300 
MINUTES OF PKOCEEDINGS OF 
Down, Sir Balpli Hopton displayed an unusual example of what may 
be effected by even a single division of a battery, when properly used. 
“Having winged his foot with his horse and dragoons, he advanced within 
musket shot of the enemy who stood without any motion. Then perceiving 
that their cannon were not yet come up, he caused 2 small minion Drakes 
(all the artillery he had) to be drawn under cover of small parties of horse, 
to a convenient distance from the body of the enemy; and after two shots 
of those Drakes (which not being discerned and doing some execution, 
struck a terror into them) advanced with his body upon them,” routed 
them and took “4 brass pieces (whereof two were 12-prs.) and one iron 
saker.”* * * § 
The breastwork of fascines erected at Lansdown, the same year, was for 
some unexplained reason placed behind the guns that crowned the height 
occupied by the Boundheads. When the Cavaliers were well nigh defeated 
by the repeated charges of Haslerig's “ Lobsters,”—a cuirassier regiment, 
and the first red-coated soldiers in England—the Cornishmen, who had all 
along prayed to “ have leave to fetch off those cannon ” could no longer be 
restrained, and under Sir Bevil Grenvil they carried the position and won 
the battle. The failure of the artillery here was more than redeemed by a 
brilliant feat of arms performed shortly afterwards by Lord Wilmot, who 
with 1500 cavalry and two guns routed at Boundway down a Parliamentary 
force of 2000 horse, 500 dragoons, 3000 infantry and “an excellent train 
of artillery.” The guns were first brought to bear on the cavalry and 
threw them into some confusion, upon which Lord Wilmot at once charged 
and routed them; and then seizing their guns, which most probably had 
according to custom been placed on the outer flanks of the cavalry, he 
completed the victory by turning the artillery upon their own infan try. f 
At the first battle of Newbury, the King's artillery is generally allowed to 
have been almost useless,J while, as Gen. Sir E. Gust tells us, “the Lord 
General thundered from his ordnance from the top of Bigg's hill, though 
without much effect, and indeed his loss was much greater than that of the 
King.”§ In another passage General Oust says that “many of the cavaliers 
of note fell before the rebel artillery, which was advantageously posted and 
well served;”|| but this I take to be a slip of the pen, for although the 
Earl of Sunderland was killed by a round shot, the Marquis de Nieuville 
was killed by the blow of a pike,If and the Earl of Caernarvon was cut down 
by some troopers. 
The guns did but little damage at the siege of Lathom House, which 
took place in the spring of the following year, 1644, if their effect be 
compared with that of the mortar which gave such annoyance to the 
garrison that they were obliged at length to make a sortie in force and 
capture it. It was loaded either with stone shot, 13" in diam. and 80 lbs. 
* Clarendon’s “ History, &c.” p; 366; 
f Ibid. p. 433. 
$ Warburton’s “Kupert, &c.” Vol. II. p. 293. 
§ Cust’s “ Warriors of the Civil Wars,” Vol. I. p. 236. 
|| Ibid. p. 292. 
IT He was merely a spectator, riding with the King. 
