h some success seems to have attended it,
yet it can scarcely have been of so much importance as Clarendon the
Royalist historian[B] makes out, for he writes: "The left wing, commanded
by Wilmot, had a great success, though they had to charge in worse ground,
amongst hedges and through gaps and ditches which were lined with
musketeers. Sir A. Aston, with great courage and dexterity, beat off these
musketeers with his dragoons; and then the right wing of their horse 'was
easily dispersed, and fled the chase fearlessly.' The reserve, seeing none
of the enemy's horse left, thought there was nothing more to be done but
to pursue those that fled, and could not be contained by their commanders,
but with spurs and loose reins followed the chase which the left wing had
led them. Thus while victory was unquestionable, the King was left in
danger from the reserve of the Parliament, which, pretending to be
friends, broke in upon the foot, and did great execution." Certainly in
charge and counter charge at this stage of the attack, the
Parliamentarians show to no advantage, and the dispersal of the dragoons,
musketeers, and part of Fielding's horse, seems to have taken place, but
the subsequent successful charge of Balfour's and Stapleton's brigades
makes it clear that _they_ were not involved in any disaster.

On the right wing, soon after the time of Wilmot's charge near the Sun
Rising, Rupert's troops moved down the foot of the hill in the direction
of the Kineton road and towards Ramsay's horse, which advanced to meet
them. The Parliamentary general had lined the hedgerows on his flank with
musketeers, and had placed ranks of musketeers between his horse. But as
the cavaliers[3] swept down the slope a defect was visible in the
Parliamentarian ranks, and Sir Faithful Fortescue's Irish troop threw off
their orange scarves and deserted bodily, not quite soon enough, it seems,
to save themselves, for a score or so of saddles were emptied in the
onrush of Rupert's cavaliers. The roundhead ranks were disordered, for
the troops had fired their long pieces wildly, and scarcely waiting the
meeting, they fled, leaving the musketeers to be cut up. The troops of
cavaliers swept through them scattering and destroying all in their way;
then deflecting a little to the left they pressed back the mass of
fugitives upon the foot regiments of Essex, Mandeville and Chomley which
in turn were overthrown, and the artillery captured. Even Wharton's
re