WE now lye cloſe to the Enemy, who hath ſo intrenched himſelf, that it doth not appear to us yet how to attempt him. Wee have by the bleſsing of the Lord on Thurſday laſt landed about 14 or 1500 men at th•North-Ferry in Fife and have drawn a line croſſe the Iſthmos of the land, to which a way is made in 24 houres, to tranſport our Army (if it be faire). Our men took about 7 ſhips laden with Salt and Coale upon the place, and neer 20 peece of Cannon, the Major General is gone thither with about 1600 Foot, and 1200 Horſe, I have ſent to him about 1000 Horſe and Foot more, ſo that with what he hath there to defend the works, I hops beſides hee will bee able to take the field with 5000 Horſe and Foot. Maj. Gen. Hariſon came up very ſeaſonably with Ingoldsbys Regiment, and three Companies more, and about 1200 Horſe and Dragoons, which truly we judge to be a ſeaſonable providence (conſidering we muſt now divide) he being very near Edenburgh, that day we tooke the ſaid place. We ſhall conſider which way to diſpoſe of the reſt of his Forces, and I thinke it will be fit, the Lord having led by his Providence to follow it cloſe. We loſt Newarke for want of ſhips in Dunbarton-Firth, they taking it by the help of a ſhip with her Canon, after we had held it three dayes, Gen, Dean•having Ordered two men of War to go from Leith about Scotland thither, our men had good Quarter, whiles they were doing this, we took Callender houſe in the view of their whole Army by ſtorme, without the loſſe of above five men,
I Received yours of July 12. and communicated to my Lord what was not in yours to him; Being returned to our old Quarters neare Falkirke, on the fourteenth day of July we battered, and then ſtormed Calander Houſe, within two miles of the Enemies whole Camp, which was at Torwood five miles from Sterling, we twice offered them that kept it, mercy to ſurrender it, but they refuſed; they killed us a Captaine who was only a looker on, and likewiſe our Maſter Gunner; we tooke it the ſame day we began to batter it by ſtorme, and our Men put2 ſixty in the Houſe to the Sword, ſome others dyed of Wounds, and about ſixteen being wounded had their lives; the Houſe is very ſtrong, with a Moate about it, and a great Wood by it.
It hath devoured many of our men, and God hath now requited them, their great Army never offered to ſend man to their releife; ſuch ſtout men are the Scotch Boaſters.
The ſame day at night we ſent a Party in Boates and Ships over the Fryth, from Blackneſſe to ſurprize North-ferry on Fife ſide; at the firſt we ſent one thouſand four hundred Foot, and two hundred Horſe, and one Troop of Dragoons, it pleaſed the Lord to goe along with them ſo as within two houres after their landing they tooke the place called, North-ferry, which is a Peninſula, in which was a Fort with five great Guns, and in a Bay neare it four ſhips laden with Coales, and Salt; in ſome other Forts neare it we tooke as many Ordnance as made up thoſe five to be ſeventeen, which were planted by the Fyrth ſide to gall our ſhips, this North-ferry is even againſt the ſtrong Iſland of Eniſgarvy, we have ſent over the ſixteen, and ſeventeen dayes of July, five hundred Foot more, and five Troops of Dragoons, if by the Lords mercy we can make this place good, Eniſgarvy muſt yeeld for want of freſh water, and then we have a brave way to poſſeſſe our whole Army into Fife if we ſee occaſion. I hope the Lord hath now begun to worke for us to purpoſe, the Lord give us humble and beleeving hearts, and I feare not but the Lord will ſoone bring downe the hearts of our proud and cruell Enemies, and make a gracious returne to the earneſt prayers of his people.
At Glaſcoe we found ſome good people fully owning us, and diſowning their Lords, and Miniſters. The Miniſters that are good, are as yet upon a Reſerve, to ſee what Game they can play with us after the Malignants be downe; thus farre ſome owned us, as they were content to diſpute no more about this invaſion; only they deſire a little better to know us, as to our Religion. I ſuppoſe if the Lord pleaſe to give our Enemies into our hands, we ſhall have the beſt Party here not only to joyne with us, but to rejoyce with us, who finde they have already had too much King. The North-ferry is ours, againſt Queenes-ferry, neare Blackneſſe, and Eniſgarvy is betwixt them. The Lords diſpenſation againſt this people is exceeding ſevere, where our Army goeth, though, we doe what we can to reſtraine ſtraglers, yet very little is loſt either within doores, or without, that were not the people exceeding cruell to us, our compaſſions of their miſeries would not ſuffer our hearts to be3 any day without pangs of ſadneſſe, who can ſee nothing but a preſent and perfect Famine to follow us; in two or three dayes we make large Corn fields to become a Heath, and the Enemy eats almoſt as faſt as we.
O that our malignant Capon-eaters were but here, to ſee the price of the Scotch luſt after a King, and what deſolations are like to be the fruit of his entertainment. We hope the Lord in mercy will ſhorten theſe Wars to preſerve food for a Remnant; we are now in daily expectation of Gods gracious appearance with us, to drive them out of their Holes, and to make them fight, or fly; help us with prayers:
We lye within a mile and a halfe of the Enemy, and view one another every day, but can neither come at them, nor come betwixt Sterling, and them, but I hope now we have got a back doore in Fife.
YOu muſt not expect from me an account of paſſages in the Army, having been wholy with that party that entered Fife, neither was I able by the laſt, having ſcarſe been maſter of a moments time to eat or ſleepe: Truly the Lord is now breaking out of the Clouds in his brightneſſe, and experimenting us, as of his love and continued preſence with us; ſo that his time and way of the Diſcoverie thereof is the beſt; how were we tugging theſe ten Moneths, and ſtill reaped nothing but diſappointments? There are theſe three things very obſervable; firſt, that the Lord ſhould direct his poore ſervants to pitch upon a place of ſuch fitneſſe for its end in every kind. Secondly, that Major Gen: Hariſon with his forces ſhould come up and that by the way of Edenburgh, whereas indeed we expected that what forces had come from him ſhould have come by the way of Carliſle, & Hambleton, which had been nothing ſo well. Thirdly, that the Lord ſhould favour us with ſuch a ſeaſon of wind and weather for foure dayes together the wind ſerving a like to paſſe and repaſſe; our men had notice4 upon Saturday, of Sir Iohn Brownes being at Dumfermlin within three miles of them that night with a conſiderable party of Horſe and Foot, whereupon hee was reſolved in caſe the forces of ours that were expected ſhould come over in any time, to march out to meet them, which accordingly by the Providence of God fell out, for Col. Okeys Regiment of Horſe, and part of Col. Ingoldsbies of Foot were over early yeſterday morning, and others following as faſt as Boates could carry them; Whereupon the Major Gen: with about ſix Regiments in all; of Horſe, Foot, and Dragoones marched out, and placed his Foot obſcure on the ſide of a hill, and advanced further towards the enemy with his horſe, who alſo were on their march towards him, with full reſolution to engage; there was ſome ſmall charges with parties, but the Major Gen: retreated to his foot, uſing that onely as a meanes to draw them forward; and being come to his foot, each in Battalia charged other, the hotteſt ſervice was between the left wing of ours, and the right wing of theirs, where Col. Okey commanded the Major Generalls Regiment of horſe, and part of his owne, where the ſervice was very hot at the ſwords point, and ſpecially with Col: Okeyes men, who had the left to the left, and were very hardly put to it, both in front and flanck, but were ſeaſonably relieved by Captain Bramſtons Dragoones, who gave very good fire on the enemy, and to good purpoſe, the buſineſſe began about three in the afternoone, and continued in its heat a quarter of an hour.
Our Word was Providence, theirs Scotland, it ſeemes they were ſenſible that Scotland lay at this bout much at the ſtake; Their Army is retreated over Sterling, & ours on the advance, the Lord make you and us humble and thankfull
The horſe being beaten, their foot preſently threw away their arms; I cannot give you the particulars of the buſineſſe as yet, being the laſt night commanded away by the Major Gen: to my Lord, our men had the purſuit of them for ſix miles, their number was about 5000 like to ours; they were their picked men both horſe and foot, there were about 2000 of them ſlaine, and ſeven or eight hundred taken,
Col: Scot, or Petty-Scot is ſlaine, and Col: Buchanan (a man of great eminencie and eſtate amongſt them) is taken priſoner, as alſo is Sir John Brown their Commander in chiefe: Of their foot not 200. eſcaped, and thoſe that are priſoners the moſt of them are ſo deſperatly wounded they will hardly live; all their foot Colours are taken,5 and many of their horſe, the moſt of their foot are High-landers, the reſt of their Army are in a mighty confuſion, and retreated over Sterling; we loſt onely one Cornet, and I thinke not more, my paper will hold no more, the Lord be praiſed for this:
AFter our waiting upon the Lord, and not knowing what courſe to take (for indeed we know nothing but what God pleaſeth to teach us) of his great mercy, we were directed to ſend a party to get us a landing by our boats whilſt we marched towards Glaſcow. On Tueſday morning laſt Col. Overton with about 1400 Foot, and ſome Horſe and Dragoones landed at the North-Ferry in Fife: We with the Army lying near to the enemy (a ſmall River parted us and them) and we having conſultations to attempt the Enemy within his Fortifications, but the Lord was not pleaſed to give way to that Councell, purpoſing a better way for us. The Major Generall marched on Thurſday night with 2 Regiments of Horſe, and 2 Regiments of Foot, for better ſecuring the place, and to attempt upon the enemy as opportunity ſhould ſerve: He getting over, and finding a conſiderable body of the Enemy there, (who would probably have beaten our men from the place, if he had not come) drew out and fought them) he being 2 Regiments of Horſe, and about 400 of Horſe and Dragoons more, and 3 Regiments of Foot, and about 4 or 5 Regiments of Horſe: They came to a cloſe charge, and in the end totally routed the enemy, have taken about 40 or 50 Coullers, killed near 2000. ſome ſay more, have taken Sir John Brown (their Maj. Gen. who cammanded in cheefe) and other Colonels and conſiderable Officers, killed and taken, and about 5 or 600 priſoners. The Enemy removed from their ground with their whole Army, but whither we certainly know not. This is an unſpeakable mercy, I truſt the Lord will follow it, untill he hath perfected peace and truth: We can truly ſay, we were gone as far as we could in our Councells and Actions; and we did ſay one to another, we know not what to do. Wherefore it is ſealed upon our hearts, that this, as all the reſt is from the6 Lords goodneſſe and not from man. I hope it becommeth me to pray that we may walke humbly and ſelfe-denyingly before the Lord, and beleevingly alſo. That you whom we ſerve, as the Authority over us, may do the worke committed to you with uprightneſſe and faithfulneſſe, and throughly as the Lords: That you may not ſuffer any thing to remaine that offends the eyes of his jealouſie that Commonwealths may more and more be ſought and juſtice done impartially. For the eys of the Lord run to and fro, and as he finds out his Enemies here to be avenged on them, ſo will be not spare them for whom he doth good, if by his loving kindneſſe they become not good. I ſhall humbly take the boldnes to repreſent this Engagement of Davids in the 119 Pſal. the 134v. Deliver me from the oppreſſion of man, ſo will I keep thy precepts. I take leave and reſt,
The carriage of the Maj. Gen. as in all other things, ſo in this is worthy of your taking notice of. as alſo Col. Okey, Col. Overton, Col. Daniel, Col. Weſt, Col. Lidcot, Col. Syler; and the reſt of the Officers.