Read Online Born Fighting by James Webb - Free Book Online
Authors: James Webb
Tags: Fiction
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siege to the castle, Bruce obtained an agreement from its commander, Philip de Mowbray, that if the English were unable to lift the siege by midsummer’s day, the castle would be surrendered. In London, Edward II ordered a general levy of the whole power of England and marched northward with an army of 30,000 men, including some 3,000 knights and men at arms and his famous Welsh longbow archers.
On the face of it, Bruce would appear to have erred. The English outnumbered his army by more than three to one. Having carefully avoided static defenses for years, he was now placing his soldiers into fixed positions. By interposing themselves between the English and Stirling Castle, they would have no room to maneuver, and they also could be devastated by cavalry charges and the type of longbow arrow showers that had taken apart the pikemen of Wallace’s army at Falkirk.
But Bruce brought two intangible advantages to this fight. First and foremost were his highly disciplined soldiers. Under his feudal authority, Edward had levied an army that was, in Churchill’s words, “hard to gather, harder still to feed,” so massive that “it took three days to close up from rear to front.” But the clans had come together for Bruce, forming his army from the bottom up. His fighting force, as always with the Scots, was unbreakable in spirit, its common soldiers locked at the elbows and determined to fight—“the hard, unyielding spear men who feared nought [
sic
] and, once set in position, had to be killed.” 36
Bruce’s second advantage was his own tactical brilliance. Anticipating both the English advance and the makeup of its army, he chose his terrain carefully and as a result was able to control the tempo of the battle. Edward’s force was better suited for the open fields of Flanders, where the cavalry might penetrate much like the armored forces did during World War II seven centuries later, and the longbow archers might wreak the same kind of havoc in the wide terrain as did machine guns and artillery. Instead, Bruce carefully prepared his defenses with a keen eye to sloping hills, boggy marsh, and the protection of nearby woods, so that he might channel the English into a narrow attack and at the same time take away their ability to maneuver.
Taking a page from Wallace’s earlier battle plan at Stirling, Bruce set his forces on the far side of the Bannock Burn, or stream, which the English would cross while approaching the castle. But he went further; his tactical acumen sharpened by years of constant fighting, Bruce added a few twists of his own. By placing his main forces on the high ground above the stream with both flanks merged into thick woods, he precluded an envelopment by English cavalry so that their only approach to his main forces would be through a frontal assault as they crossed the Burn. Then he made the low ground between his forces and the Bannock Burn a minefield of surprises; his soldiers dug and then camouflaged trenches and deep holes that would break a cavalry charge and utterly confuse the English side of the battlefield. And finally, anticipating that young Edward would move the Welsh archers on a flank, Bruce kept a small force of horsemen under his direct command, ready for an immediate counterattack.
As the English forces formed for battle, one of their knights provided Bruce what turned out to be a divine opportunity to motivate his army. Henry de Bohun rode forward in an apparent surprise move toward Stirling Castle and ended up challenging Bruce to individual combat. The knight charged him. In full view of his cheering army, Bruce turned his horse away from Bohun’s lance and then smashed the knight’s head apart with one blow of his battle-ax.
On the morning of June 24, 1314, the English began their assault, their cavalry leading the charge across the Bannock Burn and into the killing ground Bruce had prepared. The camouflaged ditches and holes disoriented them, but still they moved
On the face of it, Bruce would appear to have erred. The English outnumbered his army by more than three to one. Having carefully avoided static defenses for years, he was now placing his soldiers into fixed positions. By interposing themselves between the English and Stirling Castle, they would have no room to maneuver, and they also could be devastated by cavalry charges and the type of longbow arrow showers that had taken apart the pikemen of Wallace’s army at Falkirk.
But Bruce brought two intangible advantages to this fight. First and foremost were his highly disciplined soldiers. Under his feudal authority, Edward had levied an army that was, in Churchill’s words, “hard to gather, harder still to feed,” so massive that “it took three days to close up from rear to front.” But the clans had come together for Bruce, forming his army from the bottom up. His fighting force, as always with the Scots, was unbreakable in spirit, its common soldiers locked at the elbows and determined to fight—“the hard, unyielding spear men who feared nought [
sic
] and, once set in position, had to be killed.” 36
Bruce’s second advantage was his own tactical brilliance. Anticipating both the English advance and the makeup of its army, he chose his terrain carefully and as a result was able to control the tempo of the battle. Edward’s force was better suited for the open fields of Flanders, where the cavalry might penetrate much like the armored forces did during World War II seven centuries later, and the longbow archers might wreak the same kind of havoc in the wide terrain as did machine guns and artillery. Instead, Bruce carefully prepared his defenses with a keen eye to sloping hills, boggy marsh, and the protection of nearby woods, so that he might channel the English into a narrow attack and at the same time take away their ability to maneuver.
Taking a page from Wallace’s earlier battle plan at Stirling, Bruce set his forces on the far side of the Bannock Burn, or stream, which the English would cross while approaching the castle. But he went further; his tactical acumen sharpened by years of constant fighting, Bruce added a few twists of his own. By placing his main forces on the high ground above the stream with both flanks merged into thick woods, he precluded an envelopment by English cavalry so that their only approach to his main forces would be through a frontal assault as they crossed the Burn. Then he made the low ground between his forces and the Bannock Burn a minefield of surprises; his soldiers dug and then camouflaged trenches and deep holes that would break a cavalry charge and utterly confuse the English side of the battlefield. And finally, anticipating that young Edward would move the Welsh archers on a flank, Bruce kept a small force of horsemen under his direct command, ready for an immediate counterattack.
As the English forces formed for battle, one of their knights provided Bruce what turned out to be a divine opportunity to motivate his army. Henry de Bohun rode forward in an apparent surprise move toward Stirling Castle and ended up challenging Bruce to individual combat. The knight charged him. In full view of his cheering army, Bruce turned his horse away from Bohun’s lance and then smashed the knight’s head apart with one blow of his battle-ax.
On the morning of June 24, 1314, the English began their assault, their cavalry leading the charge across the Bannock Burn and into the killing ground Bruce had prepared. The camouflaged ditches and holes disoriented them, but still they moved
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