Storming of Bristol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Storming of Bristol
Part of the First English Civil War
Map of Bristol's fortifications in 1644
Date 23 to 26 July 1643 Location Bristol Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
Prince Rupert Prince Maurice	Nathaniel Fiennes
Strength
4,500 horse 6,000 foot 20 guns	300 horse 1,500 foot 100 guns
Casualties and losses
500 to 600 killed	Unknown

The Storming of Bristol was a major battle during the First English Civil War. It happened from July 23 to 26, 1643. During this time, the Royalist army, led by Prince Rupert, captured the important port city of Bristol. The city was taken from the Parliamentarian forces, who had a smaller army there. Bristol stayed under Royalist control until another battle for the city in September 1645.

Why Bristol Was Important

In the 1600s, Bristol was one of England's most important cities. It was almost as rich as London. When the English Civil War began, the Royalists (who supported King Charles I) failed to capture Bristol. This meant it stayed under the control of the Parliamentarians (who supported Parliament). However, many people in Bristol secretly supported the King.

Bristol's Weakened Defenses

In July 1643, Bristol's defenses became much weaker. About 1,200 soldiers from the city's army were sent to help another Parliamentarian army. This other army was led by Sir William Waller. Sadly, Waller's army was defeated badly at the Battle of Roundway Down on July 13.

The Royalists quickly saw this as a great chance. They could now capture important Parliamentarian cities in the southwest of England. Just two days after the battle, Prince Rupert marched from Oxford. Oxford was the Royalists' main city during the war. He led a large army towards Bristol.

Royalist Plan of Attack

Prince Rupert also sent orders to the Royalist army in the west. This army had won at Roundway Down. It was now led by his younger brother, Prince Maurice. Prince Maurice was told to march towards Bristol from the south. Prince Rupert would attack the city from the north.

Bristol's Fortifications

The Parliamentarian army in Bristol was led by Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes. His forces included 300 cavalry (soldiers on horseback) and 1,500 infantry (soldiers on foot). There were also some town militia, who were not very well armed.

City Walls and Forts

Bristol's defenses had two main parts. There was an inner wall right around the city. This wall was protected by the River Avon and the River Frome. Outside this, there was a larger, five-mile-long set of walls and forts.

To the south and east, the outer wall was a strong barrier. It had a main wall and a ditch on lower ground. To the north and west, the defenses were a series of forts and gun positions. These were on high ground overlooking the city. They were connected by a smaller earth wall.

Guns and Defenders

In total, there were 100 guns placed along the defenses. Most of these guns came from ships in the harbor. However, because so many soldiers had been sent to help Waller, Colonel Fiennes did not have enough men. He could not properly defend the very long outer walls.

The Royalist Strategy

On July 23, Prince Rupert himself checked the defenses north of the city. There were some small fights between Royalist soldiers and Parliamentarian groups. The Parliamentarian groups were pushed back.

On the morning of July 24, Rupert officially asked the Bristol defenders to give up. But Colonel Fiennes refused. So, Rupert crossed the River Avon to meet with Prince Maurice and his officers. They discussed what to do next.

Debate Over Attack Plan

The Royalist leaders had different ideas. Prince Maurice and his Cornish infantry (soldiers from Cornwall) faced the stronger southern defenses. They wanted to have a long siege, which means surrounding the city and bombarding it with cannons.

However, Prince Rupert thought about the bigger picture. The Royalists had been winning many battles. Also, there were disagreements within Parliament. Rupert believed they needed to quickly secure the west of England. This would help them launch a major attack on London.

Rupert's Plan Wins

Rupert argued that the northern defenses were weak. He thought this was because the city's army was so small. He also suggested that attacking from both the north and south at the same time would stop the defenders from moving soldiers to help. His idea eventually won. The attack was planned for early on July 26. The signal to start would be a loud firing of cannons from a Royalist gun position facing Prior's Hill Fort in the north.

The Attack Begins

Viscount Grandison, a Royalist leader, was killed during the attack on Prior's Hill Fort.

Unfortunately, the Cornish soldiers in the south attacked too early, at 3:00 AM. This meant Prince Rupert had to start his attack earlier than he planned. The Cornish soldiers were in three groups. They tried to fill the ditch in front of the wall with carts and wagons so they could cross. But the ditch was too deep, and their plan failed. Many brave Cornish commanders were killed, and the Cornish soldiers were eventually forced to retreat.

Northern Assault

The northern attack force had three groups of infantry soldiers and some dragoons (soldiers who rode horses but fought on foot). This force was led by Colonel Henry Washington.

One group, led by Viscount Grandison, attacked Prior's Hill Fort and a nearby fort. But they were pushed back, and Grandison was killed. Another group, led by Sir John Belasyse, also failed to break through. Prince Rupert even had his horse killed under him while trying to encourage Belasyse's soldiers.

Royalist Breakthrough

The third group, led by Colonel Henry Wentworth, had more success. They were helped by Washington's dragoons. They found a weak spot between two forts, where they were safe from enemy fire. They threw grenades over the wall to push back the defenders. Then, they used long poles with blades, called halberds and partisans, to pull down the wall.

Colonel Fiennes's cavalry tried to fight back. But their horses got scared when they saw "fire-pikes." These were pikes (long spears) with fireworks attached to them.

Wentworth's group pushed forward towards the inner defenses of the city. Belasyse's group and Colonel Arthur Aston's cavalry joined them. They captured another strong point when the defenders panicked. There was fierce fighting for two hours around the Frome Gate, which was part of the inner defenses. Some of the city's women even tried to quickly build a barrier of woolsacks behind the gate.

The City Surrenders

Prince Rupert had sent for the Cornish soldiers to help with the attack. But around 6 PM, Colonel Fiennes asked to surrender. The Parliamentarian soldiers were given "honours of war." This meant they could leave safely to friendly territory and keep their weapons and personal items. However, some Royalist soldiers did not follow the rules and stole from them when they marched out on July 27.

High Casualties

Both sides had many soldiers killed or wounded in the attack. A Royalist leader, Clarendon, later wrote that the King's army lost "about five hundred common men and many excellent officers." Many important leaders were killed. The loss of the Cornish leaders was especially sad. The Cornish soldiers were among the best in the Royalist army. But they often did not want to fight outside their home county of Cornwall. After their leaders were gone, many of them returned home.

Royalist Gains

Even with the losses, capturing Bristol was a huge victory for the Royalists. It was the second-largest city in Britain. It also became a place where more soldiers could arrive from Ireland. Bristol's workshops were able to make new muskets for the entire Royalist army. The Royalists also took a lot of valuable goods, including money and war supplies. They captured eight armed merchant ships, which later became the start of a Royalist navy.

The capture of Bristol and other Royalist wins meant that by late August, the Parliamentarian cause was almost defeated. It was only saved by the strong leadership of John Pym. However, after winning, many Royalist soldiers left the army to take their loot home. This meant the Royalists could not fully use their victory right away. It delayed their attack on London until late October.

Fiennes's Trial

Colonel Fiennes was later put on trial by Parliament. He was accused of surrendering Bristol too quickly. He was sentenced to death, but he was later pardoned. This temporarily ended his career as a politician and soldier.

Years later, in September 1645, Prince Rupert quickly surrendered Bristol to the New Model Army. This army was led by Sir Thomas Fairfax. This showed that Fiennes's claims about the city being very hard to defend were true. Fairfax's officers later officially cleared Fiennes of any blame for surrendering in 1643.

See also

• Siege of Bristol (1645)
• Fire lance