| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
|
148 THE BATTLE OF BOTHWELL BRIDGE.
They hae been up to London sent, An' yet they're a' come safely down;
Sax troop o' horsemen they hae beat, And chased them into Glasgow town. |
||
|
THE BATTLE OF BOTHWELL BRIDGE.
From Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, ii. 237.
The success of the Cameronians at Loudon Hill induced a considerable number of the moderate Presbyterians to join the army of the insurgents. But though increased numbers gave the revolt a more formidable appearance', they cannot be said to have added much to the strength of the rebels, since there was no concert between the two factions, each having its own set of officers, and issuing contrary orders at the same time. An army of ten thousand men under the Duke of Monmouth advanced from Edinburgh against these distracted allies, who, in all not more than four thousand, were encamped near Hamilton, on the western side of the Clyde, and had possession of the bridge between that point and the village of Bothwell. While the Duke was preparing to force a passage, the more moderate of the Whigs offered terms, and while they were debating the Duke's reply, the Cameronians, who bravely defended the bridge, were compelled to abandon their |
||