Battle of Dunbar

Royalists in Scotland were assembling troops and prepared them for the campaign against London aiming to restore feudal law. The Scottish army under command of Leslie numbered 18 thousand infantrymen and 8 thousand cavalrymen. There were many recruits in its ranks and lack of unity among the military leaders.

May 26, 1650 Cromwell was appointed the commander in chief of the army assigned to campaign in Scotland. His assistants were general Fleetwood for infantry and Lambert for cavalry. The army consisted of veterans and included 10.5 thousand infantrymen and 5.5 thousand cavalrymen. July 22, 1650 Cromwell army crossed the border of Scotland and headed for Edinburgh. Leslie shunned combat trying to exhaust the enemy. Inclement climate together with the shortage of supply favoured the spread of desease among the English troops. Morale of the army was decreasing. Cromwell tried to lure the enemy into open area where he would perform flank cavalry attacks, but Leslie upset all the attempts to outflank the Scottish troops. Some officers suggested Cromwell should embark the troops and put an end to the campaign. However, the commander hoped to attain decisive results.

At 4 a.m. on September 3, as the wind was dispersing fog and the moon came out, Cromwell's left-flank infantry and cavalry attacked the enemy. Though taken by quite a surprise, Scots managed to build a line and repulse the first attack of the English. Cromwell ordered the artillery to shell the left wing of the enemy battle formation and the right-flank cavalry gallop to help the left wing. Then he headed three cavalry regiments and assaulted the enemy. Scottish battle formation was broken up and they were could no longer offer organized resistance. At 5.30 a.m. Leslie troops wavered, giving way to panic.