Ancient_and_modern_York_a_guide

40 ANCIENT AND
at escalade ; but, upon every occasion, they were
driven from the walls. On the evening of the 30th, news
reached Lesley, Manchester, and Fairfax, that Prince
Rupert was marching to the relief of York with 20,000
men ; and on the 1st of July these generals withdrew their
army to Marston moor, about seven miles from the city.
Prince Rupert's arrival was a source of unspeakable joy to
the inhabitants of York, who, for twenty-two days, had
withstood a hotly pressed siege from the combined armies of
the three parliamentarian generals ; and who had been awed
by an hostile army within view from their walls for upwards
of a month before the arrival of Manchester and Fairfax.
The prince immediately held a council of war ; and the
Marquis of Newcastle gave it as his advice that no attack
should be made upon the enemy for some days. The
marquis stated, that he expected in two days colonel
Clavering,with above three thousand men from the north,
besides about two thousand men drawn from other sources ;
and, added, that he had information that there was dis
union among the parliamentarian generals. Prince Rupert
however was resolved to fight ; and, on the 2nd July, 1644,
marched out of York at the head of all the royalist forces,
and pressed on toward the fatal field of Marston moor.
His army consisted of 14,000 foot, 9,000 cavalry, and
25 pieces of cannon ; led by himself, the earl of New
castle, and Lord Goring. The forces under the
command of Fairfax, Ferdinand, Lesley, Manchester, and
Cromwell, were some what more numerous. About three
o'clock in the afternoon the cannon of the combatants
broke jsilence, and about seven the battle became general.
For three hours the fight raged with deadly fury ; but at
about ten o'clock the parliamentarians were complete vic
tors, pursuing the fugitives with great slaughter to within
a mile of York. At first the royalists forced the enemy to
retire ; but the intrepidity of Cromwell, and the stubborn
hardidhood of his " Ironsides," turned the fortunes of the
day, and prostrated the power of Charles. Prince Rupert