The Battle of Flodden Field
Events of 9th September 1513
(Also known as The Battle of Branxton Moor)
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1. James IV's Scottish Army occupies the advantageous defensive position on Flodden Hill. His heavy guns are well placed and trained over Milfield Plain, this being the obvious line of attack from the Earl of Surrey's English army approaching from the south.
Flodden Hill
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2. Surrey, having camped at Barmoor on 8th September, moves north to outflank the Scots and, after crossing the River Till at Twizel, most the English forces come from the North, cutting off the Scots retreat to their homeland.
Surrey's approach route
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3. James is forced to relinquish his excellent defensive position on Flodden Hill, and moves to confront the approaching English. He loses the advantage of well-prepared gun emplacements. In the opening artillery duel the heavy Scottish guns are out-performed by the lighter English field guns.
Branxton Hill
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4. Home and Huntley are first to engage the English. They descend the hill with their pike formations intact and, in the first engagement of the day, rout Edmund Howard's forces.
Home and Huntley attacked down these slopes
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5. The day is saved for the English by the intervention of Dacre's cavalry. Home repairs to the high ground to regroup. He takes no further part in the fighting, and for this, he subsequently loses his head.
Edmund Howard's battle position
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6. Errol, Crawford and Montrose now descend Branxton Hill to take on The Lord Admiral. The pike columns stumble in the marshy ground, lose their essential formation and are decimated by English longbows and billhooks.
The Battlefield from Errol, Crawford and Montrose's position
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7. James, unable to control his forces, follows down the steep slope of Branxton Hill and his forces meet a similar fate in the marshy ground.
This road marks the line of King James' descent from Branxton Hill
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8. The later arrival of Stanley from an easterly direction ensures that Lennox and Argylle are fully occupied and unable to rescue their kind, leaving the day to Surrey.
Stanley's forces approached through these fields
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There are several reasons for the outcome of this battle. The artillery pieces of the English were lighter, but of a higher muzzle velocity than the Scottish guns, which were cumbersome to move, emplace and load. Surrey's tactics, local knowledge and generalship were superb. The Scot's use of the 18-foot long pike was not suited to their fighting method, discipline or the local terrain.
