| Benjamin ALBIE | ||
| Hannah ALBEE | ||
| Hannah MILLER | ||
| John COGGESHALL + | ||
| John COGGESHALL | ||
| Katherine WANGFORD | ||
| John COGGESHALL | ||
| Pierce BUTTER + | ||
| Anne BUTTER | ||
| Elizabeth |
Person Notes:
[NI2086]
[Holbrook.ged]
COGGESHALL
The early Coggeshalls formed one of the wealthiest and most prominent
of the families of Rhode Island. John COGGESHALL, the progenitor of
the family in America, was born in the year 1599, in Essex, England.
The family, which had been established there for centuries, was of
Norman origin and possessed large estates in Essex and Suffolk,
including the manor of Little Coggeshall, and Codham Hall,
Wethersfield, in the vicinity of Coggeshall-on-the-Blackwater. The
oldest Coggeshall families followed the usages of the Normans, writing
the name de Coggeshall, as Thomas de Coggeshall, who was the owner of
the above-named vast estates in the reign of King Stephen of Blois,
grandson of the Conqueror, 1135-1154. Five of the family, several of
whom were knights, were sheriffs of Essex, which until 1556 included
Hertfordshire. Coggeshall, the most famous of the Cistercian order,
was built by King Stephen in 1142, and endowed by his queen, Matilda,
of Boulogne, and his son Eustace, with their lands in France.
JOHN COGGESHALL, immigrant ancestor and founder of the Coggeshall
family in America, arrived in Boston on the ship "Lyon," September 16,
1632, and settled eventually in Newport, Rhode Island, where he died.
He settled first in Roxbury, Massachusetts, removing in the spring of
1634 to Boston, where he held many important offices in church and
State. "On the 11th of Sept., 1634, he appears as one of the first
Board of Selectmen of Boston, together with Winthrop, Coddington,
Underhill, Oliver, etc., etcAt the first General Court of
Massachusetts, that of May 14, 1634, he heads the list of deputies
from Boston, who were John COGGESHALL, Edmund QUINCY, and John
UNDERHILL." On the banishment of the celebrated Ann HUTCHINSON,
COGGESHALL, who was one of the most staunch supporters and defenders,
was removed from office and compelled to depart, 1637-38. Eighteen
men, including William CODDINGTON, John CLARKE, the HUTCHINSON family
and himself, by the advice of Roger WILLIAMS, who was already in
Providence, now purchased the Island of Aquidneck from the
Narragansett sachems, and there a civil organization was effected
based upon the principle of religious liberty. They laid the
foundations first of the little town of Portsmouth, near the north end
of the island. This little colony grew so rapidly that enlargement
soon became necessary, and a settlement was made on the south end of
the island which resulted in the founding of Newport. In 1647
COGGESHALL was elected president of Rhode Island, with Roger WILLIAMS
as assistant for Providence, William CODDINGTON for Newport, and
Randall HOLDEN for Warwick. John COGGESHALL assisted in the founding
of two cities, two States, and two separate and independent
governments. He died in office, November 27, 1647, aged about
fifty-six years, and was buried upon his estate in Newport. Here also
lies his wife Mary, who survived him thirty-seven years, dying
December 19, 1684, aged eighty-seven years. John COGGESHALL, Jr., who
succeeded to his fathers estate, and filled various important offices
in the colony for more than forty years, is also buried here, as are
Abraham REDWOOD, founder of the Redwood Library, and his wife, Martha
(COGGESHALL) REDWOOD; William ELLERY, signer of the Declaration of
Independence. Over the grave of the first president of the Rhode
Island Colony has been erected a granite obelisk.. The name of John
COGGESHALL, with the date of his presidency, may be seen in one of the
memorial windows of the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church,
Washington D.C.
\
John Coggeshall, progenitor of the family in America, and first
president of the Colony of Rhode Island, and eight generations through
John Welles Coggeshall. From The History of the State of Rhode Island
and Providence Plantations: Biographical, pages 25 - 27.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
John W. Coggeshall
Coggeshall is an early English surname of local origin, and denotes
residence in the parish of St. Albans, in the town of Coggeshall.
Arms - Argent a cross between four escallops sable.
Crest - A stag lodged sable, attired or.
The Coggeshall family, whose history is wrapped inseparably with that
of Rhode Island, from the very earliest times, is one of the most
distinguished in the annals of the colony and in its later, history.
The progenitor of the Coggeshalls in America, John Coggeshall, was the
first president of the struggling little Colony of Rhode Island; a man
of great prominence and public influence. The family has been
honorably connected with the several wars of the country since its
establishment here, and has borne well its part in the making of the
Nation. Its sons have held high places in the councils of the State.
The late Hon. James Haydon Coggeshall, one of the most prominent
public men of his day, was a direct descendant in the seventh
generation of the founder, John Coggeshall.
(I) John Coggeshall, progenitor of the family in America, and first
president of the Colony of Rhode Island, was a member of an ancient
and honorable English family, whose lineage has been traced to the
early part of the twelfth century, to one Thomas de Coggeshall, the
owner of vast estates in Essex and Suffolk, England, in 1135-54. He
was born in Essex, England, about 1591, and died at Newport, R. I.,
November 27, 1647. He emigrated from England to the New World in the
ship "Lyon," arriving at the port of Boston, Mass., in 1632, with his
wife Mary Surgis*, and three children, John, Joshua, and Anne, on
September 16, 1632. His name and that of his wife are on the original
records of the church of Roxbury, of which John Eliot was pastor.
He was admitted a freeman of Roxbury, November 6, 1632, and two years
later, in 1634; removed to Boston, where he became a merchant. John
Coggeshall became one of the leading citizens of Boston, and in the
year of his arrival, there was elected a member of the Board of
Selectmen and a deacon of the church. His name also heads the list of
deputies to the General Court of Massachusetts from Boston, May 14,
1634, and he served, with three interruptions, until November 1637. He
was one of the staunchest supporters and defenders of Anne Hutchinson,
and upon her banishment was expelled from the Court, and from the
State of Massachusetts, in company with eighteen other men, who were
also identified with her. These eighteen men, and; a company including
William Coddington, John Clarke, the Hutchinson family, and others,
settled on the island of Aquidneck, by the advice of Roger Williams,
who had already settled in Providence. The land was purchased from the
Narragansett sachems, and the form of government there established was
one of the first in New England which separated the civic from the
religious issues. The colony grew with great rapidity and to
accommodate newcomers and the over flow, the town of Newport, R. I.,
was established. On the return of Roger Williams from England with a
charter; they organized a government, in September, 1644. In May,
1647, John Coggeshall was elected president of Rhode Island, with
Roger Williams as assistant for Providence, William Coddington for
Newport, and Randall Holden for Warwick. While in this office, he was
the founder or was largely influential in founding two cities, two
states and two separate and independent governments. He died in
office, November 27, 1647. at the age of fifty-six years, and is
buried on his estate in Newport. He married, in England, Mary Surgis*,
born in 1604, died November 8, 1684, at the age of eighty.
NEHGR 73:21
per Banks
Person Notes:
[NI0466]
[Holbrook.ged]
Pressed in service of King Charles and taken prisoner at Dunbar, 1650,
by Cromwell; with 270 others he was exported to America, and sold to
work three days for his master and three for himself; On the voyage he
was sick with smallpox, and was so discouraged he was about to throw
himself overboard when a beautiful young lady, Miss Sarah Dawes,
interested herself in him and saved his life, later marrying him. They
lived in Woburn.
per General Register of the Society of Colonial Wars 1899-1902
[S93] Cragin Family Genealogy
The Genealogy of the Cragin Family, Being the Descendants of John
Cragin, of Woburn, Massachusetts, from 1652 to 1858
AUTHOR: Cragin, Charles H.
PUBLICATION: W. H. Moore, Printer, Washington D.C. abt. 1860
Frye's Measure Mill Founder
Daniel Cragin 1837-1922
Daniel Cragin's Great-Grandfather, John Cragin, or Cragon (Chraggon)
was Scot by birth. At the age of 16, he was forced to join the
Scottish army supporting Charles II against Cromwell. At the battle of
Dunbar in 1652, he was taken prisoner, sold into servitude, and as a
penalty for his political offenses was sent to America in the ship
"John and Sarah."
The local legend "says" that on the voyage, John Cragin was stricken
with smallpox, and he was about to be thrown overboard but was spared
by the intercession of a young English woman, Sarah Dawes, whom he
afterward married. They settled in Woburn, Massachusetts, and later
generations made thier way to southern New Hampshire.
In 1858, Daniel Cragin "attained his majority" (a colloquialism
meaning he became twenty-one years of age) and rented a room in the
Putnam Bobbin Factory. He began his "enterprising" by manufacturing
knife trays and toys on a cash capital of ten dollars. Within two
years, Cragin's company was profitable, and he purchased a small
building on the site. In the autumn of 1878, Cragin began to
manufacture dry measures which soon became the mainstay of his
business.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cragin, Aaron Harrison, senator, was born at Weston, Vt., Feb. 3,
1821; son of Aaron and Sarah (Whitney) Cragin; and grandson of
Benjamin and Rebecca (Farrar) Cragin; and of Richard and Sarah
Whitney. His first ancestor in America, John Cragin, was born in
Scotland, was pressed into the service of King Charles and was
captured at Dunbar in 1650. In 1652 he was deported to America with
270 other prisoners of war, and while on board the ship was attacked
with smallpox. He would have been thrown overboard but for the
interference of an Englishwoman, Sarah Dawes, to whom he was married
Nov. 4, 1661. Aaron H. Cragin was admitted to the bar at Albany, N.Y.,
in 1847 and practised in Lebanon, N.H. From 1852 to 1855 he was a
representative in the New Hampshire legislature, and in 1854 was
elected as a native American a representative in the 34th congress,
and was one of those who voted to elect N. P. Banks speaker. He was
re-elected to the 35th congress as a Republican, and in 1859 was again
a member of the state legislature. In 1860 he was a delegate to the
Republican national convention at Chicago. In 1864 he was elected a
senator in congress and was re-elected in 1870, serving 1865-77. He
was a delegate to the Philadelphia loyalists' convention of 1866 and
chairman of the commission for the sale of Hot Springs, Ark., 1877-79.
He died in Washington, D.C., May 10, 1898.
Farmers, fishermen, and storekeepers needed a standard unit of measure
to conduct their business, trade, and barter. Mechanical scales were
scarce, expensive, and not available for common use. By the 1800's,
with a swelling population, a growing industrialization, and a
prospering agriculture, a huge market existed for Cragin's dry
measures. However, the commercial demand for dry measures diminished
when the national standard of measurement switched over to weights.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
DEPARTMENT of RHODE ISLAND
SONS of UNION VETERANS of the CIVIL WAR
Commodore Joel Abbot, Camp No. 21
SURNAMES BEGINNING WITH - CRA TO CRI
The data on these pages is provided by the Commodore Joel Abbot, Camp
No. 21, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War as a public service.
All data is public domain and may be copied free of charge. The data
has been extracted from the National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers
and Sailors Database and is used on these pages with permission.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is not responsible for any
errors in the information. If you find an error, please contact us at
Commodore Joel Abbot, Camp No. 21. We will place a note next to the
name indicating the error. Some names are listed multiple times under
alternate spellings. We intend to leave the multiple spellings in the
database. These alternate spellings may assist in finding your
ancestor.
- ROSTER -
Last Name First Name Regiment Company Rank In Rank Out
Craad Francis Hospital Guards A PVT PVT
Crabtree Thomas 4th Infantry E PVT PVT
Cragan Charles C. 2nd Infantry D PVT PVT
Cragan Samuel 3rd Cavalry G
Craggin Samuel 3rd Cavalry G
Cragin Charles C. 10th Infantry B PVT PVT
Cragin Charles C. 2nd Infantry D PVT PVT
Cragin George 3rd Heavy Artillery C PVT PVT
Cragin Samuel 3rd Cavalry G
Cragin William P. 10th Infantry B PVT PVT
Crahen Daniel 1st Light Artillery B PVT PVT
Craig Abraham D. 5th Heavy Artillery PVT PVT
Craig James 4th Infantry E PVT PVT
Craig James A. 11th Infantry C PVT PVT
Craig Thomas 1st Infantry D PVT PVT
Craiggin Samuel 3rd Cavalry G
1296:
The Ragman Rolls
After defeating the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar and marching
through much of Scotland capturing castles and confiscating treasures,
Edward I called a meeting at Berwick. He summoned all Scottish land
owners, churchmen and burgesses to swear allegiance to him. Some 2,000
freeholders signed the "Ragman Rolls," now one of the most valuable
sources of research into Scottish history.
King Charles II: Exiled King's Final Gamble - Page 1
Threatened by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces in the hills of
Scotland, in 1651 King Charles II staked his tenuous claim to the
crown on an invasion of England and a race to London.
By John Barratt for Military History Magazine
Oliver Cromwell's great victory over the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar
on September 3, 1650, delighted supporters of the English Parliament.
But despite their high hopes, Dunbar did not end the contest between
the republican regime in England and the uneasy opposing alliance of
Scottish Covenanters and Royalist supporters of Charles Stuart, son of
the executed King Charles I. Paradoxically, the defeat of the Scots
army at Dunbar actually strengthened the hand of Charles Stuart by
discrediting the more extreme Covenanters. After entering into an
agreement with the Scottish Presbyterians to accept their Solemn
League and Covenant, the Stuart prince was crowned King Charles II at
Scone on January 1, 1651.
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Threatened by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces in the hills of
Scotland, in 1651 King Charles II staked his tenuous claim to the
crown on an invasion of England and a race to London. Was this a wise
move? What should Charles have done differently? What do you think?
Share your thoughts
In the Forum
Related Resources
English Civil War
The History of Scotland
Elsewhere on the Web
Oliver Cromwell and the Restoration
Oliver Cromwell
With the support of the defeated Scottish commander Lieutenant-General
David Leslie, King Charles rebuilt the Scottish army, recruiting large
numbers of Royalists and Highlanders. By early June 1651, the Scots
were again ready to fight, with the 21-year-old Charles II commanding
his army in person and the highly capable Leslie second in command.
Another experienced soldier, James Middleton, led the cavalry, and,
for political reasons, a rather unwieldy combination of four
lieutenant generals commanded the infantry.
Leslie made the opening move by taking up a strong position at
Torwood, but Cromwell declined to oblige Leslie by attacking him.
Instead, he launched an amphibious assault across the River Forth into
the Fife peninsula. A Scottish counterattack was crushingly defeated
by Lt. Gen. John Lambert at Inverkeithing on June 27, leaving the
English forces poised to sever the vital Scottish supply lines at
Perth.
Charles and his commanders now faced three alternatives. They could
retreat to the Scottish Highlands and fight a doubtful guerrilla war.
They could take the desperate course of trying to defeat Cromwell's
veteran army in the open field. Or they could stake everything on a
bold gamble--the Scots could ignore Cromwell and invade England. The
third option meant counting upon a Royalist uprising and a speedy
march to capture London and overthrow the republican regime before
Cromwell could react.
The Scots, particularly the cautious David Leslie, had little
enthusiasm for this scheme. But Charles, pinning his hopes on his
English supporters, favored it and got his way. One of his Scottish
supporters, William, Second Duke of Hamilton, realistically summed up
his master's prospects when he wrote on July 28: "Since the enemy
shuns fighting with us, except upon advantage, we must either starve,
disband, or go with a handful of men into England. This last seems to
me the least ill, yet it appears very desperate to me."
Hamilton's forebodings were shared by most of the ordinary Scottish
soldiers. Because of the English naval blockade, many of them lacked
both muskets and adequate ammunition. Many newly raised units were
weak and poorly organized, while the artillery train could muster no
more than 16 light guns.
Evidence of low morale soon appeared. After Charles began his march
from Stirling on July 31, thousands of men abandoned the ranks, either
deserting or leaving the army because of illness. When Charles crossed
the border into England on August 12, he was at the head of no more
than 12,000 troops. Yet the king apparently remained optimistic. For
speed of movement, most of his men were mounted. With the majority of
the English regular army still far to the north, the main opposition
to the invasion would come from hastily levied militia forces, whose
loyalty to the republican regime might prove suspect. If the Scots
moved fast enough and the English Royalists rallied to their support,
victory seemed possible.
But disillusionment struck quickly. The key border garrison of
Carlisle rejected a summons to surrender, and many of King Charles'
English supporters had been neutralized or discouraged by government
countermeasures. Still more were unwilling to back a king marching at
the head of what a Parliamentarian newsletter described as "that
mongrel Scots army."
Meanwhile, Cromwell responded to news of the invasion with devastating
speed and effectiveness. He had been fully aware of the likely
consequences of leaving the road to England open when he moved against
Perth. In the overview, Charles' reaction was probably precisely what
the English commander had hoped for, as Cromwell informed Parliament:
"We have done to the best of our judgements, knowing that if some
issue were not put to this business, it would occasion another
winter's war, to the ruin of your soldiery." Only by allowing Charles
the opportunity to invade England could Cromwell bring on the decisive
battle he wanted, although such a strategy involved a high degree of
risk. No one could be certain how the English population would react
to the arrival of the man regarded by many as their rightful king.
Then, too, just one solid Stuart victory on English soil might suffice
to trigger the massive uprising on which Charles was counting.
Cromwell would have to move fast.
News of the Scottish march reached Cromwell on August 1, but he waited
one more day to receive the surrender of Perth before beginning his
countermoves. The bulk of the English army recrossed the Forth, and
after leaving Lt. Gen. George Monck with about 6,000 men to continue
operations in Scotland, Cromwell marched south. Preparations to meet
the Scottish invasion were already well in hand. Major-General John
Harrison, with about 3,000 cavalry based at Newcastle, was to move
westward across the Pennines to harass the Scots' left flank as they
plunged deeper into England. On August 5, Cromwell detached his ablest
subordinate, John Lambert, with 4,000 cavalry, with orders to follow
the Scots and "attend the motions of the Enemy, and endeavour the
keeping of them together, and also to impede his march." Cromwell
himself, with nine regiments of infantry, the rest of his horse and
guns, left Leith on the 7th, heading south through northeast England.
In the staggering heat of one of the hottest Augusts in living memory,
his men marched in their shirts along the dusty roads, their coats and
equipment carried on hired wagons, covering an average of 20 miles per
day.
King Charles II: Exiled King's Final Gamble - Page 2
Meanwhile, in London, the governing Council of State was putting
well-prepared plans into operation. Troops were being mustered
throughout England. County militias, which after years of civil war
included many veterans, rendezvoused at several regional centers. The
plan was to use Lambert's and Harrison's men to shepherd the Scots
away from London until Cromwell and additional troops being raised
under Maj. Gen. Charles Fleetwood could join them for the kill.
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Threatened by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces in the hills of
Scotland, in 1651 King Charles II staked his tenuous claim to the
crown on an invasion of England and a race to London. Was this a wise
move? What should Charles have done differently? What do you think?
Share your thoughts
In the Forum
Related Resources
English Civil War
The History of Scotland
Elsewhere on the Web
Oliver Cromwell and the Restoration
Oliver Cromwell
The remaining militia would guard against local Royalist insurrections
and, if necessary, defend London. Every effort was being made to whip
up patriotic feelings against the Scottish invaders, who, the people
were assured, had "given up their own country for lost, which they had
not the courage to defend."
Within days of crossing the border, Charles' prospects were dimming.
Although one of his English supporters wrote optimistically on August
12 that "the counties seem very ready to rise, and bring in provisions
willingly," sympathy did not translate into recruits. The Scots pushed
on into Lancashire, gaining the support only of James, Seventh Earl of
Derby, and a handful of followers. Lambert and Harrison continued to
harass the Scottish rear and on August 12 slipped around their flank.
Consequently, when Charles reached the crossing of the River Mersey at
Warrington on the 16th, he found his way blocked by Lambert's men. The
English commander had no time to destroy the bridge, however, and with
the ground unsuitable for cavalry, he was forced to withdraw, to
derisive Scottish shouts of "Oh, you rogues, we will be with you
before your Cromwell."
The almost bloodless affair at Warrington was to be the high point of
the Scottish campaign for the Royalist army. Charles' council of war
gloomily discussed their options. The idea of remaining in Lancashire
to recruit was rejected, but there was strong support, led by Charles
himself, for a march directly on London. The Scots commanders, headed
by Leslie, were unhappy about their prospects. A chronicler noted that
the king asked him "How could he be sad, when he was in the head of so
brave an army...and demanded of him How he liked them." David Leslie
answered "that he was melancholy indeed, for he well knew that army,
how well soever it looked, would not fight." It was partly because of
the pessimistic view of his Scottish generals, as well as the urgings
of the English Royalists with him, that King Charles reluctantly
agreed to a new course of action. He would head on southward along the
Welsh border to the city of Worcester. Traditionally Royalist,
Worcester was a strong defensive position on the River Severn, within
easy reach of Wales, from which Charles expected to gain more
recruits. There the king could set up a rallying point for the English
Royalists, whose support was his only real hope of victory.
The weary Scottish army reached Worcester on August 22. The troops
were too exhausted to press on any farther without rest and refitting.
During the next few days the Royalists worked feverishly to repair and
strengthen Worcester's existing defenses, and sent out summonses to
their local supporters to join them. Perhaps 4,000 did so. But there
was no sign of the mass uprising on which they had counted so
desperately. The net was closing in on Charles.
On August 24, Cromwell reached Warwick, 40 miles east of Worcester,
and troops joined him from all over southern England. By the 27th, an
army of more than 27,000 men--nearly twice the size of Charles'
force--was concentrated at Evesham, about 17 miles from the Royalist
position.
Charles had taken what steps he could to avoid encirclement. The
nearest crossing point of the Severn to Worcester was at Upton, nine
miles to the south, and a small outpost of about 300 men, under the
ex-Parliamentarian officer Maj. Gen. Edward Massey, was established
there with orders to break down the bridge. Cromwell sent the
ever-reliable John Lambert with a party of cavalry and dragoons to
seize the crossing at Upton. Arriving late on the evening of August
27, Lambert made a personal reconnaissance and found not only that no
sentries were posted, but also that the broken arch of the bridge had
been temporarily spanned with a wooden plank. Eighteen of his dragoons
inched their way across and established themselves in Upton Church,
repelling all attacks by the now-alerted defenders until enough
reinforcements arrived to force the Scots to withdraw upriver to
Worcester. More Parliamentarian troops under General Fleetwood
expanded the bridgehead, and the way was open for Cromwell to move
against Worcester along both banks of the Severn, forcing Charles to
divide his already badly outnumbered army.
Over the next few days the Parliamentarian commanders made their final
preparations. Cromwell was anxious to avoid a lengthy siege or an
assault on powerful defenses that, given that a third of his army was
untried militia, would almost certainly prove costly. Once again, his
strategy would be to draw the Scots out to fight in the open.
Detachments of cavalry were sent to block any possible escape
northward, for Cromwell was set upon the total destruction of the
Scottish army in a victory that would effectively end the war. To the
east of Worcester, about 14,000 men, including the bulk of the
militia, were concentrated with the Parliamentarian heavy guns on
higher ground between Red Hill and Perry Wood. Their primary role was
defensive, for it was on the west bank of the Severn that Cromwell
intended the decisive blow to fall. There he stationed about 12,000
men, mostly veteran troops, under Fleetwood. Their mission, assisted
by a bridge of boats, was to force a crossing of the River Teme at
Powick Bridge and close in on Worcester from the west, enclosing
Charles in a vicelike trap. During Fleetwood's attack, Cromwell would
employ a second bridge of boats at the junction of the rivers in order
to send another detachment across the Severn to strike at the flank of
the enemy forces that were defending the line of the Teme.
It was a startlingly bold plan. Despite the Parliamentarian
superiority in numbers, there was no reason to believe the coming
battle would be a walkover. Many of the Scots were experienced
soldiers, and they could be expected to fight with the desperation of
cornered men. Charles, behind the strong defenses of Worcester, had
the advantages of interior lines of communication and a superb
observation point in the great tower of Worcester Cathedral. Both
commanders knew that a serious reverse for Cromwell might transform
the entire military and political situation in England.
Some historians have claimed that Cromwell deliberately postponed
action until September 3, the anniversary of his great victory at
Dunbar. A much more probable explanation for his apparent delay was
the time taken in collecting materials for the all-important bridges
of boats. Whatever the reason for the date, between 5 and 6 a.m. on
September 3, the Parliamentarian attack began. Fleetwood's men, in two
great columns of march, advanced northward up the west bank of the
Severn. Their pace was slowed by the need to keep in touch with a
convoy of 20 large boats intended to form the bridges, which were
moving upstream on their right, so that it was not until about midday
that the first shots of the battle were fired.
Fleetwood's left column, about 5,000 men, with infantry in front
supported by cavalry to the rear, quickly drove the Scottish defenders
out of Powick Church, on the south bank of the Teme. News of
Fleetwood's approach reached Charles in Worcester shortly afterward.
Leaving a strong detachment (probably under the Duke of Hamilton) to
watch the enemy around Red Hill, the king dispatched two brigades,
totaling about 3,000 men, under Maj. Gen. Robert Montgomerie, to hold
the line of the Teme. Colonel Sir William Keith's brigade was to
defend Powick Bridge, while Maj. Gen. Colin Pitscottie's Highlanders
were sent toward the planned enemy bridging site at the confluence of
the Teme and Severn. A third brigade, that of Maj. Gen. Thomas
Dalziel, was kept in immediate reserve. The bulk of the Scots cavalry,
under Leslie's command, remained just to the north of
Worcester--intended, said their commander, to be "a body to fall on
and assist where need should arise."
King Charles II: Exiled King's Final Gamble - Page 3
As fighting along the Teme mounted, Charles made a quick visit to
encourage his men before returning to his command post in Worcester.
Although he managed to get a party of dragoons over a ford,
Fleetwood's attack was making little progress against determined
resistance on the part of Keith's men. Seeing that Fleetwood needed
assistance, Cromwell on the east bank of the Severn sent a small party
over by boat to secure the triangle of ground where the rivers met and
to cover the construction of the bridges of boats, "a pistol shot"
(perhaps 50 yards) apart. Just how this was accomplished in such a
short time is a mystery. Presumably sections had already been
prefabricated, but it remains an outstanding achievement.
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Threatened by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian forces in the hills of
Scotland, in 1651 King Charles II staked his tenuous claim to the
crown on an invasion of England and a race to London. Was this a wise
move? What should Charles have done differently? What do you think?
Share your thoughts
In the Forum
Related Resources
English Civil War
The History of Scotland
Elsewhere on the Web
Oliver Cromwell and the Restoration
Oliver Cromwell
As soon as the bridge over the Severn was completed, probably between
3 and 4 p.m., Cromwell personally led a picked force across the river.
It was headed by some of the best of his cavalry, including his own
regiment and lifeguard, and the veteran foot regiments of Colonels
Francis Hacker, Richard Ingoldsby and Charles Fairfax. Pitscottie's
Highlanders were too far back to oppose the crossing, and could only
attempt to contain the bridgehead in fairly open terrain that enabled
Cromwell to make good use of his cavalry. Meanwhile, Fleetwood's
troops had completed his bridge of boats, allowing his right-hand
column to cross the Teme and threaten Keith's flank. Even so, Keith's
Scots put up a desperate fight at every hedgerow as they were slowly
pushed back toward the western suburbs of Worcester. A Parliamentarian
eyewitness admitted that "the dispute was long and very near at hand,
and often at push of pike, and from one defence to another." But the
Scots were heavily outnumbered and by now running short of ammunition.
In late afternoon they broke. Some took refuge in Worcester itself,
others headed north in the vain hope of escaping Cromwell's trap.
The gallant stand of Charles' men on the west bank of the Severn had
not been in vain; it gave the king time to prepare one last desperate
throw. More and more of Cromwell's troops had been drawn into the
fighting west of the Severn, so that no more than about a third of his
army--perhaps 9,000 men--remained holding the position around Red
Hill. Many of them were militia, with relatively few regulars, and the
latter might have been still fewer if Lambert had not rejected an
order to take his own brigade over to reinforce Fleetwood, on the
grounds that "if the enemy should alter their course, and fall upon
them on this side, they might probably cut off all that remained."
That was precisely what Charles was about to attempt.
At about 4 p.m., backed by the fire of the few heavy guns positioned
in the strongpoint of Fort Royal, most of the Royalist troops
remaining in Worcester, spearheaded by King Charles and the Duke of
Hamilton with their own regiments of horse, surged up the main road
out of the city in a pincer movement against the Parliamentarian
positions on Red Hill. They broke through the musketeers in the
hedgerows and a troop of horse. Then, as a Parliamentarian regiment of
foot recoiled in disorder, the exultant Scots broke into the enemy gun
positions. The battle hung in the balance. Only the untried English
militia stood between Charles and a major success. Yet the green
part-time soldiers stood their ground. Lambert, his horse killed under
him, helped check the Scottish onslaught, while Cromwell, reacting
quickly to the crisis, hurried reinforcements back over the bridge of
boats.
By 5 p.m., the increasingly outnumbered Scots had shot their bolt.
Hamilton fell mortally wounded, and his men retreated toward Worcester
in what rapidly became a rout. Some took refuge in the strong
earthworks of Fort Royal, where King Charles tried to organize a
stand. Refusing Cromwell's urgings that they should accept quarter,
about 1,500 defiant Scots infantry fell before the swords and clubbed
muskets of the exultant militiamen storming the fort. The militia then
turned its guns on the Royalist fugitives, whom Charles, showing great
personal gallantry, was vainly trying to rally at the Sudbury Gate of
Worcester.
During the slaughter of their routed comrades, the reserve of Scottish
cavalry remained inactive on the north side of the city, with Leslie
being accused of "riding up and down as one amazed or seeking to fly."
That accusation was unfair. Some of the Scots cavalry had been
involved in the fighting on the eastern side of the city, and Leslie
was right to keep some on hand to cover any retreat. In any case, it
was too late for him to intervene.
Parliamentarian troops poured into Worcester from the east and west.
Amid confused street fighting, Charles tried to organize a last futile
cavalry counterattack, calling bitterly, "I had rather you would shoot
me than let me live to see the consequences of this day!" But he found
himself caught up in a tide of fugitives heading out the North Gate of
the city, while the bulk of his hapless foot soldiers were either
captured or cut down by the victorious Parliamentarian cavalry in a
bloodbath that turned the streets of Worcester into a slaughterhouse.
By nightfall it was over. Cromwell had won what he called "As stiff a
contest as ever I have seen." The Parliamentarians admitted to only
200 dead, but Scottish casualties were horrendous. Perhaps 2,000 were
killed and between 6,000 and 10,000 taken prisoner. Many were
sentenced to forced labor in England or the colonies and would not
survive. Only a handful managed to find their way home. All the
Scottish commanders were either dead or prisoners. One leader
conspicuous by his absence among the prisoners was King Charles. In
one of history's classic escape stories, he wandered through England
as a fugitive for six weeks before finally reaching safety in France.
He would eventually be restored as king of England in May 1660.
Cromwell, writing on the day after the battle, was clear that his
victory was "a crowning mercy"--the sought-for battle of annihilation
that would end the Scottish threat forever. He was correct. A few
scattered Royalist strongholds remained to be forced to accept the
inevitable--the last of them, at Dunettar Castle, capitulated in May
1652.
Worcester, however, was the last major battle of the civil wars that
had ravaged the British Isles for nearly a decade. The English
republic gained a temporary security, and Cromwell's name became a
permanent fixture in history.
| Richard GOBION + | ||
| Hugh GOBION | ||
| Agnes DE MERLAY + | ||
| Joan GOBION | ||
| Matilda | ||
| John WIGHT | ||
| Robert WIGHT\WRIGHT | ||
| Anna BRAY | ||