Letter to Lord General Concerning Bristol, Letter
Auguſt. 19. 1643.
Ordered by the Commons in Parliament aſſembled, That this Ordinance bee forthwith printed and publiſhed.
H. Elſynge Cler. Parl. D. Com.
COLONELL FIENNES LETTER TO MY LORD GENERAL, CONCERNING BRISTOL.
This is licenced and entred according to Order.
LONDON, Printed by T. P. and M. S. for Thomas Vnderhill. 1643.
COLONELL FYNES Letter to my Lord Generall, concerning BRISTOLL.
May it pleaſe your Excellencie.
SInce the ſurrender of Briſtoll (of which I deſire to give an account before a Councell of War) I could not get any means to ſend to your Excellencie; and I would not have written at this time, but have my ſelfe waited upon your Excellencie, but that I finde it neceſſary for me to ſtay here a day or two, to cleare my ſelfe of ſuch aſperſions as are moſt unworthily laid upon me in this Citie, when I kept the Town ſo farre beyond the enemies expectation, that they began to beleeve we had gotten ſome freſh forces into the Citie, and held a ſolemne counſell of warre (the reſults whereof I have, being found in Colonell Burkes pocket, whom we ſlew amongſt divers other Colonels and Officers of qualitie) whether they ſhould proceed to fall upon the town by way of aſſault, or by way of approach. My Lord, I held that large Town with a handful of men againſt a greater Armie then ever yet the King had together, foure dayes, being continually almoſt aſſaulted both by day and by night, and ſtormed by them in eight or nine places together, in ſo furious manner, as the like was never yet done in England, and the loſſe that they have received, doth teſtifie as much: For there are neere a thouſand of them ſlain and maimed, beſides a great many of their chiefe Officers, amongſt the reſt, Coll-Lunsford, Coll. Buck, Coll. Trevanian, Sir Nicholas Slaning, and divers others, and yet we loſt not above eight men in ſervice, and none of quality. The enemy was provided with all ſorts of Fireworks, as Granadoes, Fire-pikes and the like, and with Waines full of Faggots, and broad Scaling Ladders, whereon foure or ſix might climb up on a breaſt, and they made uſe of all thoſe in a moſt deſperate way, driving their wains of faggots into the ditches, and climbing up with their Fire pikes and granadoes in their hands, to the very portalls of our great Ordnance, yet they were beaten back in 8 or 9 places together, and entred only in one place where the works were not perfected, there being no ditch as yet made, nor any foot-bank within ſide the breaſtworks; notwithſtanding all this, and that they had entred the ſuburbs, and drawn the whole body of their foot to that place, yet our Souldiers ſallied out both Horſe and Foot upon them, as they lay in the ſuburbs, and beat them back from ſtreet to ſtreet an hour and halfe together; but being overlaid with freſh companies, one ſeconding another, wherein we were not able to anſwer them, though they beat the enemy back moſt courageouſly at the firſt; inſomuch that many of them ran away, threw down their Arms, and cried for quarter, yet being long overborn with freſh men which the enemy ſtill drew down upon them, they were forced to retreat into the town; and then and not till then, the Souldiers began to be diſheartned, and whether out of wearineſſe, or being diſcouraged, having been 5 dayes & nights together conſtantly upon duty, and in fight without any reliefe (for we could make no reſerves) they began to ſlink away from their Colours and Guards, and get into houſes, do what their Officers could, ſo that of 14. Companies, I could not make 120 men, although I proclaimed that all thoſe that were upon the Guards, ſhould repaire to their Guards; and thoſe that were not, ſhould repaire to the Marſh, and that there they ſhould receive both money and victuals, but I could not get them to their Colours or Guards, although the enemy lay ready on the other ſide of the Key (which at low water, which then it began to be, may be waded over) to fall over into the Town, and no doubt in that condition that our guards were then in, both upon the Key, and in the Marſh, they might in leſſe then halfe an houre, have fallen into the Town by force, and uſed their pleaſures both upon the Souldiers and upon the Citizens. Finding our ſelves in this condition, I called a councell of warre, at which alſo Sir John Horner, Mr. Stevens, and other Gentlemen of the Countrey, were preſent, I propoſed to them our condition, and beſides laid open to them, what ſtore we had of Ammunition, that we had not of powder above 25 French barrels; and of match for above a dayes ſpace; that the Caſtle it ſelfe, the works not being finiſhed, was not tenable above a day or two, for that the maine wall would be battered in two ſeverall places, and that we had no expectation of reliefe againſt ſuch a potent Army wherewith we were beſieged, in one, two or three workes. At the ſame inſtant, Mr. Major, and the Sheriffes did earneſtly intreat us, that ſeeing we could not keep the place, we would not ruine ſo famous a Citie to no purpoſe, nor expoſe ſo many mens perſons and eſtates to violence and plundering. VponUpon all theſe conſiderations, it was unanimouſly reſolved, that we ſhould entertain a treaty with the enemy; and that if we could have reaſonable conditions, that it were far better to ſave ſo many Commanders and Souldiers both of Horſe and Foot, and ſo many honeſt mens perſons and eſtates, as well of our friends in the Citie, as of Gentlemen and others that came out of the countries adjacent, then to expoſe them all to deſtruction by attempting in a furious and mad way to defend the towne or Caſtle for two or three dayes (if we could have held it ſo long) without any hope of holding them any longer, for I will put it upon that iſſue, and without any hope or expectation of any reliefe within that time, or a longer time after. VponUpon the treaty all things almoſt which we demanded, we obtained, excepting the Arms of the common Souldiers, and our Colours, which being poynts of honour, I was reſolved to have inſiſted upon, and ſo we brake off for a while. But upon the earneſt ſuit of the Major and Citizens, and others, called together my Officers, and fell into a ſerious debate concerning it. And when I was very reſolute not to quit the point, very many of my Captains came in and told us, that they could not get ſix of their Companies together, and that they ran away apace to the enemy over the Key, it being now low water; whereby they not only ſhewed to the enemy, that our men were diſheartned, and that they ſhould have found but ſlender oppoſition; but alſo they ſhewed them the way how they might readily fall over into the Towne, ſo ſoon as the treaty ſhould break off, which undoubtedly they had done, and given us little leave to retreat into the Caſtle, or any where elſe, I muſt confeſſe this Caſtle the ballance in my thoughts, that cauſed me to yeeld to that Article, which otherwiſe I would never have done, ſuppoſing that we ſhould quickly find Armes againe, preſerving the hoſes and men of my Regiment of horſe and foot (which had conditions been kept with me, I had preſerved.) I have given your Excellence a true account of the carriage of this unhappy buſineſſe, and of the cauſes of the ſurrendring of that Citie and Caſtle, together with the conditions whereupon they were yeelded up. All which being conſidered and proved, as it ſhall, by many witneſſes, againſt whom there can be no exception, I hope I ſhall not only ſtand clear in your Lordſhips eyes, and the eyes of all the world, but that it ſhall be acknowledged, that I have done moſt faithfull ſervice to thoſe by whom I have been entruſted; and that in truth (which every indifferent man ſees) the unhappy diſaſter which befell Sir William Wallers Army, did neceſſarily involve the fate of Briſtol, both becauſe I had unfurniſhed the Citie with men and Ammuuition, to ſupply that Army: and it was neceſſary for me ſo to do, becauſe the City was never put into a condition to ſubſiſt of it ſelfe againſt a Royall Army, although I was not wanting to repreſent the importance of the place, and the means how it might be defended in certain propoſitions which I long ſince ſent to your Lordſhip, and which were by your Excellency earneſtly recommended to the Committee, but they were not brought to any effect. What my care and pains hath been to preſerve that Citie, having the whole burthen thereof for the providing of Men, Arms, Ammunition, and all ſorts of proviſion caſt upon me, having armed 3000 foot, and 300 horſe, and paid conſtantly 2000 foot and a Regiment of Horſe, for foure or five moneths together, without ever having above 4000 pounds from the Parliament, and 1700l. of the cuſtome moneyes: What hath been my toil and labour to get moneyes for theſe uſes, without troubling the Parliament, how little advantage I have made for my ſelfe, how ready I have been to furniſh Sir W. Waller with Men, Arms, Ammunition, Money, and all ſorts of proviſion, (that I may ſay nothing of the hundreds of his maimed Souldiers that have been caſt upon my care and charge) I leave to my greateſt enemies to ſpeak the truth: for I know there cannot be found in the world ſo great malice as to deny it; and I appeal to him that knowes all things, to judge between me and thoſe that expect a greater tale of brick from me, and will not affoord me ſtraw wherewithall to make it; and I ſhall appeal to your Lordſhip, and all indifferent men, whether more could have been done by me, when as after the defeat of Sir W. Wallers Army, I had left onelyonly 700 men to defend that Citie againſt two ſuch Armies as came aginſt it, nor ſo much as one peny of money to raiſe more men, provide Armes, or pay thoſe men I had already; yet God inabled me in five dayes, to raiſe and Arm 1000 men more, and with thoſe 1700 men, and that Ammunition I had left, I made that defence that I have done, of which I am ſure I ſhall never have cauſe to be aſhamed of, nor do I beleeve that your Lordſhip will be aſhamed to own me ſtill, as
Your Excellencies moſt humble Servant, NATH. FIENNES.
We whoſe names are under-written, do know the narrative part of this letter to be true according as it is here ſet down.
John Horner,
John Fiennes,
John Clifton,
Gabriel Homes,
Tho. Raulins,
Henry Archbould.
John Birch,
Edward Tyſon,
Robert Johnſton
Chr. Stokes,
Robert Bagnall.
FINIS.