The Battle of Edge Hill

By Crusader1307

The initial battle of The First English Civil War, it was fought on October 23, 1642. The Royalist forces of King Charles I (England) were commanded by Prince Rupert with roughly 12,000 men. The Parliamentarian forces, numbering 15,000 troops were commanded by the Earl of Essex. Named for a prominent hill that dominated the region, Edge Hill is located near South Warwickshire, England. The Royalist forces arrived first and took up strong defensive positions. Upon arrival of the Rebels, the Royalists left their positions and advanced on them. Low on supplies, the Rebels had no choice but to engage. As the Royalists advanced, they noted the steepness of the hill was such that they had to first advance down and then up. This slightly exposed their flank. The Rebels fought and exploited this weakness (it is unknown just why the Royalists left their much better positions for an upfront fight). As bad as their position was the Royalist kept fighting. After several hours, both sides withdrew on their own accord. The Royalists loss only 500 dead (as did the Rebels). Both side would claim a resounding victory.