The Coppy of a Letter written by Colonel Cromwel, to the Committee at Camebridge, the 31 of July, 1643.

IT hath pleaſed the Lord, to give your Servant and Souldiers a nota­ble Victory now at Gainsborow; I marched after the taking of Burl•y houſe upon Wedneſday to Gratham, where I met about 300. Horſe and Dragoneers of Nottingham, with theſe by agreement with the L•ncolneers, we met at North-Scarle, which is about ten miles from Gainsborow upon Thurſday in the eve­ning, where we tarried untill two of the clocke in the morning, and then with our whole body, advanced towards Gainsbo­row, about a mile and a halfe from the Towne. We met a forlorne hope of the Enemy, of neere a 100. Horſe, our Dra­goneers laboured to beat them back, but2 not a lighting of their Horſes, the Ene­my charged them, and beat ſome foure or five of th•moff th•ir Horſe, our Horſe char­ged them, and made them retire unto their maine body: Wee advanced, and came to the bottome of a ſtéepe hill, up­on which the Enemy ſtood, we cou•d not well get up but by ſome tracts, which our men aſſaying to doe, the body of the Enemy endeavoured to hinder, wherein we prevailed, and got the top of the hill, this was done by the Lincolneérs, who had the Vanguard when we all recove­red the top of the hill, we ſaw a great bo­dy of the Enemies Horſe, facing of us at about a Muskets ſhot or leſſe diſtance, and a good reſerve of a full Regiment of Horſe behind it, we end•avoured to put our men into as good order as we could, the Enemy in the meane time advanced towards us, to tak•us at diſ-advantage, but in ſuch order as we were, we char­ged their great body. I having the right wing, we came up Horſe to Horſe,3 where we diſputed it with our Swords and Piſtols a pretty time, all keéping cloſe order, ſo that one could not breake the other: at laſt they a little ſhrinking our men, perceiving it, preſſed in upon them, and immediately routed this whole body, ſome flying on one ſide, others on the other of the Enemies reſerve, and our men perſuing them, had chaſe and exe­cution about five or ſix miles. I percei­ving this body which was the reſerve, ſtanding ſtill unbroken, kept backe my Major Whaley from the chace, and with mine owne Troope and the other of my Regiment, in all being three Troopes, we got into a body, in this reſerve ſtood G•nerall Cavendiſh, who one while faced me, and h•r while faced foure of the Lin­colne T•oopes, which was all of ours ſtood upon the place, the reſt being inga­ged in the chace, at laſt the G•nerall char­ged the Lincolneérs and routed them, I immediately fell on his reare with my threé Troopes, which did ſo aſtoniſh him4 that he gave over the chace, and would faine have delivered himſelfe from me, but I preſſing on, forced them done a a hill, having good execution of them, and be­low the hill drove the General with ſome of his Souldiers into a Quagmire, where my Captaine Lieutenant ſlew him, with a thruſt under his ſhort ribs, the reſt of the body was wholly routed, not one man ſtaying upon the place.

Weé after the defeate which was ſo totall releived the Towne, with ſuch powder and proviſion as we brought, which done we had notice that there were 6. Troops of Horſe and 300 foote on the other ſide of the Towne, about a mile of us, we deſired ſome foote of my Lord Willoughbyes, about 400. And with our Horſe and their Foote marched towards them, when we came towards the place where their Horſe ſtood, wee beat back with my Tropes about 2 or 3 Troops of the Enemies, who retired into a ſmall village, at the bottome of5 the hill, when wee recovered the hill, we ſawin the bottome about a quarter of a mile from us, a Regiment of Foote, af­ter that another, after that New-Caſtles owne Regiment, conſiſting in all, of a­bout fifty Foote Colours, and a great body of Horſe which indeéd was, New-Caſtles army: which coming ſo unexpected­ly, put us to new conſultations: My Lord VVilloughby and I being in the Towne, agreed to call of our Foote, I went to bring them off, but before I re­turned, divers of the Foote were enga­ged, the Enemy advancing with his whole body, our Foote retreated in ſome diſorder, and with ſome loſſe got the Towne, where now they are, our Horſe alſo came off, with ſome trouble being wearied with the long fight and their Horſes tired yet faced the Enemies freſh Horſe and by ſeverall removes got off, without the loſſe of one man, the Enemy following the Reare with a great body, the honour of this retreat is due to God,6 as alſo all the reſt, Major Whalley, did in this carry himſelfe withall gallantly becomming a G•ntleman and a Chriſti­an. Thus have you this true Relation as ſhort as I could, what you are to do upon it is n xt to be conſidered, the Lord direct you what to doe.