A Full and Exact RELATION Of the Storming and Taking of Dartmouth, With above Five hundred Prisoners, Sixty piece of Ordnance, great store of Ammunition and Ships belonging to the said TOWN.  
As it was sent to the Honourable William Lenthal Esq; Speaker to the Honourable House of Commons.  
Together with an Order of both Houses of Parliament, for Thursday come Fortnight to be a day of Thanksgiving within the Lines of Communication, and ten miles about; and Thursday come three weeks in all other places in the Country.  

ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament, That this Relation and Order be forthwith printed and published:  
H: Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com.   
London, Printed for Edw. Husband, Printer to the Honourable House of Commons, and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Golden Dragon in Fleetstreet, near the Inner-Temple, January. 23. 1645.   

To the Honourable William Lenthal Esq; Speaker of the Honourable House of Commons.  
SIR,  
IF I writ confusedly, I shall humbly crave your pardon; for we have been up all night, and things are not yet in a settled order: In my former Letters I acquainted you how the army was engaged before Dartmouth (a place of as great, if not greater concernment than Exeter) it required some few day's time to be throughly informed of the state of the town; after which, it was unanimously resolved to storm the town (for we find more loss of men by lingering sieges, then sudden storms) every Commander was allotted to his post, and they as faithfully and valiantly performed their duties; every man gaining the command of every Fort or place that fell to his lot, with all the Ordnance, Arms and Ammunition: The storm begun about one a clock this morning; after the Enemy had discharged their Canon once, our men got under the shot, and possessed the Canon, and turned them against the Enemy (for we had no pieces at all of our own, the weather not admitting any to be brought) after the Line was cleared, and some works taken, we became Masters of the whole Town, and then of Tunstal Mount and Church, Mount Boon, Mount Paradise, and the old Castle, in which castle were five great Iron Guns, which command the River. In the storm our men possessed themselves of about sixty piece of Ordnance, the two great Forts not yet taken (being a mile from the Town) for these two Forts, if they accept not of quarter while they may have it, in the opinion of the General and Lieut. General, and Commanders, we may reduce them by force in forty eight hours, & batter them in pieces with their own great Guns, which we have taken in Town, one whereof is a brass Demy canon; Truly I never see men fall on more cheerfully and merrily; Mr. Dell, and Mr. Peter's preached to them, & put much life into them, and God was wonderful merciful unto us, for we had but one man slain, and but few wounded, though the Forts played most fiercely on the Soldiers; the Commanders & Forces that were engaged in the storm, were, Col: Hamond and his Regiment, Col: Lambert and his Regiment, Col: Fortescue and his Regiment, Lieut. Col: Pride with Col: Harleys Regiment, and a good party out of the Generals, & Col: Ingolsbies' Regiments, and lastly, two hundred Seamen, & some Dragoons. And though the Town was entered thus by storm, yet very little prejudice was done to the town, the Soldiers being fair conditioned beyond expectation, they grumbled a little that they had not the Reward promised at Bristol, to save that town from plundering, which City deserves to feel the smart of plunder, for their unthankfulness for so great favours they found from the Army. The Messenger is in haste to be gone; and for further particulars the House will suddenly receive an account. It hath pleased God wonderfully to bless the Army in this Expedition further West, not only to scatter the Enemy's Horse, but to hinder the relief intended for Exeter; and interrupted, nay quite broke the young Generalissimo in his new levies, relieved Plymouth, and enforced the Enemy into Cornwall, leaving a force sufficient to besiege Exeter: If the Army had formerly advanced, leaving that City unbesieged, as it was much desired, I think the service would not have been of so much advantage, as to take this season; whilst you have Commanders that are faithful, if you let them put Designs in execution, when their own Consciences and judgements leads them to it, I hope you will have no cause to repent it: But it is hard to please all.  
IUst now the Enemy beats a Parley in the Forts, so you may be assured we may have them on any terms; The General sent the controller to Summon the two men of War in the River, who yielded immediately, the one was one Captain Jonson's Ship of Newcastle, ten piece of Ordnance; the other of fourteen piece of Ordnance: at Townsall Fort we took six score prisoners, about four hundred more in the Town and other Works. I humbly take my leave, and remain Your most humble Servant, J. R.  
Dartmouth, jan. 19 1645. four in the morning.  
Sir,  
The Messenger is a diligent man, and willing to come, I leave him to your consideration.   

Die Jovis, 22 Januarii, 1645.  
THe Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled, do Order and appoint this day Fortnight for a day of Thanksgiving for taking in of Dartmouth, to be kept within the Cities of London and Westminster, Lines of Communication, and Ten miles about, And this day three weeks for all other places in the Country.  


Joh. Brown, Cleric. Parliamentorum.  
H. Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com.     
FINIS.