BattlefieldsLeslie advance to Berwick 1640
English Civil War

Leslie advance to Berwick 1640

1640
Berwickshire, Scotland
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Berwickshire, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
English royal forces
Forces
English royal army collapsed without fighting
VS
Victor
Covenanting army (Alexander Leslie)
Forces
Covenanting army under Alexander Leslie
Outcome
Covenanting army crossed into England unopposed; Newcastle occupied; Second Bishops War effectively won
The Battle

History & Significance

In the Second Bishops War, General Alexander Leslie led the Covenanting army across the Tweed at Coldstream in August 1640 and advanced rapidly south. His disciplined professional force encountered negligible resistance from the English royal army, which was poorly trained and mutinous. Leslie occupied Newcastle and secured the northeast of England, forcing Charles I to negotiate.

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