Tour Through the Eastern Counties of England | Page 9

to draw a line round it in one night's time, but his lordship declined
it, and now there was no time for it; whereupon the general, Lord
Goring, drew up his army in order of battle on both sides the road, the
horse in the open fields on the wings; the foot were drawn up, one
regiment in the road, one regiment on each side, and two regiments for
reserve in the suburb, just at the entrance of the town, with a regiment
of volunteers advanced as a forlorn hope, and a regiment of horse at the
head-gate, ready to support the reserve, as occasion should require.
About nine in the morning we heard the enemy's drums beat a march,
and in half an hour more their first troops appeared on the higher
grounds towards Lexden. Immediately the cannon from St. Mary's fired
upon them, and put some troops of horse into confusion, doing great
execution, which, they not being able to shun it, made them quicken
their pace, fall on, when our cannon were obliged to cease firing, lest
we should hurt our own troops as well as the enemy. Soon after, their
foot appeared, and our cannon saluted them in like manner, and killed
them a great many men.
Their first line of foot was led up by Colonel Barkstead, and consisted
of three regiments of foot, making about 1,700 men, and these charged
our regiment in the lane, commanded by Sir George Lisle and Sir
William Campion. They fell on with great fury, and were received with
as much gallantry, and three times repulsed; nor could they break in
here, though the Lord Fairfax sent fresh men to support them, till the
Royalists' horse, oppressed with numbers on the left, were obliged to

retire, and at last to come full gallop into the street, and so on into the
town. Nay, still the foot stood firm, and the volunteers, being all
gentlemen, kept their ground with the greatest resolution; but the left
wing being routed, as above, Sir William Campion was obliged to
make a front to the left, and lining the hedge with his musketeers, made
a stand with a body of pikes against the enemy's horse, and prevented
them entering the lane. Here that gallant gentleman was killed with a
carabine shot; and after a very gallant resistance, the horse on the right
being also overpowered, the word was given to retreat, which, however,
was done in such good order, the regiments of reserve standing drawn
up at the end of the street, ready to receive the enemy's horse upon the
points of their pikes, that the royal troops came on in the openings
between the regiments, and entered the town with very little loss, and in
very good order.
By this, however, those regiments of reserve were brought at last to
sustain the efforts of the enemy's whole army, till being overpowered
by numbers they were put into disorder, and forced to get into the town
in the best manner they could; by which means near two hundred men
were killed or made prisoners.
Encouraged by this success the enemy pushed on, supposing they
should enter the town pell-mell with the rest; nor did the Royalists
hinder them, but let good part of Barkstead's own regiment enter the
head-gate; but then sallying from St. Mary's with a choice body of foot
on their left, and the horse rallying in the High Street, and charging
them again in the front, they were driven back quite into the street of
the suburb, and most of those that had so rashly entered were cut in
pieces.
Thus they were repulsed at the south entrance into the town; and
though they attempted to storm three times after that with great
resolution, yet they were as often beaten back, and that with great
havoc of their men; and the cannon from the fort all the while did
execution upon those who stood drawn up to support them; so that at
last, seeing no good to be done, they retreated, having small joy of their
pretended victory.
They lost in this action Colonel Needham, who commanded a regiment
called the Tower Guards, and who fought very desperately; Captain
Cox, an old experienced horse officer, and several other officers of note,

with a great many private men, though, as they had the field, they
concealed their number, giving out that they lost but a hundred, when
we were assured they lost near a thousand men besides the wounded.
They took some of our men prisoners, occasioned by the regiment of
Colonel Farr, and two more sustaining the shock of their whole army,
to secure the retreat of the main body, as above.
The 14th, the Lord Fairfax finding he was not able to