacedunde war, vital Royalist
his elder brother and m ain battlefield at a
young gallant Prince Ru
him, positioning squad
among his cavalry unit ccess
The Parliamentarian yalist infantry fared
meanwhile, came unde hree infantry brigades
of Major-General Skipp s eight regiments and
Commissary-General Ir ging just a single volley
the cavalry on the Rou ming together with
andCromwell’sformida ms, which they wielded
horsemen took the righ he Parliamentarian
hope’ of 300 musketee the Royalists, the latter
of the army to counter d and had surprised
movements, though th e speed of their assault.
withdraw if placed in p dhead guns and
Howtheyfaredintheb SABRE ed too high from their
remains unknown. The As well as fi rearms, e slopes of Mill Hill,
reserves and the bagg mounted troops carried dtochecktheprogress
trains took their positio swords for close combat.
therearofeacharmy. kippon took a musket
The opening move c through the right side
on the Parliamentarian armour and coat, but
western edge, where th to one account. With
of dragoons (musket-ar to relay his orders, the
theleadershipofColon fered confusion and
forwardtotakeadvanc he Royalists, wasting
Hedgesothattheycou is, pressed home their
of the cavalry stationed sarmybegantowaiver,
right. Not long afterwar ont line dissolving and
10am, the Royalist arm e parts in chaos. At this
advance, perhaps nudg alists looked set for a
Okey’s dragoons firing ory.

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