y got
in a body into the enclosures, and in that posture turning dragoons,
they lined the hedges, and fired upon the enemy with their carabines.
This way of fighting, though not very pleasant to troopers, put the
enemy's horse to some stand, and encouraged our men to venture into a
village, where the enemy had secured forty of their horse; and boldly
charging the guard, they beat them off, and recovering those horses,
the rest made their retreat good to Wansford Bridge; but we lost near
100 horses, and about twelve of our men taken prisoners.

The next day the king took Huntingdon; the foot which were left in the
town, as I observed by their horse, had posted themselves at the foot
of the bridge, and fortified the pass, with such things as the haste
and shortness of the time would allow; and in this posture they seemed
resolute to defend themselves. I confess, had they in time planted a
good force here, they might have put a full stop to our little army;
for the river is large and deep, the country on the left marshy, full
of drains and ditches, and unfit for horse, and we must have either
turned back, or took the right hand into Bedfordshire; but here not
being above 400 foot, and they forsaken of their horse, the resistance
they made was to no other purpose than to give us occasion to knock
them on the head, and plunder the town.

However, they defended the bridge, as I have said, and opposed our
passage. I was this day in the van, and our forlorn having entered
Huntingdon without any great resistance till they came to the bridge,
finding it barricaded, they sent me word; I caused the troops to halt,
and rode up to the forlorn, to view the countenance of the enemy, and
found by the posture they had put themselves in, that they resolved to
sell us the passage as dear as they could.

I sent to the king for some dragoons, and gave him account of what I
observed of the enemy, and that I judged them to be 1000 men; for I
could not particularly see their numbers. Accordingly the king ordered
500 dragoons to attack the bridge, commanded by a major; the enemy had
200 musketeers placed on the bridge, their barricade served them for
a breastwork on the front, and the low walls on the bridge served
to secure their flanks. Two bodies of their foot were placed on the
opposite banks of the river, and a reserve stood in the highway on the
rear. The number of their men could not have been better ordered, and
they wanted not courag