FACE TO FACE
Bright and clear dawned the morning of the 17th of October, 1346--the
Saturday after the Feast of St. Michael--and on that morning great was
the commotion, great the excitement, in the city of Durham. At an early
hour, Queen Philippa was astir; and mounting her white palfrey betimes,
she rode, escorted by knights, and nobles, and prelates, to where the
English were encamped in Auckland Park.
Nor was it without an instinctive prescience that the beams of victory
would fall on the red cross of St. George ere the sun went down behind
the western hills; for the example of King Edward and his youthful
heir had inspired the nation with a warlike ardour which defied odds,
and every Englishman from Cornwall to the Tweed regarded himself as
belonging to a superior and conquering race. Twenty years earlier, the
terror inspired by the Scots was such that a hundred Englishmen looked
with dread on half-a-dozen of the men whom the first Edward had driven
before him at Falkirk. But since the days of Halidon a marvellous
change had occurred, and every man who fought for the martial
Plantagenet by whom that change had been wrought went to battle with a
conviction that victory sat upon his helm.
On reaching the camp in Auckland Park, the queen gave orders for
the army being drawn out in three divisions, each of which had its
proportion of archers and men-at-arms. Of these, the first was
commanded by Lord Percy, the second by Lord Neville and Lord Hastings,
the third by Lord Moubray and Sir Thomas Rokeby, Sheriff of Yorkshire.
A body of cavalry--chiefly composed of tall Northern men, with Danish
blood in their veins, and the Danish burr on their lips--was kept in
reserve, to give aid to those who might need it most, and intrusted to
the leading of Lord De Roos, and Edward, Lord Baliol, whose experience
in the Scottish wars eminently qualified him for the post.
These arrangements having been made, and the army being ready to march
against the invaders, Queen Philippa rode along the lines and addressed
herself to the soldiers. She reminded them that the honour of their
king and the safety of their country were at stake; and she implored
them, in their sovereign's absence, to do their duty, to fight manfully
for his crown, and avenge the injuries which their countrymen had
suffered at the hands of their barbarous foes.
"O queen," shouted the soldiers in reply, "we will acquit ourselves
loyally in the absence of our lord; and never shall it be said that
we fought the less valiantly because he was not present to behold our
deeds."
"Then," replied the queen, "I leave you to encounter your enemies and
the king's, and I recommend you to the protection of God and good St.
George."
Escorted by the Lords D'Eyncourt and Ogle, Queen Philippa retired to a
short distance to witness the engagement, and the English, with banners
flying, moved forward in the direction of Merrington, and, halting on
the rising ground, could plainly descry the movements of the Scots on
the hills to the west.
Here the chiefs paused to consider their position, and hesitated
whether they should advance on the Scots or await the attack of
their foes on the ground they occupied; but, as the marshals and
standard-bearers continued to move slowly forward, the army insensibly
followed, and in this way, without arriving at any decision, they
reached Ferryhill.
At this point an unexpected incident brought matters to a crisis. Lord
Douglas, at the head of a body of cavalry, had that morning scoured
the country as far as Ferryhill, and was returning to the Scottish
camp, when he suddenly found himself in presence of the English host,
arrayed for battle. His situation was most perilous. But his courage
did not desert him, and shouting "A Douglas! a Douglas!" he couched his
spear, broke through the English ranks, and, closely pursued in the
direction of Sunderland Bridge, spurred towards the camp of the Scots.
In the chase, five hundred of his horsemen fell, never more to rise;
but Douglas, holding on his course, reached the tent of his king in
safety, and thither carried intelligence that the English were coming,
and would soon be at hand.
Meanwhile, having re-formed their ranks, the English pursued their way
to the high ground above the Wear; and then, leaving Durham on the
right, they marched in order of battle to the Red Hills--irregular
acclivities, rising steeply from the river.
"Here," said the lords in command, "we will abide the coming of our
foes and such an issue as Fortune shall send us, so help us God and St.
George!"
In the interval, the King of Scots, roused by Lord Douglas, issued
orders for marching against the enemy, and, leaving his camp, advanced
to the Red Hills to give battle. As he had arrayed his force, the
battalion of the High Steward of Scotland faced Lord Percy; that led by
the king in person faced Lord Neville and Lord Hastings; and that under
Lord Douglas and the Earl of Moray faced Lord Moubray and Sir Thomas
Rokeby.
It was an awful moment when the embattled hosts stood face to face,
and, in profound silence, gazed for a time on each other, ere coming
hand to hand, and meeting in the shock of war.