Leslie,
too, faced major difficulties. He had fielded a mostly Lowland
army of 6,000 horse and 16,000 foot soldiers. Of these, about
16,500 men were short-term levies. The Kirk added to his troubles
by conducting purges in the army to eliminate possible "Malignants,"
their word for Royalists and other political enemies. They filled
the army with ministers' sons, clerks, and other religiously and
politically reliable personnel with little or no military experience.
In short, the army did not contain many of Scotland's most capable
soldiers.
Leslie
also misjudged Cromwell's intentions. When the Scots spied the
English moving some artillery, Leslie concluded that all or most
of Cromwell's guns were aboard the ships, and that he was planning
to depart by sea.
Contrary
to Leslie's supposition, Cromwell had no intention of abandoning
Dunbar by sea. He recognized that he had few options while the
Scots were on Doon Hill, but Leslie's position there was difficult
to resupply. The Scots could only stay there for a few days before
they would have to withdraw, unless Cromwell's own army gave out
first.
On
September 2, Leslie held a council of war. Assuming that the English
were as good as beaten, his officers voted to leave the hill and
finish them off. As Leslie redeployed at the base of Doon Hill,
Cromwell and Lambert, seeing an opportunity, immediately reconnoitered
for weaknesses in Leslie's new position.
Many
historians claim that the Scots' abandonment of Doon Hill caused
their defeat. It seems clear, however, that from a purely tactical
point of view Leslie's crucial mistake was in expecting Cromwell
to wait for an attack. In this, he overlooked the possibility
that Cromwell might attack first. There has also been historical
debate over the extent to which Leslie was solely responsible
for the decision. Some have blamed a council of fanatical ministers
who traveled with the Scottish army. Leslie never blamed them
publicly for this afterward, though he insinuated that their purges
diminished the quality of his army. It is clear that the clergy
held great sway over the army, and strongly supported Leslie's
plan. Whatever the source of the decision, had Leslie deployed
his men in a less vulnerable fashion, he might have still carried
the battle.
At
the time, the English army was probably the best in Europe. During
the Civil Wars, Cromwell and Lt. Gen. Charles Fleetwood forged
an army with good organization and soldiers who were well-trained.
But of the 16,354 men Cromwell had led across the Scottish border
in July, only 3,500 horse and 7,500 foot soldiers remained combat
effective at Dunbar. His opponents outnumbered him 2-to-1. However,
most of the English, unlike their opponents, were veterans.
Leslie
underestimated Cromwell and soon the battle turned in Cromwell's
favor. Attacking before dawn on September 3, Cromwell caught the
Scots off guard. By the time the sun had evaporated the morning
mists, Cromwell had shattered Leslie's army.
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