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<DATE>2007-06-28</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<VID>163958</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>Sir <HI>Thomas Fairfax</HI> LETTER To the Hono^b^l^e <HI>William Lenthal</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Speaker of the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons. CONCERNING All the Pa&s;&s;ages of his Army &s;ince his ad|vance from <HI>Exeter,</HI> and the manner of Routing the Princes and the Lord <HI>Hoptons</HI> Forces at Torrington, Together with all the particulars in that Expedition. ALSO Another LETTER from a Gentleman of quality, of the whole pa&s;&s;ages of this great Victory. Both which were read in the Hou&s;e of COMMONS.</P>
<P><HI>ORdered by the Commons a&s;&s;embled in Parliament, That the&s;e</HI> Letters <HI>be forthwith printed and pub|li&s;hed:</HI> H: El&s;ynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com.</P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Edw. Husband,</HI> Printer to the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons, and are to be &s;old at his Shop at the &s;igne of the Golden Dragon in Fleet&s;treet, neer the Inner-Temple. <HI>Feb.</HI> 24. 1645.</P>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
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<HEAD>To the Honorable <HI>William Lenthal</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Speaker of the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Mr. Speaker,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_PLymouth being &s;et free, and Da|
rtmouth taken, I &s;ent Col. <HI>Hamond</HI> with part of the foot to po&s;&s;e&s;s certain hou&s;es near <HI>Exeter</HI> for the blocking of it upon the We&s;t &s;ide of the River (as formerly I had done on the Ea&s;t) and lay with the re&s;t of the Army, &s;o as to countenance both that work, and the rai&s;ing of &s;ome Forces in the Southams to lie about Totne&s;s for the &s;ecuring of that Countrey, and to keep the Enemy from coming of that &s;ide of Devon&s;hire again, when the Army &s;hould remove to the other. The&s;e two things, with the continual foul weather at that time, and the ab&s;ence of Col. <HI>Cook</HI> with &s;o many of the Hor&s;e, ocac&s;ioned my &s;tay thereabouts above a Fortnight, in which time the Hou&s;es being competently Fortified, and the Forces rai&s;ing in the Southams in good forwardne&s;&s;e, I drew the Army up towards Crediton, with purpo&s;e to advance into the North of De|von&s;hire to di&s;lodge the Enemies Hor&s;e from their Quarters there|abouts, and force them into Cornwal, and to endeavour the further clearing of that part of Devon&s;hire al&s;o, either by the taking of Barn&s;table, or by blocking of it up, and rai&s;ing a Force in that well-affected Corner to keep it in, &s;o as (having all clear or made fa&s;t behinde me) I might the better follow the remaining Field forces of the Enemy into Cornwal: And to continue the blocking up of <HI>Exeter</HI> on the Ea&s;t &s;ide, I left Sir <HI>Hardres Waller</HI> with three Regiments of Foot, and a Regiment of Hor&s;e of this Army, and advanced with &s;even Regiments of Foot, five Regiments of Hor&s;e, and five Troops of Dragoons, (the re&s;t of the Hor&s;e and Dragoons being ab&s;ent with Col: <HI>Cook</HI> in Dor&s;et&s;hire, but then &s;ent for to come up) when I was re&s;olved upon my advance this way, the E|nemy at the &s;ame time advanced out of Cornwal with all the Foot they could make to Torrington, about which their Hor&s;e did lie before, and began to fortifie the Town. Their intentions therein (as we conceived, and do &s;ince further finde) were by the advantage of this place, and their Garri&s;on of Barn&s;taple &s;o near it,
<PB REF="2">
to make this part of <HI>Devon&s;hire</HI> more &s;urely theirs, &amp; more difficult for us to come into, and lying &s;o much the nearer to <HI>Exeter</HI> (again&s;t which they &s;uppo&s;ed this Army wholly ingaged) to take their be&s;t advantages: From hence, and from Chimleigh, which they meant al&s;o to have po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, to relieve Exeter on the North &s;ide, or di&s;turb us in the Siege; and 'tis probable, they might have a further pur|po&s;e in their po&s;ture here to &s;ecure the Landing of Iri&s;h or Welch Supplies &s;o much the forwarder towards the Ea&s;t.</P>
<P>On Saturday la&s;t, I advanced from <HI>Crediton</HI> to <HI>Chimleigh,</HI> where by many Pri&s;oners taken I was Informed, That the Lord <HI>Hopton</HI> had hereabouts Four thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and Three thou&s;and Foot; we believed them to be about Two thou&s;and Foot or upwards, and Three thou&s;and Hor&s;e. The extreme foulne&s;&s;e of weather that day and next, occa&s;ioned me not to advance from about <HI>Chimleigh</HI> for the next night, &s;ave only one Foot quarter, and an Hor&s;e Guard advanced to <HI>Ring-a&s;h,</HI> three miles towards the Enemy, to &s;ecure a Rendezvouz &s;o much the nearer to them for the day following: I under&s;tood by the be&s;t Intelligence, That the Enemy was re&s;olved to make good their &s;tation, and &s;et their re&s;t upon it to fight us there, if we would come up to them: And truly, men in their con|dition could not hope (all things con&s;idered) to have more for it. Their Hor&s;e in number &s;uperior to what I brought up with me, their Foot (as I finde &s;ince) not much inferior; and if they could with all their force make good this Town, and put us to lie in the field, (there being no Villages near it that could &s;helter the Army; the wet weather continuing which was then mo&s;t likely) would have forc'd us to draw back, and make our Fire-arms little u&s;eful, either for a&s;&s;ault or defence; and be&s;ides, we were like for matter of Provi&s;ions to be forced to draw off fir&s;t, they having both by their po&s;ture (with the plentiful Countrey of Cornwal behinde them, and a River at their backs &s;ecuring al&s;o a good part of De|von&s;hire unto them) and by their &s;trength of Hor&s;e much advan|tage for longer &s;ub&s;i&s;tence then we; and we (by the barrenne&s;&s;e of the place where we mu&s;t have lien before them, e&s;pecially for Hor&s;e-meat, their Garri&s;on of <HI>Barn&s;taple</HI> lying partly behinde us, their Hor&s;e more numerous then ours. which might with &s;tronger parties cut off our &s;upplies) had had little po&s;&s;ibility to &s;ub&s;i&s;t long before them. The&s;e con&s;iderations we had in our eye to di&s;courage us from going on (as I believe they had to incourage them to &s;tand) yet on the other &s;ide finding, That by rea&s;on of the barrenne&s;s and long exhau&s;ting of our Quarters behinde us, we could neither keep
<PB REF="3">
our Horie &s;o clo&s;e together as to lie &s;afe &s;o near the Enemy, nor indeed finde &s;ub&s;i&s;tence for the Army, either where we were, or in any other Quarters more backward, (where we could lye, &s;o as to &s;ecure the Siege of <HI>Exeter</HI> from relief) and upon all con&s;iderati|ons, conceiving the Affairs of the Kingdom did require us, and God by all did call us to make a pre&s;ent attempt upon the Enemy, we re&s;olved to go on to try what God would do for us, and tru&s;t him for weather, &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, and all things. Accordingly on Monday morning I drew out the Army to an early Rendezvouz at <HI>Ring-a&s;h</HI> (within &s;ix miles of the Enemy) the weather &s;till continued very wet, and &s;o by all &s;ignes, was like to hold, till we were advanced from the Rendezvouz; but &s;uddenly when we were upon march, it beyond all expectation grew fair and dry, and &s;o continued, whereas we had &s;carce &s;een one fair bla&s;t for many dayes before. The Enemy (as we under&s;tood by the way) had all their Hor&s;e drawn together about <HI>Torrington,</HI> and with their Foot prepared to defend the Town, which they had fortified with good Barra|cadoes of Earth, ca&s;t up at every Avenue, and a competent Line patcht up round about it, their Hor&s;e &s;tanding by to flanck the &s;ame, and &s;ome within to &s;cowre the &s;treets. Our Forlorn hope had Order to advance to <HI>Stephen&s;on</HI> Park (about a mile from the Town) and there to &s;tay for the drawing up of the Army, there being no other place fit for that purpo&s;e nearer to the Town on that &s;ide we came on: But when we came near, we under&s;tood the Enemy had with Two hundred Dragoons po&s;&s;e&s;t the Hou&s;e in the Park, and were Fortifying of it, being of it &s;elf very &s;trong: But upon our nearer approach, their Dragoons quitted the Hou&s;e, and our Forlorn hope falling on them, took many Pri|&s;oners, and pur&s;uing them near the Town, were ingaged &s;o far as they could not well draw back to the Park, which occa&s;ion|ed the &s;ending up of &s;tronger parties to make them good where they were, or bring them off; and at la&s;t (there being &s;ome fear the Enemy would draw about them, and hem them in, Col: <HI>Hamond</HI> was &s;ent up with three Regiments of Foot (being his own, Col: <HI>Harlows,</HI> and mine) and &s;ome more hor&s;e to lye for Re|&s;erves unto them, by which time the night was grown on, &s;o as it was not thought fit, unle&s;&s;e the Enemy appeared to be drawing a|way to attempt any thing further upon the town till morning, in re|gard none of us knew the ground nor th'advantages or di&s;advanta|ges of it; But about 9. of the clock, there being &s;ome apprehen&s;ion of the Enemies drawing away, by rea&s;on of their drawing back
<PB REF="3">
&s;ome out-guards, &s;mall parties were &s;ent out towards the towns end, to make a certain di&s;covery, which going very neer their works before the Enemy made any firing, but being at la&s;t entertain|ed with a great volley of &s;hot, and thereupon &s;uppo&s;ed to be inga|ged; &s;tronger parties were &s;ent up to relieve them, and after them the three Regiments went up for Re&s;erves, till at la&s;t they fell on in earne&s;t; after very hot firings, our men coming up to the Bar|racadoes and Line, the di&s;pute continued long at pu&s;h of Pike, and with But-ends of Muskets, until at la&s;t it plea&s;ed God to make the Enemy flye from their works, and give our men the entrance. After which, our men were twice repul&s;ed by their hor&s;e, and almo&s;t all driven out again, but col: <HI>Hamond</HI> (with &s;ome other officers &amp; a few Souldiers) made a &s;top at the Barracadoes, and &s;o making good their Reentrance, rallyed their men, and went on again (Major <HI>Ste|phens</HI> with their Forlorn of hor&s;e coming &s;ea&s;onably up to &s;econd them) The Enemies foot ran &s;everal wayes, mo&s;t of them leaving their Arms, but mo&s;t of their Officers, with a&s;&s;i&s;tance of hor&s;e, made good their own Retreat out of the Town towards the Bridge, and taking advantage of &s;trait pa&s;&s;ages to make often &s;tands again&s;t our men, gave time for many of their foot to get away over the Bridge. Their hor&s;e without the Town (after &s;ome attempts at other Ave|nues to have broke in again upon us being repul&s;ed, at la&s;t went all away over another Bridge, and at &s;everal other pa&s;&s;es of the River, and all fell We&s;tward; the ground, where their hor&s;e had &s;tood, and the Bridge they went over lying &s;o beyond the Town, as our hor&s;e could not come at them, but through the Town, which (by rea&s;on of &s;trait pa&s;&s;age through &s;everal Barracadoes was very tedious, by means whereof, and of the continued &s;trait Lanes the Enemy had to Retreat by after they were over the River (as al&s;o by th'advantage of the night, and by their perfect knowledge of the country, and of e&s;cape, and our utter ignorance therein) our hor&s;e could do little execution upon the pur&s;uit, but parties being &s;ent out &s;everal wayes to follow them (as tho&s;e di&s;advantages would admit) did the be&s;t they could, and brought back many pri&s;oners and hor&s;es; we took many pri&s;oners in the Town, who being put into the Church, where the Enemies Magazine lay (of above Eighty barrels of powder, as is reported, be&s;ides other Ammunition) either purpo&s;ely by &s;ome de|&s;perate pri&s;oner, or ca&s;ually by &s;ome Souldier, the powder was fired, whereby the Church was quite blown up, the pri&s;oners and mo&s;t of our men that guarded them were killed, and overwhelmed in the ruines, the hou&s;es of the Town &s;haken and &s;hattered, and our men
<PB REF="4">
all the Town over much indangered by the &s;tones, Timber and Lead, which with the bla&s;t were carryed up very high, and &s;catter'd in great abundance all the Town over, and beyond, yet it plea&s;ed God that very few of our men were &s;lain or hurt thereby (&s;ave tho&s;e in the Church only) our lo&s;&s;e of men otherwi&s;e in this &s;ervice was &s;mall, though many wounded, it being an hotter &s;ervice then any &s;torm this Army hath before been upon, wherein God gave our men great re&s;olution, and Col: <HI>Hamond</HI> e&s;pecially, with other Officers engaged with him, behaved them&s;elves with much cou|rage and diligence recovering the ground after their men were twice repul&s;ed; of pri&s;oners taken in this &s;ervice, about two hun|dred were blown up, two hundred have taken up Arms with us, and above 200 more common Souldiers remain pri&s;oners, be&s;ides many Officers, Gentlemen and Servants, not many &s;lain, but their foot &s;o di&s;per&s;ed, as that of about Three thou&s;and, (which the mo&s;t credi|ble per&s;ons do affirm they had here, and we finde by a Li&s;t taken among the Lo: <HI>Hoptons</HI> papers them&s;elves did accompt them more) we cannot hear of above four hundred that they carried off with them into Cornwal, whither their hor&s;e al&s;o are gone, being much broken and di&s;per&s;ed as well as their foot. By the con&s;iderations and circum&s;tances in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which I have here touch'd upon, you will perceive who&s;e hand it was that lead us to it, and gave &s;uch &s;ucce&s;&s;e in it. And truly there were many more evident appearan|ces of the good hand of God therein then I can &s;et forth, let all the honour be to him alone for ever, being de&s;irous (as God &s;hall &s;ee it good, and further enable me) to improve th'advantage of this &s;uc|ce&s;&s;e to the utmo&s;t. The next day having &s;ent &s;ome Regiments of hor&s;e and foot to advance unto quarters up towards Hol&s;worthy to &s;et the Enemy more home into Cornwal, and with more terrour upon them: I &s;ent al&s;o one Regiment of foot with &s;ome hor&s;e back towards Barn&s;table, to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the Earl of Bathes hou&s;e at N. Tave|&s;tock, about a mile from Barn&s;table on this &s;ide the River, whereby that Garri&s;on will be ea&s;ily kept in on this &s;ide, and I &s;hall further try what may be done upon it other wayes, while the Army takes a little re&s;t hereabouts, which the un&s;ea&s;onable marches, mi&s;erable quarters, and hard duty both hor&s;e and foot for many dayes have been put unto do nece&s;&s;arily require: But I conceive, that &s;o &s;oon as the Army can be fitted for the purpo&s;e, it would be be&s;t to follow the Enemy home, and throughly into Cornwal, the breaking of that body of hor&s;e that's left there being the likelye&s;t means to pre|vent or di&s;courage the landing of any Forreign forces in the&s;e
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parts, or the rai&s;ing of any more out of Cornwal. In order to which, I mu&s;t earne&s;tly recommend to your care two things e&s;pecially, the one, To provide by the di&s;po&s;al of your Forces in the Midland parts, that by Excur&s;ions from <HI>Oxford</HI> hitherward I may not be di|verted from pro&s;ecution of the work in Cornwal, to &s;end again that way; nor the &s;ieges of Exeter and Barn&s;table di&s;turbed when I am ingaged further We&s;t: The other, that Money may be &s;peeded (if any wayes po&s;&s;ible, but for one moneth or &s;ix weeks) to enable the hor&s;e as well as foot, to pay quarters in Cornwal, whereby th'oppo|&s;itions that people might make would in all likelyhood be taken off, and their affections or good opinions gained, to make them helpful to us again&s;t their pre&s;ent oppre&s;&s;ors.</P>
<P>There came unto me this day a yong man from about Truro, who certifieth me, That Sir <HI>Walter Dudley</HI> came very lately from France, to let tho&s;e about the Prince know, That if there were an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity, they could bring over their men from France with a fair wind, to be here by the middle of the next moneth; ex|pre&s;&s;ing, That they had neer Eight thou&s;and foot, and a thou&s;and hor&s;e in readine&s;&s;e, and three moneths pay provided for them, be&s;ides Ten thou&s;and pounds in Bullion daily expected, a Mint being ready to coyn the &s;ame: But yet intimated a conveniency in the giving a little more time for their coming over; whereupon Sir <HI>Iohn Culpeper</HI> was to go in all ha&s;te for France upon Friday la&s;t and is &s;uppo&s;ed on purpo&s;e, either to ha&s;ten all or a good part of tho&s;e Forces over. I think it will be very good, that as much &s;hip|ping as may be obtained be ha&s;tened to tho&s;e parts; I &s;hall upon this Information, and the good &s;ucce&s;&s;e God hath been plea&s;ed to give us, &s;o to di&s;po&s;e of the Army, as may mo&s;t effectually conduce to a &s;peedy and thorough &s;ettlement of the&s;e We&s;tern parts of the Kingdom. Therefore I de&s;ire you again to have a &s;pecial care, that the Forces about Oxford be not permitted to range into the&s;e parts, when the Army is like to be ingaged &s;o far We&s;t, le&s;t it occa|&s;ion the diver&s;ion of our Forces, and hinder the accompli&s;hment of that we de&s;ire to effect. I remain</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your mo&s;t humble Servant,
T: FAIRFAX.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Great Torrington, <DATE>Feb. 19. 1645.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>To the Honorable <HI>William Lenthal</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> Speaker of the Honorable Hou&s;e of Commons.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Suppo&s;e before the Date of this Letter, you have received my former Letter of the Engagement of this Army and <HI>Hoptons</HI> at <HI>Torrington</HI> on Monday night la&s;t, where we took Six hundred Pri&s;oners, be&s;ides Officers, near Two hundred Pri&s;oners blown up with <HI>Haptons</HI> Magazine, &s;et on fire by one <HI>Wate</HI> a Northern man, for thirty pounds promi&s;ed him by Sir <HI>Ralph Hopton,</HI> as he confe&s;|&s;ed a little before his death: He died this day of the wounds he re|ceived by the Timber that fell upon him: The re&s;t of the Pri|&s;oners ca&s;t him out for a Mon&s;ter, that would have de&s;troyed all them his Friends. All the hou&s;es in the Town are almo&s;t &s;hattered in pieces with the bla&s;t. <HI>Hopton</HI> had his Hor&s;e kill'd under in the &s;treet; and as we under&s;tand by tho&s;e that come to day from Cornwal, he is de&s;perately wounded; All his force are All-ago in|to Cornwall, there they are in great Confu&s;ion for fear of our Ar|mies advance, and an Army out of <HI>France:</HI> we had been there before now, but for &s;etling the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of <HI>Barn&s;taple,</HI> by blocking it up clo&s;e: One Regiment is at the E: of <HI>Bathes</HI> hou&s;e at <HI>Tave&s;tock</HI> within a mile of <HI>Barn&s;taple;</HI> other Forces at <HI>Biddiford</HI> and other places. On Saturday or Sunday we are for Cornwal, Godwilling. By <HI>Hoptons</HI> Papers we perceive the Relief of <HI>Exeter</HI> was the prin|cipal end of his Motion to <HI>Torrington.</HI> The quantities of Powder and Salt to be left in <HI>Exeter,</HI> we finde in writings. We took eight Colours, one <HI>Hoptons</HI> own Colours with this Motto, <HI>I will &s;trive to help my Soveraign King.</HI> His Commi&s;&s;ion from the King and Prince to be General, and <HI>Digbies</HI> to be Colonel General of the Forces before <HI>Plymouth,</HI> were al&s;o taken. Two Ships are come into <HI>Biddiford</HI> ye&s;terday; the one will prove Prize.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. R.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>Torrington,</HI> <DATE>Feb. 19. twelve at night.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
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