Despite the apparent threat from Charles, England’s chief military leader and hero of the Civil Wars, Lord General Thomas Fairfax, opposed an invasion of Scotland, a former close ally. He therefore voluntarily resigned command of the army. The Council then chose another parliamentary military leader, Oliver Cromwell, to lead the proposed invasion.

Subscribe Today

• Did you enjoy our article?
• Read more in Military History magazine
• Subscribe online and save nearly 40%!!!
 

Born in 1599, Cromwell came from minor gentry in Huntingdon and had served in Parliament before the wars, during which he commanded the Ironsides, a cavalry regiment famous for its discipline and tenacity. Although he had had no previous military experience, he showed amazing courage and tactical brilliance, particularly at the Battle of Marston Moor on July 2, 1644. By 1650, he had acquired a formidable reputation as a commander, and the Council had every cause to regard him as the best man to lead the invasion. On June 28, he set off for Scotland at the head of an army of 16,354 men.

The commander of the Scottish army that Cromwell would face was a professional soldier–and a former comrade in arms. David Leslie, 1st Lord of Newark, had fought in the Swedish army during the Thirty Years’ War. During the First English Civil War, both Leslie and Cromwell had led Scottish cavalry on the Parliamentarian army’s left flank at Marston Moor. Leslie also destroyed the Royalist army of James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, at Philiphaugh on September 13, 1645, ending Montrose’s legendary string of victories.

David Leslie had an excellent adviser. His uncle, Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, had also fought with great distinction in the Swedish army during the Thirty Years’ War and led victorious Scottish armies during the 1640s. Although he was the Scottish commander in chief on the eve of invasion, old age and failing health caused the elder Leslie to step down in favor of his nephew.

Scotland’s army had less than 6,000 regular soldiers in June 1650. Although that number was swiftly raised to 22,000 by enlisting short-term levies, David Leslie knew they would not be well-trained enough to match their English counterparts in open battle. Instead he planned to draw Cromwell to Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, and force the English to storm his well-fortified army. Between the city of Leith on the coast and Edinburgh, he built a network of entrenchments and fortifications. He also burned all crops and supplies between Edinburgh and the border, forcing Cromwell to rely on provisions from England. On July 22, the English crossed the border and were astounded by the devastation. One officer, Lieutenant John Hodgson, wrote that ‘though Scotland hath been often compared to a wilderness, yet it was never so like one as then.’ Aware of the Scots’ scorched earth tactics, Cromwell had arranged for supply by sea, but contrary winds frequently delayed the ships.

The English army arrived near Edinburgh on July 29. Not wanting to risk a direct assault, Cromwell tried to maneuver the Scots out of their entrenchments. While his ships shelled the Scots’ left flank at Leith, his ground troops captured Arthur’s Seat, a large hill dominating the field in front of Edinburgh. He then placed artillery there. A Scottish infantry regiment assaulted the hill and captured the guns, but a counterattack drove them off. The main Scottish army remained in its trenches, however, and on the following day, Cromwell fell back to the town of Musselburgh for resupply.

Leslie sent out cavalry detachments to harass Cromwell’s rear guard. During one engagement, Maj. Gen. John Lambert, one of Cromwell’s cavalry commanders, was wounded and captured temporarily. That night, another Scottish cavalry detachment raided the English, but was driven off. The invaders would get no rest.

Cromwell retreated to Dunbar a few days later because Musselburgh Harbor was too small for his ships. Dunbar had a good harbor and Cromwell thought the town ‘a place for a good magazine [ammunition depot].’ He remained there until August 11. Asserting that the king and not the Scottish people was his enemy, he pleaded with the Kirk Party: ‘I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.’ Cromwell’s attempt to accomplish his objective without bloodshed failed.

Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to