The Works of Thomas Carlyle/Volume 6/Letter 12
‘On Thursday July the 27th,’ on, or shortly before that day, ‘news reach London’ that Colonel Cromwell has taken Stamford,—retaken it, I think; at all events taken it. Whereupon the Cavaliers from Newark and Belvoir Castle came hovering about him: he drove them into Burleigh House, near by, and laid siege to the same; ‘at three in the morning, battered it with all his shot, and stormed it at last[1] Which is ‘a good help we have had this week.’
On the other hand, at Gainsborough we are suffering siege; indisputably the Newarkers threaten to get the upper hand in that quarter of the County. Here is Cromwell’s Letter,—happily now the original itself;—concerning Lord Willoughby of Parham, and the relief of Gainsborough ‘with powder and match.’
In Rushworth and the old Newspaper copies of this Letter, along with certain insignificant, perhaps involuntary variations, there are two noticeable omissions; the whole of the first paragraph, and nearly the whole of the last, omitted for cause by the old official persons; who furthermore have given only the virtual address ‘To the Committee of the Association sitting at Cambridge,’ not the specific one as here:
Gentlemen,—No man desires more to present you with encouragement than myself, because of the forwardness I find in you,—to your honour be it spoken,—to promote this great Cause. And truly God follows us with encouragements, who is the God of blessings:—and I beseech you let Him not lose His blessings upon us! They come in season, and with all the advantages of heartening: as if God should say, ‘Up and be doing, and I will stand by you, and help you!’ There is nothing to be feared but our own sin and sloth.[2]
It hath pleased the Lord to give your servant and soldiers a notable victory now at Gainsborough. I marched after the taking of Burleigh House upon Wednesday to Grantham, where I met about 300 horse and dragooners of Nottingham. With these, by agreement, we met the Lincolners at North Scarle, which is about ten miles from Gainsborough, upon Thursday in the evening; where we tarried until two of the clock in the morning; and then with our whole body advanced towards Gainsborough.
About a mile and a half from the Town, we met a forlorn hope of the enemy of near 100 horse. Our dragooners laboured to beat them back; but not alighting off their horses, the enemy charged them, and beat some four or five of them off their horses: our horse charged them, and made them retire unto their main body. We advanced, and came to the bottom of a steep hill: we could not well get up but by some tracks; which our men essaying to do, a body of the enemy endeavoured to hinder; wherein we prevailed, and got the top of the hill. This was done by the Lincolners, who had the vanguard.
When we all recovered the top of the hill, we saw a great Body of the enemy’s horse facing us, at about a musket-shot or less distance; and a good Reserve of a full regiment of horse behind it. We endeavoured to put our men into as good order as we could. The enemy in the mean time advanced towards us, to take us at disadvantage; but in such order as we were, we charged their great body, I having the right wing; we came up horse to horse; where we disputed it with our swords and pistols a pretty time; all keeping close order, so that one could not break the other. At last, they a little shrinking, our men perceiving it, pressed-in upon them, and immediately routed this whole body; some fiying on one side and others on the other of the enemy’s Reserve; and our men, pursuing them, had chase and execution about five or six miles.
I perceiving this body which was the Reserve standing still unbroken, kept back my Major, Whalley, from the chase; and with my own troop and the other of my regiment, in all being three troops, we got into a body. In this Reserve stood General Cavendish; who one while faced me, another while faced four of the Lincoln troops, which was all of ours that stood upon the place, the rest being engaged in the chase. At last General Cavendish charged the Lincolners, and routed them. Immediately I fell on his rear with my three troops; which did so astonish him, that he gave over the chase, and would fain have delivered himself from me. But I pressing on forced them down a hill, having good execution of them; and below the hill, drove the General with some of his soldiers into a quagmire; where my Captain-lieutenant slew him with a thrust under his short ribs. The rest of the body was wholly routed, not one man staying upon the place.
We then, after this defeat which was so total, relieved the Town with such powder and provision as we brought. Which done, we had notice that there were six troops of horse and 300 foot on the other side of the Town, about a mile off us: we desired some foot of my Lord Willoughby’s, about 400; and, with our horse and these foot, marched towards them: when we came towards the place where their horse stood, we beat back with my troops about two or three troops of the enemy’s, who retired into a small village at the bottom of the hill. When we recovered the hill, we saw in the bottom, about a quarter of a mile from us, a regiment of foot; after that another; after that the Marquis of Newcastle’s own regiment; consisting in all of about 50 foot colours, and a great body of horse;—which indeed was Newcastle’s Army. Which, coming so unexpectedly, put us to new consultations. My Lord Willoughby and I, being in the Town, agreed to call-off our foot. I went to bring them off: but before I returned, divers of the foot were engaged; the enemy advancing with his whole body. Our foot retreated in disorder; and with some loss got the Town; where now they are. Our horse also came off with some trouble; being wearied with the long fight, and their horses tired; yet faced the enemy’s fresh horse, and by several removes got off without the loss of one man; the enemy following the rear with a great body. The honour of this retreat is due to God, as also all the rest: Major Whalley did in this carry himself with all gallantry becoming a gentleman and a Christian.
Thus you have this true relation, as short as I could. What you are to do upon it, is next to be considered.[3] If I could speak words to pierce your hearts with the sense of our and your condition, I would! If you will raise 2,000 Foot at present to encounter this Army of Newcastle’s, to raise the siege, and to enable us to fight him,—we doubt not, by the grace of God, but that we shall be able to relieve the Town, and beat the Enemy on[4] the other side of Trent. Whereas if somewhat be not done in this, you will see Newcastle’s Army march up into your bowels; being now, as it is, on this side Trent. I know it will be difficult to raise thus many in so short time: but let me assure you, it’s necessary, and therefore to be done. At least do what you may, with all possible expedition! I would I had the happiness to speak with one of you:—truly I cannot come over, but must attend my charge; the Enemy is vigilant. The Lord direct you what to do. Gentlemen, I am your faithful servant, OLIVER CROMWELL.
P.S. Give this Gentleman credence: he is worthy to be trusted, he knows the urgency of our affairs better than myself. If he give you intelligence, in point of time, of haste to be made,—believe him: he will advise for your good.[5]
About two miles south of Gainsborough, on the North-Scarle road, stands the Hamlet and Church of Lea; near which is a ‘Hill,‘ or expanse of upland, of no great height, but sandy, covered with furze, and full of rabbit-holes, the ascent of which would be difficult for horsemen in the teeth of anenemy. This is understood to be the ‘Hill’ of the fight referred to here. Good part of it is enclosed, and the ground much altered, since that time; but one of the fields is still called ‘Redcoats Field,’[6] and another at some distance nearer Gainsborough ‘Graves Field’; beyond which latter, ‘on the other or western face of the Hill, a little over the boundary of Lea Parish with Gainsborough Parish, on the left hand (as you go North) between the Road and the River,’ is a morass or meadow still known by the name of Cavendish’s Bog, which points-out the locality.[7]
Of the ‘Hills’ and ‘Villages’ rather confusedly alluded to in the second part of the Letter, which probably lay across Trent Bridge on the Newark side of the river, I could obtain no elucidation,—and must leave them to the guess of local antiquaries interested in such things.[8]
‘General Cavendish,’ whom some confound with the Earl of Newcastle’s brother, was his Cousin, ‘the Earl of Devonshire’s second son’; an accomplished young man of three-and-twenty; for whom there was great lamenting;—indeed a general emotion about his death, of which we, in these radical times, very irreverent of human quality itself, and much more justly of the dresses of human quality, cannot even with effort form any adequate idea. This was the first action that made Cromwell to be universally talked of: He dared to kill this honourable person found in arms against him! ‘Colonel Cromwell gave assistance to the Lord Willoughby, and performed very gallant service against the Earl of Newcastle’s forces. This was the beginning of his great fortunes, and now he began to appear in the world.’[9]
Waller has an Elegy, not his best, upon ‘Charles Ca’ndish.”[10] It must have been written some time afterwards: poor Waller, in these weeks, very narrowly escapes death himself, on account of the ‘Waller Plot’;—makes an abject submission; pays 10,000l. fine; and goes upon his travels into foreign parts!—
- ↑ Vicars; Newspapers (in Cromwelliana, p. 6).
- ↑ This paragraph is omitted in Rushworth and the Newspapers.
- ↑ The rest of this paragraph, all except the last sentence, is omitted: Postscript, too, omitted.
- ↑ Means ‘to.’
- ↑ Rushworth, v. 278;—given now (Third Edition) according to Autograph in the possession of Dawson Turner, Esq., Great Yarmouth. (Papers of Norfolk Archæological Society, Jan. 1848; and Athenæum, London, 11th March 1848.
- ↑ See Squire Papers, No. xxxiv., end of vol. ii.
- ↑ MS. penes me.
- ↑ Two other Letters on this Gainsborough Action, in Appendix, No. 5.
- ↑ Whitlocke (1st edition, London, 1682,—as always, unless the contrary be specified), p. 68.
- ↑ Fenton’s Waller, p. 209.