Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/354

340 with four thousand men, and as many more following, was the same day at Dumblane, within six miles of his camp. A general of any spirit would have fallen on Argyll whilst his men were exhausted with fatigue; but Mar, who was cowardly and incompetent, retreated again towards Perth, pretending that the country round Dumblane was destitute of provisions, and that it was necessary to protect the north from incursions from the troops of Sutherland.

Meantime Macintosh, after waiting two days at Seton House in expectation of an attack from Argyll, and deprived of any intelligence of his departure by a body of volunteers and militia under lords Torphichen and Rothes lying betwixt him and the city, resumed his march on the 19th across the heaths of Lammermuir, and joined the English insurgents at Kelso on the 22nd. This united force now amounted altogether to about two thousand men—one thousand four hundred foot commanded by Macintosh, and six hundred horse under lord Kenmure and Mr. Forster. This force might, in the paucity of troops in the service of the king, have produced a great effect had they marched unitedly southward and engaged general Carpenter, who was advancing from Newcastle, with only about nine hundred cavalry, to attack them; or had they gone at once north, taken Argyll in the rear, and then combined with Mar. But after marching to Jedburgh and then to Hawick, the Scotch and English came to two different opinions. The Scotch would not enter England, being persuaded by the earl of Wintoun that, if they went into England, they would be all cut to pieces, or be sold for slaves. Macintosh was willing to enter England, but they would listen to no one but Wintoun. The English, on the contrary, would not remain in Scotland. Lord Derwentwater and his brother, Charles Radcliffe, amongst the English, were the only ones who joined in opinion with the Highlanders. They thought that by joining Mar they might make themselves masters of all Scotland; would thus raise the courage of the Scots, and create a terror of them amongst the English, whereas, if they failed in England, their ruin was irretrievable. When the English would not listen to this, Charles Radcliffe requested that he might have a hundred horse to take his fortune along with the Highlanders; but this was refused on the ground that it would weaken their forces. At last the Highlanders consented to remain with the English so long as they remained in Scotland. After marching about for some time the English leaders declared that by their letters they learned that, on appearing in Lancashire, two thousand men would join them. They resolved, therefore, to march south, and lord Derwentwater protested against this step in vain. At length five hundred Highlanders went off to the north, Macintosh and the rest joining the English and marching south. They entered England on the 1st of November, and took up their quarters at Brampton, in Cumberland, for the night, where Forster opened a commission from Mar, appointing him their commander in England. They next day marched to Penrith, where the bishop of Carlisle and lord Lonsdale awaited them at the head of the posse comitatus, amounting to ten thousand men. These, however, fled on their approach, leaving behind them numbers of horses, which were very useful, and troops of prisoners, which, being only an incumbrance, were allowed to go away. As they advanced through Cumberland, they proclaimed the pretender at Kendal, Appleby, and Kirby Lonsdale, but no one joined them, the leading catholics in that country and Westmoreland, Mr. Howard of Corby and Mr. Curwen of Workington, having been secured by government in Carlisle Castle. At Kirby, however, some of the Lancashire catholic gentry met them, and they now marched across that county to Lancaster. That town was garrisoned by troops under the notorious colonel Chartres, who attempted to blow up the bridge over the Loyne; but as the inhabitants resisted, he quitted the place, and the rebels entered it, and released such of their friends as were in the prison, amongst them one Thomas Syddal, who was confined for heading a mob to pull down a meeting-house in Manchester. On the 9th they marched into Preston, Stanhope’s regiment of dragoons retiring at their approach. There they were in the midst of a very catholic population, and gentlemen of that persuasion joined them with their tenantry and servants to the amount of one thousand two hundred. This reinforcement, however, was rather a mob than an army. The men came armed with old guns, swords, and pitchforks; but of these, even, they had a great deficiency, and of discipline they had none.

But here their career was doomed to end. Preston had witnessed the rout of the royalists by Cromwell, and it was now to witness the rout of the rebels by the royalists. Carpenter, on finding that the insurgents had taken the way through Cumberland, also hastened back to Newcastle and Durham, where he was joined by general Wills. Both these officers had served with distinction in the Spanish campaign, and were well able to cope with a far more formidable body. Wills was in advance with six regiments of cavalry, mostly newly-raised troops, but full of spirit, and well officered. He came near Preston on the 11th of November, whilst Carpenter was approaching in another direction, so as to take the enemy in the flank. Forster quickly showed that he was a very unfitting commander. He was at first greatly elated by the junction of the Lancashire men, but, on hearing that the royal troops were upon them, he was instantly panic-stricken, and, instead of issuing orders, or summoning a council, he betook himself to bed. Lord Kenmure roused him from his ignominious repose, but it was too late; no means were taken to secure the natural advantages of the place. The bridge over the Ribble, which might have kept the enemy at bay, was left, undefended; so that when Wills rode up to it on the morning of the 12th, he imagined that the rebels had evacuated the place.

It is difficult to conceive, also, what Macintosh had been about. To a veteran officer as he was, the gross neglect of every advantage of the ground must have been something wonderful; yet he, too, appeared to have equally disregarded them. Besides the bridge over the river, there was a deep and hollow way of half a mile from the bridge to the town, with high and steep banks, from which an army might have been annihilated; but all was left undefended. It was only when Wills advanced into the town that he became aware that the rebels were still there, and found his path obstructed by barricades raised in the streets. His soldiers gallantly attacked these barricades, but were met by a murderous fire both from behind them and from the houses on both sides.