<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2013-02-08</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B130010.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A76793">
<STC T="W">B3092</STC>
<STC T="T">E293_8</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99860965</BIBNO>
<VID>113092</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A more Exact RELATION OF THE GREAT DEFEAT GIVEN to <HI>Gorings</HI> Army in the We&s;t; By the Victorious S^r^. Thomas Fairfax.</P>
<P>Sent in a Letter from Captain <HI>Blackwell,</HI> to his father in <HI>London.</HI></P>
<P>Publi&s;hed according to Order.</P>
<P><HI>LONDN,</HI> Printed for <HI>Henry Overton</HI> in <HI>Popes-head Alley,</HI> 1645.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>A more exact relation of the great defeat given to <HI>Gorings</HI> Army in the We&s;t: by the Victorious Sr. <HI>Thomas Fairfax,</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Deare Father.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_I &s;ent you ye&s;terday a note wherein I ac|quainted you in generall that Sr. <HI>Thomas Fairfax</HI> had newly routed the Kings Ar|my, under the command of Generall <HI>Goring.</HI> Having now another oppertu|nity of &s;ending and more time for wri|ting, I &s;hall give a more large, yet a brief relation too of the particulars.</P>
<P>On Munday la&s;t we marcht from <HI>Crookhorne</HI> towards <HI>Ilche&s;ter,</HI> a gari&s;on of the Kings, &s;tanding upon the ri|ver, (on the other &s;ide of which <HI>Gorings</HI> Army was drawne up) they having broken downe all the Bridges upon the river from <HI>Evill</HI> to <HI>Bridgewater,</HI> and made good the pa&s;&s;es by parties of theirs: we faced <HI>Ilche&s;ter</HI> with our Hor&s;e about noone, and &s;ent a &s;mall party towards the Towne to beate in their hor&s;e-guard, whereby we might the better view their workes, for we thought to have forced over the pa&s;&s;e, Wee beate their guards in, having wounded &s;ome of them, and taken a Lieut. pri&s;oner, but found it difficult to pa&s;&s;e that way: whereupon we marched with our foote to <HI>Evill,</HI> 3 miles thence that night, and found that Bridge
<PB N="2" REF="3">al&s;o broke up. But the next morning earely inteli|gence came the enemy was marched towards <HI>Gla&s;&s;eabu|ry</HI> and <HI>Bri&s;toll.</HI> Whereupon we thought to have fol|lowed them, but our intelligence being not certaine of the way of their march, becau&s;e a party of them had marched another way, and finding their garri&s;on. viz. <HI>Ilche&s;ter</HI> quitted and burnt (the &s;tronge&s;t part of it,) we marched thither and quartered there on Teu&s;day night till better intelligence.</P>
<P>The next morning we under&s;tood they were march|ed to <HI>Langport,</HI> (another Garri&s;on upon the river) from whence they &s;ent a party of hor&s;e towards <HI>Il|me&s;ter</HI> where Major Generall <HI>Ma&s;sies</HI> forces were quartered but being beaten backe and pur&s;ued neare <HI>Langport, Ma&s;sie</HI> found 3 Regiments of the enemies hor&s;e turned out to grt&s;e, which they &s;eized upon and kept: and in the pur&s;uite tooke divers cullours from the enemy, and endangered <HI>Gorings</HI> per&s;on very much, while&s;t Sr. <HI>Tho. Fairfax</HI> with his Army was on the o|ther &s;ide the river within 3 miles of <HI>Langport,</HI> at a place called <HI>Sutton</HI> viewing the pur&s;uit, having received in|telligence that night of this defeate given to the enemy by <HI>Ma&s;sy,</HI> the next morning the enemy were all drawne out of <HI>Langport,</HI> on that &s;ide of the river where Our quarters were, wee marched forth|with towards them: with 7 Regiments of hor&s;e (which were all the hor&s;e on this &s;ide the river) and one Company of Dragoons, and 8 Regiments of foote, And drew up again&s;t them in a Campania within a mile of Langport upon one hill, they being upon another, and there was betwixt us a &s;mal valley, and only a road way to pa&s;&s;e through, the &s;ides of the valley being en|clo&s;ed grounds by hedges and a &s;mall brooke running
<PB N="3" REF="3">in the bottome betweene us. Here we had &s;ome skir|miging with our hor&s;e, till at la&s;t the enemy finding it would be much to their di&s;-advantage to lo&s;e, or to &s;uf|fer us to march up that way, they endeauoured to make it good by lining the hedges with Mu&s;quettiers, but we re&s;olved about 10. of tht clocke in the morning to force our way (although they had al&s;o placed a peeces of Ordinance on the top of the hill in the roade way) when they perceived what we intended by our draw|ing towards them, they &s;ent Dragoones to make good the pa&s;&s;e, and as we thought, intended to draw off their Mu&s;quettiers, but before they could draw them off, we had engaged them by forlorne hopes of Mu&s;quettiers, drawn downe to the hedges, both on the right hand and left of that pa&s;&s;e, which they with &s;tood a while &s;toutly; but having drawne up our great Guns, and given them about 50. or 60. great &s;hot, their hor&s;e began to retreat, and their foote could not abide &s;o much heat, as they found in our Mu&s;quettiers, of both forlorne hopes; whereupon our hor&s;e began to advance up the way: then their foote ran from the hedges. The Regiments late Lieut. Gener2l is own Regiment (for it is now de|vided into two) being in the Van, advanced up the hill, and Major Bethell of one of tho&s;e Regiments gave the hor&s;e &s;uch a gallant charge up the hill, that they after a long di&s;pute with him quitted the ground, and gave li|berty for the re&s;t of our Hor&s;e to come up; who found them not re&s;olved for a long di&s;pute, and therefore charging them de&s;parately the enemy all faced about, and ran away both hor&s;e and foote mo&s;t &s;hamefully: The foot mo&s;t of them into <HI>Langport</HI> which was with|in halfe a mile of them, but for ha&s;t threw downe all their armes by the way, and the Hor&s;e, all that were
<PB N="6" REF="4">on this &s;ide the River, towards <HI>Bridgewater,</HI> our Hor&s;e pur&s;uing with the Lieutenant Generall <HI>Cromwell,</HI> un|till they came within a mile of <HI>Bridgewater,</HI> killing many by the way, and taking many pri&s;oners, while they were pur&s;uing the Lieut. Generall gave order for a party of Hor&s;e to face <HI>Langport,</HI> their Garri&s;on to &s;ecure the reare, And after his returne finding them marching out of <HI>Langport,</HI> on the other &s;ide of the water, made ready a party of Hor&s;e and Dragoons, if it were po&s;&s;ible to come at them to pur&s;ue them al&s;o: when they were all marched out of the Towne, but &s;ome of their owne that they killed, who would not march with them: they &s;et the farther end of the Towne on fire in a narrow &s;tree<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e, thinking thereby to have hindred us that we could not come after them: But although the fire burnt very violently on both &s;ides, &s;o that many dur&s;t not venture, the Lieut. Gene|rall him&s;elfe advanced in the head of 6. Troupes of Hor&s;e, with about 3. of Dragoons to pur&s;ue them, (two Regiments of Foot being commanded to march as fa&s;t as they could after: he overtook them within 2. or 3. miles of the Towne: And although their num|ber was farre greater, yet it plea&s;ed the Lord to &s;trike them with &s;uch a feare, that 15. Troupes of Hor&s;e, and about 2000. Foote, the greate&s;t part of then ran away and hid them&s;elves, but we tooke hundreds of them pri&s;oners, and marched through their owne flame with them back againe into <HI>Langport,</HI> &s;hewing them their wickedne&s;&s;e. Thus God hath ble&s;&s;ed us exceedingly, we have taken many pri&s;oners, I cannot at pre&s;ent know what they are, but we have taken the Lieutenant Generall of their Ordnance, and adjuvant Generall, 3. Colonels, with Lieutenant Colonels and
<PB N="7" REF="4">Majors, and many Captaines and other Offices, about 30. Foote Colours, I have not yet learnt how many Hor&s;e Colours, 2. peeces of Ordnance, the re&s;t with their Trayne being &s;ent to <HI>Bridgewater,</HI> in the morning two waggons of Ammunition, about a 1000. Mu&s;|quets, I know not how many Hor&s;es, above a 1000. pri&s;oners of Foote. All their armes which we tooke not, they threw into the River, and corne ficlds, kill'd about 60. or 80. of them, with the lo&s;&s;e of about 4. or 5. men at mo&s;t: Many of the pri&s;oners have taken up armes, the re&s;t are &s;ent as I thinke for <HI>London,</HI> wee are now upon our pur&s;uit with the Army, within 2. miles of <HI>Bridgewater,</HI> both Hor&s;e, Foote, and Trayne, intending to fall to worke there next, here are 3000. club-men declared for us, and keepe the pa&s;&s;ages with mu&s;quets between <HI>Bridgewater</HI> and <HI>Bri&s;toll.</HI> Sir, wee doe, doe you al&s;o ble&s;&s;e God, who hath rai&s;ed up a poore company of men to do him &s;uch &s;ervice, Men who were by &s;ome thought not firt to be tollerated in the Kingdome, but faithfull to God and tho&s;e who have employed them, without any other ends then Gods glory, and the publique welfare of this poore Kingdome. Sir, I have no more time, pray excu&s;e my ha&s;t, this is truth, and all the truth I know at pre&s;ent: I de&s;ire all my friends may know what great things God hath done for us, and may ble&s;&s;e his Name for it, with us:</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Middle&s;ey, <DATE>Iuly 11. Friday, 1645.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your mo&s;t dutifull Sonne, <HI>Iohn Blackwell.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
