A TRUE AND IMPARTIAL Relation of the BATTLE BETWIXT, HIS MAJESTY'S ARMY and that of the REBELS, near Newbury in Berk-shire, Sept. 20. 1643.  
WITH The several Actions of the KING'S Army since HIS MAJESTY'S removing it from before Gloucester.  
Sent in a Letter from the Army to a Noble LORD.  
Printed, 1643.   

My Lord,  
I Have omitted all this last Week to give your Lordship an account of the condition of His Majesty's affairs here; every day (till these three last) having produced little in effect, but much in expectation. But now that the long looked for Crisis of a Battle is over, I have thought in fit to inform your Lordship, not only of the success and circumstances of that, but also of the steps and progress to it, being doubly obliged so to do, in relation to His Majesty's service, as well as in what I own to your Lordship's satisfaction, both which I find in as much danger of suffering by some of our own parties, charging the conduct of His Majesty's designs with rashness and imprudence, as in the Rebels perverting the truth of the success of His Armies, by their usual arts of falsity by which they have hitherto still appeared able to make better use of Defeats, than we of Victories.  
Your Lordship may be pleased to understand, that the Earl of Essex having descended with his Army into the Vale of Gloucester, before the King could well draw His from the Siege up to the hills to fight with him, it was not thought fit to follow him into the enclosed Country, where the King should lose the great advantage he had above him in strength of horse, but rather to make choice of such a place to incamp his Army as might be aptest for these three ends: to accommodate his Quarters; to strengthen him in Provisions; and equally to intercept his flight a fair Country; whether he should take it by the way of Worcester to wards Warwick, or by the way of Cyrencester towards Reading, and to these purposes, the Town of Winchcomb and Sudely Castle were made choice of as the most appropriate. But after two day's lodging there, (the Queen's Regiment having in their coming to that Quarter defeated one of the Earls best Regiments of Horse of Dutchmen, commanded by one Blaire) upon intelligence that the Earl was advanced as fare as Teuxbury and Vpton bridge, (whereby it was made probable unto us, that he intended Warwick way) the King removed his Army to Evesham; from whence (having beaten up a Quarter of theirs) we were quickly hurried by the news that Essex had faced about, and had in the night, with great silence, secrecy, and strange diligence, almost gained Cirencester, and surprised two new raised Regiments of ours there, before we could get any certain notice of his motions: having left (as it seems) most of his great Ordnance and baggage behind him, and amusing us with a show of Forces still in Teuxbury and Vpton, which were (as I conceive) those now remaining in Garrison at Gloucester. Upon certainty of his remove on the Thursday, our whole Army on the Saturday morning marched after him, our Horse with such diligence, that on the Sunday night they Quartered within six miles of him, he at Suningdon, we about Farringdon. Upon the Monday morning Colonel Vrrey, with a party of a Thousand commanded men, was sent to follow them in the Rear from their Quarters, whilst Prince Rupert with the body of the Cavalry drew over the directest way to meet him, and it was our good luck to cross his Army just as our party had overtaken it upon the open Down, two miles on the Northwest side of Aubourne, the Rebels descrying us, drew up in Battalia, leaving only a body of some two hundred Horse upon a hill somewhat distant from the gross of their Army, which we found means so to steal upon with Vrries' party, as to charge and rout them, and taking two Coronets and kill Forty or Fifty men, without any loss on our part; we beat them into their Foot & Cannon, upon which occasion we discovered such evident symptoms of fear and distraction in their whole Army, as that the Prince was well nigh tempted from his temper, and was once resolved to have charged (with 3000 horse alone,) their whole Army, consisting of 2000 horse and 5000 Foot at least, and store of Cannon: But news arriving at the instant that our Foot was, beyond expectation, advanced within 6 or 7 miles of us, it imposed upon his Highness' prudence this caution, not to adventure upon half our strength that rest, which the next day he might be sure to fight for with double power: upon which consideration he made a stand, resolving that night only to attend them and hinder their March. We had not stood long when we discovered that the Enemy prepared for a retreat, and by degrees drew away there baggage first, than their Foot leaving their horse at a good distance from them. The Prince his Design hereupon was to have charged them, when half their Forces should have been drawn off the field into those Lanes, whereinto their baggage was already advanced, but their motions being so very slow, and the night drawing on, upon second thoughts his Highness judged it the best course to try, if (by a small party) be could engage their horse, which was then grown to be at a good distance from their Foot: this Partee he committed to the care of Vrrey, with two Regiments only near at hand to second him, keeping the Body of his Horse at such a distance, as might encourage the Enemy to venture on that severed part, which they did, with a little too much encouragement, for (to say the truth) the Regiments that should have seconded Vrrey, not doing their parts so well as they ought, forced his Partee also to make somewhat a disorderly retreat, and the Prince to send hasty succours to them, which the Queen's Regiment (Commanded by my Lord jermyn) was ordered to do, which his Lordship performed with much gallantry, being received very steadily, by a strong body of the Enemy's horse, and with a composedness in the Officer that commanded them very remarkably. For his Lordship advancing before his Regiment, with the marquis de la Vieuville on the one hand, & the Ld Digby on the other (the Enemy's Volley of Carabines given them smartly at less them 10. yards) being past, the Commander somewhat forwarder than the rest, was plainly seen to pry into their countenances, and removing his leavell from one to another to discharge his Pistol as it were by election at the Ld Digbyes head, but without any more hurt, (saving only the burning of his face) than he himself received by my Ld Jermyn's sword, who (upon the Lord Digbyes Pistol missing fire) ran him with it in to the back, but he was as much beholding to his Arms there, as the Lord Digby to his head-piece. Immediately upon this shock, the Queen's Regiment was so charged in the rear by a fresh body of theirs, that the greatest part of it, shifting for themselves, the Lord jermyn, accompanied with the French marquis, and the Officers only of his Regiment, thought it as safe a way as well as the most honourable, to venture forwards through their whole Army, rather than to Charge back through those that had environed him, and so with admirable success (the unhappy loss of that gallant marquis excepted) he brought 4 Colours & all his Officers off safe, having made their way round, through the gross of the Enemies Foot. The Lord Digby being stunned, and for the present blinded with his shot, was fortunately rescued out of the middle of a Regiment of the Enemies by a brave Charge, which Prince Rupert in Person made upon them with his own Troop, wherein his Highness' Horse was shot in the head under him, but yet, by God's blessing, brought him off; and so the Enemy's horse being beaten quite up to their Foot and Cannon, the night coming upon us, gave a period to that action. That night we quartered in the Field, some 2 miles distant from the Enemy, who by the next morning was stolen away as fare as Hungerford: whereupon, the Prince conjecturing rightly the course they would hold, drew his Horse the directest way towards Newbury, assigning the Foot also their Rendezvous there that night, where, luckily, they met in the Evening, at the same instant that the Earl of Essex his Army appeared within a mile of the Town with little thought (as I conceive) of finding his intended quarter so prepossessed: upon sight of our Army they retreated into certain hedges and fastnesses, a mile & half distant from Newbury westward. The Rebels thus happily overtaken in their flight, consultation was held of the way to prevent their farther evading us, & it was resolved on for the best, to draw all the King's Army that night into a large field on the other side of Newbury, adjoining to those closes where the Enemy had made this halt, to the end that we might be in readiness to press upon the first motions of theirs. The night was passed in much uncertainty, but with opinion on our part, that they were marched away. The next morning being Wednesday the 20. of Sept. by break of day; (in stead of the flight which upon all their former proceed we had reason to expect) we discovered them settled in the most advantageous way imaginable of receiving us, whether invited to it by the extraordinary advantages of the place, or engaged to it by the despair of escaping us by a Retreat, I know not, but there we found them, their Foot, their Horse, & their Cannon planted with much skill, not only for molesting us and preserving themselves, but even for temptation to us to assail them upon those disadvantages. For having lodged their Baggage and Principal Reserve both of Horse and Foot upon a hillside under a Wood near Hampsted, fenced by Hedges and Ditches inaccessible, but by such and such passes, and having disposed another principal part of their strength betwixt that and a place called Enbourne, in strong hedges, and houses, with apt Batteries on both sides, for bravado sake, or to invite us, they had drawn out into Battalia into little Heath on the Southside of Enbourne three bodies of foot, both lined and flanked with strong bodies of Horse, and under favour of Cannon, so as that upon all occasions they might conveniently pour out thither from their holds what new strength they pleased, or, if beaten, might have a safe retreat into the adjoining fastnesses, which nature and they had both so well secured, they being so advantageously placed for fight, and so disadvantagiously for subsistence, we having Newbury at our backs to sustain us, and so many more Horse than they to cut off provisions. It may well occur to your Lordship, to question why (since it doth to so many more to censure that) we did not endeavour to combat them so by their necessities as to oblige them for want of sustenance to retreat over some more equal country, rather than to assail them upon such dangerous odds of situation. The answer to this objection by way of excuse, that we were in some sort to lead on, and engaged by the tempting prospect of that little Battalia I mentioned upon the Heath; and by way of justification I am to tell you, that there was within the Enemy's dominion a round hill not suspected nor observed by us the night before, from whence a battery would command all the plain before Newbury, where the King's Army stood, insomuch that unless we possessed ourselves of that hill, there was no holding of that Field, but the King must have retreated with his Army thence, the dishonour of which, I believe you will easily consent aught to outweigh the hazard of attempting them, and (to say the truth) even without their having that hill, the King's Person was exposed all day to much more hazard of the Cannon them was fitting, the Rebels employing it very freely where ever by any signs they could discover his presence. This hill and that heath I mentioned, were the two eminent scenes of all that day's action, from 7 a clock in the morning till 7 at night, except only one attempt made by them from their grand Reserve upon a pass on our right hand near the River possessed by the King's Life-guards, in which they were repulsed. The issue of the Battle on the heath (first begun, and quickly ended) was a total routing of their horse, the possessing of five pieces of Cannon there, though able to bring off but one of them, the forcing the Foot to retreat into their strength, though unbroken, for (give them their due) they shown themselves like good men, and lastly the gaining and holding the place.  
This action was done merely by our Horse, for (to say truth) our Foot having found a hillock in the heath that sheltered them from the Enemy's Cannon, would not be drawn a foot from thence. The General and Prince rupert's personal presence and conduct, contributed much to this good success, as also the Lieutenant general Willmots. Chief Officers of horse, that bore a principal part in the action itself, were my Lord of Carnarvan, Colonel Gerard, Sir Charles Lucas, the Earl of Northampton, the Lord Chandois, and Daniel Oneale. To name them all that did eminently there, were to give you a Catalogue of all our Gentlemen of quality there present: for there is scarcely any that did not behave himself remarkably. Persons of note killed there, were, the Earl of Carnarvan, the Earl of Sunderland, Colonel Morgan, Lieutenant Colonel Fielding, and some more Volunteeres, whose name I cannot collect, amongst the rest, Sir George Strodes eldest Son, a Valiant and an ingenuous young man; Persons of note hurt, of prime Officers, the Lord Andover, Sr Charles Lucas, Colonel Charles Gerard, and Colonel Ivers. Of lower Officers, abundance, but none that I hear either of them or these dangerously. Of Volunteeres, the Earl of Peterborough, and Mr John Russell, Mr Edward Sackvile, Mr Henry Howard, George Porter, with many more.  
The action of the hill was carried with as much bravery both by our Horse and Foot as on the Heath by the Horse alone, the Foot Commanded by Sir Nicholas Byron, the Horse by Sir John Byron, who after six hours (the hottest dispute that hath been seen) gained it from my Lord of Essex his own guards that had possessed it, enjoyed it quietly many hours, and in the end (the Enemy setting up his rest to regain it, after as hot a fight as at their taking it) repulsed him, and kept it still.  
Officers of note hurt there, were Colonel Darcy, George Lisle, and Ned Villiers, and the Lord Viscount Falkland (volunteering it with too much bravery) unfortunately killed, I may have omitted many persons as eminent in their actions that day, as some of these I have named, but it being so endless a task to nominate all, I have only particularised such as I conceive to be of your Lordship's acquaintance.  
Your Lordship doth not expect that I should tell you of noble men killed on the oath side, nor much of Gentry, but of such things as they call Officers, their Prisoners assure us concurringly, that the most and principal of them are slain. The night coming upon us soon after the Enemies final repulse from that hill, the King drew all his Army up to the top of the heath, keeping possession both of that, and of the hill till towards night; at which time, His Horse and Foot, being extremely tired, and being probably informed that the Enemy had retreated with their carriages, and a principal part of their Army, it was thought sit to draw his Horse into Quarters on the other side of the River, and His foot into the Town, principally to refresh them, and to enable them for the next day's pursuit, but in part (for I will conceal nothing from your Lordship) to make a Bridge to a flying Enemy, lest indeed too great a despair of retreat, might have made them opiniate a second fight in that disadvantageous place, where having not (to tell you the truth) Powder enough left for half such another day, having spent four score barrels in it, threescore more than had served the turn at Edge-hill, nor could we be assured that the supply from Oxford of 100 Barrels more could come to us till the next day at noon.  
Thus my Lord have I given your Lordship as true an account as I can, of God's blessing upon the justice of His Majesty's Armies that day, which (considering the disadvantages we fought upon) may well be counted in itself a happy success, but in the effects it hath since had in our pursuit of my Lord of Essex, our defeating, in that pursuit, his two best remaining Regiments of Horse, our dissipating in so great a measure his Army, and sending the Rebels back with so much terror, to their nest (London,) may well be reputed a great victory; and yet I am confident that our having gained the Field, Colours, Cannon, store of Prisoners, from them, beaten them from all places, that we under took, repulsed them from all that they attempted, our having execution on them in their flight ', and all this with the loss of half their numbers, and the confessed ensigns of a battle gained; will not have kindled lighter bonfires with us in joy and thanksgiving, then with the remaining Rebels in hopes yet farther to abuse the people, by passing still upon them deliverancies for Victories.  
From NEWBURY this 22. of Sept. 1643. Your Lordship's most humble Servant.