Nantwich, how
it soon comes around. One of the most anticipated musters of the year.
This annual event helps cure the winter blues and reminds us of why we participate
in this unusual pastime.
This year was particularly satisfying as Manchesters lifted the Rose Bowl
after winning the drill competition.
All the above pictures have come courtesy of Marc.
In mid-January 1644, Sir Thomas Fairfax and Sir William Brereton led a force of around 3,000 foot, 1,800 horse and 500 dragoons to the relief of Nantwich. Byron moved some of his troops across the frozen River Weaver to meet the Parliamentarians, but in a sudden thaw on the morning of 25 January, a bridge over the river was swept away, leaving part of the Royalist army stranded. Byron was forced to make a six-mile detour to unify his army but Fairfax lost the opportunity for a pre-emptive strike by waiting for his rearguard to come up. Fairfax then attempted to manoeuvre to a more favourable position. Byron wheeled to attack the tail of the Parliamentarian column as it moved across country, forcing two regiments to turn and fight a rearguard action, and the Royalist right wing advanced to engage the leading Parliamentarian units. Realising that the Royalist centre was overstretched and the cohesion of the line was broken by fields and hedgerows, Fairfax turned his entire column to face the Royalists, the front and rear of the column becoming its wings. The battle was extremely confused, with disordered regiments struggling through hedgerows to fight over individual fields. In such terrain, the Royalist cavalry could do little to help the infantry which was gradually pushed back towards Nantwich. When reinforcements from the Parliamentarian garrison marched out, Byron fled with his cavalry to Chester. The rest of Byron's army surrendered to Fairfax, and most of this first contingent of troops from Ireland joined the Parliamentary colours.
Additional
Information with kind permission of David Plant. http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk