Historic%20Yorkshire

116
THE BATTLE OF MARSTON MOOR.
attempted to outflank the Parliamentarians during the
whole of theday,and that Cromwell,perceivingthat some
movement had laid them open, let loose his Ironsides,
who gained the name in this engagement. The army
now advanced down the sloping fields in compact bodies,
while the Prince's musketeers made great havoc as they
came down to theditches,behindwhichtheRoyalistforces
were. Cromwell's cavalryrushed madlyover the ditches;
the Royalists, after a deadly hand-to-hand conflict, were
obliged to give way before their furious charge, and the
right wing was broken through, the guns silenced, and
the cavalry and gunners killed or put to flight. In the
meantime, the right wing of the Parliamentarians had
made a gallant assault, but were driven like chaff by
Prince Rupert's cavalry in the directionof York. Such,
indeed, was the confusion into which this threw the
Parliamentarian right wing that General Leslie, concluding
all was lost,fled to Leeds,wherenews to the contrary
next day overtook him. The real soul of the battle was
now in the encounter of the two centres, that of the
Royalists,under GeneralPorter,seeming tohave adecided
advantage,and graduallyforcingthemainbody,under the
Earl of ManchesterandLordFairfax, backup the incline;
Cromwell, with his impetuous, yet well-calculateddash,
now burst upon the Royalist centre, mowing, "like a
meadow," all before him; " Newcastle's White Coats,"
a bandof athousandpicked men,alone offeringany check
to the Ironsides, and these thousand died, " in rank and
file, as they stood." By this time the position of the
armies, as compared with that at the commencement of
the battle, was reversed. Porter, after pushing back the
Roundheads for some hours, now found himself attacked
in the rearbyCromwell'stroops,and by the re-encouraged
infantry in front, so littlewas left to the brave generalbut
to surrender with his gallantpikemen. It was now near
midnight,and the battle was virtually ended in favour of
the Parliamentarians. The chase-flushed Prince,returning
fromhis headlong pursuit with his jaded cavalry, saw