The Battle of Newburn: August 28-29, 1640

Per Scriptum E. Wesley - Mackinac Center Intern

The Lowlands of Scotland were in peril of losing their hard won religious freedom in the years leading up to the events of 1640. The energies of John Knox had peacefully converted the Lowlands to Calvinism, and changed church government from episcopal (bishops, archbishops, etc.) to Presbyterianism (democratic, representative in form). English King Charles I saw the democratic trend in Scotland, and, wanting to keep his authority within the Church of Scotland (the Kirk), instituted thirteen bishops over the Kirk and changed the church liturgy in 1637. When riots broke out, the King sent soldiers to enforce the religious restrictions. This aroused the Scots more than ever, and led to 95% of all Scottish parish churches signing the "National Covenant" in 1638. The Covenant was a document pledging that the Scots would not tolerate further interference from the King in their churches. This sparked what is known as the Bishop's Wars, between the Covenanters trying to preserve their liberty and the Royalists trying to maintain their power over the church.

On August 21, 1640, about 27,000 Covenanters with blue ribbon bonnets crossed the Tweed River, and marched through Northumberland. They were going to send their petitions to the King one way or the other. Sir Alexander Leslie commanded the army, and Alexander Hamilton was in control of the artillery. At their camp Heddon Law, they courteously invited all the moorland inhabitants into their camp, welcomed them with compassion, and promised that they wouldn't harm any non-combatants. When was the last time we saw an army actually share with the neighboring civilians on so large a scale? This is practically unheard of for any army. But the Covenanters were determined to fight their battle with the complete civility.

The English army under the command of Lord Conway, comprising about 12,000 infantry and about 3,000 cavalry, began fortifying themselves at Stella (see map above). Because attacking armies of the time suffered about three times more casualties than defending armies, the Covenanters and English were pretty well evenly matched. Leslie began scattering his infantry along the hedges, and placed his heavy artillery in front of the church and on the sentinel village hill east of Newburn. He placed his lighter guns among the rushes at the riverbank. These lighter guns were only useful for about ten to twelve shots before overheating, but the grape-shot would be devastating at close range. All morning of the 28th, the two armies watched each other in silence. At about noon, Leslie sent a trumpeter to Conway, insisting that the Covenanters meant no hostility and asking that the English let the Covenanters have free passage to send a petition to the King. Again, we see the civility of the Covenanter army. As the English knew all too well, the King would have absolutely no incentive to sign without the Scottish army, and accordingly Conway said he would allow only a few free passage but not the army. The messenger returned to the Covenanters after being jeered at by the English. Now, battle was the only option for the Covenanters.

In the early afternoon, Leslie sent three hundred cavalry across the ford. These were forced to retire when the English gunners stormed them with a hail of lead. Then came the artillery duel. Leslie unmasked his hidden cannon, and bombarded the two English forts and embankment. The entire riverbank seemed ablaze! English artillery screamed back in hopes of knocking out the Scottish gun on Newburn Church Tower. Colonel Lunsford's men at the low-lying fort fled in terror (having never been in action before), opening the ford up to the Covenanters. Leslie then sent another small cavalry division across the ford, but the incoming English cavalry stopped their advance. Meanwhile Leslie's eastern flank had been knocked out of action, and he sent his heavy artillery up to reinforce the hill. These heavy pieces easily destroyed the rest of the English artillery, and finished off the forts. At about 4:00 pm, Leslie sent a general advance across the river consisting of two regiments (about 15,000 men total). The Lord Wilmot responded with a twelve-squadron cavalry charge that plunged into the Scottish Life Guards. The Scottish lines began recoiling on each other.

However, ten thousand more Scottish infantry were wading across the river. A one-thousand-musketeer volley on the English cavalry's flank was enough to turn Wilmot's charge into a retreat. They fled west, and then formed a small ambush in the wooded high ground. The Covenanters fought through this ambush, and captured Wilmot and many others. If Leslie had been like any other military commander of his day, the battle would have become a bloodthirsty rout, and many English would have been cut down during their retreat. But as they had proved before and during the Battle of Newburn, Leslie and the rest of the Covenanters were men of restraint and love for their enemies. Stringent orders were given to capture, not kill the fugitives. In fact, all the prisoners were well-treated and released completely unharmed. The Covenanters even left a detachment behind to clean up the battlefield, respectably burying the dead. Leslie's Covenanter army is an example of what fighting for liberty should look like.


Image from newcastle.gov.uk