BANNOCKBURN, a small rivulet about three miles frOm Stirling, on the road to Edinburgh, cele brated for a great battle fought on its banks between the English and Scots armies, in the reign of Ed ward IL Robert Bruce, grandson of that Bruce who was Baliol's competitor for the crown of Scotland, had resolved at once to rescue his country from the thral dom into which it had been reduced by the first Edward, and to vindicate his own claim to the throne, now vacant by the demise of John Baliol. The minds of the Scots people had been entirely alienated from that monarch by his pusillanimous submission to Edward, and his desertion of the rights and interests of his own subjects ; and his son, a pri soner and an exile, was in no condition to revive the claims of his family, now generally abandoned. The escape of Bruce from the English court, to which he had accompanied Edward I. after his victorious expe dition into Scotland, restored to new energy the droop ing spirits of his countrymen ; and the latent indigna tion with which they bore the tyranny of the English monarch, now burst forth in the avowed resolution to regain their national independence, or to perish in the attempt. The English Were attacked in all quarters • many of their garrisons were reduced • and the authority of Bruce being universally acknow ledged, he was solemnly crowned and inaugurated as king of Scotland. But his resources were too slender to support him against such an antagonist as Edward. An immense army was speedily sent against him ; and a furious conflict took place, in which Bruce, after displaying the most heroic valour, was overpowered by the superior numbers of his enemies, and forced to take refuge, with a few attendants, in the Western Isles. While Edward was hastening with an overwhelming force to complete the final subjuga tion of the Scots, and to deprive them of all power of future revolt, lie was seized with a mortal distemper at Carlisle ; • and with his last breath enjoined his son • to make the reduction of Scotland the first and prin cipal enterprise of his reign. The death of this war like monarch, and the weakness of his successor, once more restored the hopes of the Scottish nation ; and . Robert, who had already left his fastnesses, and gained some important advantages, soon saw his standard surrounded with a band Of faithful adhe rents, burning with revenge against their English op pressors, and united in the resolution to conquer or die. In a short time the English were. driven from all their strong holds, except the castles of Stirling, Berwick, and Dunbar ; even the frontier provinces of England were ravaged by the triumphant Scots ; and Edward, roused at length from his lethargy, de termined to muster the whole force of his kingdom, and, by one decisive blow, to quell for ever a people whom he found such inveterate and troublesome ene mies. For this grand enterprise troops were even
enlisted in Flanders and other foreign countries : his military vassals in Gascony, Ireland, and %Vales, were summoned to repair to the_ royal standard ; and the whole military force of England was commanded to assemble, on a stated day, at Newcastle upon Tyne. At length, on the 18th of June 1314, he began to march from Berwick, with an army of more than a hundred thousand men ; followed by an incredible train of waggons, loaded with all sorts of provisions. Scotland had been so much exhausted by its recent wars, that Robert, with all his efforts, could not bring into the field more than thirty thousand men ; but they were men of tried valour, inured to all the hardships and vicissitudes of war, and headed by a prince whose undaunted courage was seconded by the cool self-command, and consummate skill of an ex perienced general. The castle of Stirling had for some time been invested by Edward Bruce; and Philip de Mowbray, after a gallant defence, was com pelled to capitulate, and promised to open the gates of the castle on a certain day, if he should not be relieved before that time by an 'English army. Aware, then, that Edward would advance immediately towards Stirling, Robert determined to intercept him on his march ; and fixed upon a most advantageous posi tion, where he waited to give him battle. He had a hill on his right hand, a morass on his left, and a rivulet in front. As the English were greatly superior to him in cavalry, he employed a very in genious stratagem to deprive them of this advantage. He commanded deep pits to be dug along the banks of the rivulet, in which were fixed sharp pointed stakes ; and the whole was carefully covered over with turf and rushes. On the evening of the 24th of June, the English arrived on the opposite bank of the river ; and the two armies, fired with all the ran cour of national animosity, rushed immediately to battle. A smart conflict ensued between two bo dies of cavalry. That of the Scots was headed by Robert in Arson, who engaging in close combat with Henry de Bohun, a gentleman of the family of Hereford, with one stroke of his battle-axe cleft his adversary to the chin. The English horse fled with precipitation ; and the Scots, exulting in the valour of their monarch, regarded the favourable result of this encounter as a presage of a more complete vic tory.