User:Harrias/Battle of Launceston

The battle of Launceston was a failed Parliamentarian assault on Royalist forces at Launceston, in Cornwall, on 22 April 1643, during the First English Civil War.

Background
In 1642 relations between the English Parliament and King Charles deteriorated until war was inevitable. In anticipation of armed conflict, both sides began preparing for war and attempting to recruit the existing militia and new men into their armies. In South West England, Cornwall was generally more supportive of the Royalist cause, while Devon and Somerset were sympathetic towards Parliament, though significant opposition existed in both areas.

In July, Charles named the Marquess of Hertford commander in the west, with Sir Ralph Hopton as his deputy. They established their headquarters at Wells, Somerset, but threatened by a larger Parliamentarian army under the Earl of Bedford, retreated west to the coastal town of Minehead. Against Hopton's advice, Hertford sailed with the infantry and artillery to South Wales, while Hopton and around 110 to 160 cavalry and dragoons joined up with local Royalists in north Cornwall. Early recruitment efforts gave poor results, but by October, the Royalists mustered around 3,000 men. Overall command of the Cornish Royalists was split between Hopton and William Ashburnham, with Sir John Berkeley in charge of logistics. However, their small army consisted mostly of local trained bands, which were reluctant to serve outside Cornwall, or under non-Cornish "foreigners"; this meant prominent roles were given to three locals, Sir Bevil Grenville, Sir Nicholas Slanning, and John Trevanion.

A small parliamentarian force under Sir Richard Buller was active in east Cornwall in September 1642; this was first pushed back to Launceston by the Royalists, and then the following month, they were driven out of Cornwall completely, effectively giving the Royalists control of Cornwall. Parliamentarian supporters in Devon had more success in raising troops, initially commanded by the Earl of Pembroke; their first priority was establishing strong garrisons in Exeter, Plymouth and ports along the north coast. James Chudleigh, son of a Devon landowner, was authorised to levy "1,000 dragoons ... in Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall"; these were used to reinforce the garrison at Barnstaple in north Devon in December 1642.

Prelude
While the Parliamentarians concentrated on strengthening their garrisons, the Royalists under Hopton made most of the early moves in the region. They made several forays into Devon throughout November and December 1642, attacking both Plymouth and Exeter, but did not have sufficient forces to take either, and retreated back to Launceston.

The Earl of Stamford was given command of Parliament's army in the West Country in January 1643, and appointed Chudleigh his deputy.

Victory at the Battle of Braddock Down in January 1643 secured Royalist control of Cornwall, and established Hopton as commander in the west. He wanted to attack Plymouth, but the city could easily be reinforced by sea, and the Cornish militia refused to cross the River Tamar into Devon. After some minor skirmishes, the two sides agreed a local truce in late February, allowing Hopton to retreat into Cornwall; this was greeted with incredulity by William Waller, Parliamentarian commander in the West, who argued it primarily benefited the Royalists.

Battle
Anticipating the end of the truce on 22 April, Chudleigh assembled around 1,600 troops at Lifton, near Launceston, where Hopton had concentrated his army. He attacked around 10:00am the next morning, taking the Royalists by surprise, but they quickly recovered and, faced by superior numbers, Chudleigh withdrew to his base at Okehampton. Hopton did not pursue him, noting that as usual after a battle, his Cornish soldiers "grew disorderly and mutinous".

Aftermath
On reaching Okehampton, some of Chudleigh's units departed, leaving him 1,000 infantry, and three or four troops of dragoons. This was interpreted as a general retreat; Hopton later recorded "there came a friend from Okehampton, who assured us the enemy was in very great disquiet and fear." Hoping to take advantage, he left Launceston with 3,000 infantry, 300 cavalry and 300 dragoons. The column was led by 300 dragoons and cavalry, then half the infantry, with their four guns in the centre. The rest of the infantry followed, with the remaining dragoons and cavalry in the rear. They intended to stop for the night at Sourton Down, then attack Okehampton at dawn.

By chance, they were spotted by a Parliamentarian quartermaster, who informed Chudleigh at around 9:00pm that the enemy was only 2 miles away. In his subsequent report, Chudleigh complained that "by the intolerable neglect of our lying deputy Scout Master, we were surprised by the whole enemy body of horse and foot." Additionally, the artillery transport had been taken to Crediton against his orders and, unwilling to abandon the guns saved at Launceston, Chudleigh planned a counterattack.