The Battle of Sedgemoor
The Bussex Rhine, and King’s Sedgemoor
The Battle of Sedgemoor was a war that was fought between the troops who supported King James II, and the troops in favor of James Scott, the 1st Duke of Monmouth, who was the nephew of the newly appointed King James II. The battle of Sedgemoor and the incidents leading up to the battle took form due to what was thought to be a faulty claim led by James II to his brother’s, Charles II’s, throne. James Scott, the 1st Duke of Monmouth, was the illegitimate son of Charles II and believed, along with the rest of the Monmouth, that he was the rightful heir to the English throne. The battle found the Royalists who fought for King James II to be the victor as they proceeded to take 500 Monmouth prisoners, along with the later capture and execution of King James II’s nephew, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. This battle, which was followed by the Bloody Assizes, another name for the trials of all of the Monmouth soldiers who had been captured by James II soldiers, was the final battle to conclude the Monmouth Rebellion, and considered by some the last battle fought on English soil.
When the men who fought on the side of the Monmouth decided to rush King James II army in the middle of the night, they were met with greater force as James II had been made aware of the attempts, and was ready and waiting. When the Monmouth army, which reached numbers upwards of 5000 men, came within striking range of James II’s trained army, the Royalists opened fire and were able to thwart the Dukes attack with the firepower of their muskets. In the heat of this attack, as the Monmouths had come merely armed with farmers utensils as weapons, they yelled to their adversary to join them in real combat. It is documented that the phrase that was shouted to James II and his troops by the Monmouths army in the heat of this battle was “come over and fight”, as they had no range with their weapons and were merely shot down from a distance by their enemy.
The Battle of Sedgemoor was a war that was fought between the troops who supported King James II, and the troops in favor of James Scott, the 1st Duke of Monmouth, who was the nephew of the newly appointed King James II. The battle of Sedgemoor and the incidents leading up to the battle took form due to what was thought to be a faulty claim led by James II to his brother’s, Charles II’s, throne. James Scott, the 1st Duke of Monmouth, was the illegitimate son of Charles II and believed, along with the rest of the Monmouth, that he was the rightful heir to the English throne. The battle found the Royalists who fought for King James II to be the victor as they proceeded to take 500 Monmouth prisoners, along with the later capture and execution of King James II’s nephew, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. This battle, which was followed by the Bloody Assizes, another name for the trials of all of the Monmouth soldiers who had been captured by James II soldiers, was the final battle to conclude the Monmouth Rebellion, and considered by some the last battle fought on English soil.
When the men who fought on the side of the Monmouth decided to rush King James II army in the middle of the night, they were met with greater force as James II had been made aware of the attempts, and was ready and waiting. When the Monmouth army, which reached numbers upwards of 5000 men, came within striking range of James II’s trained army, the Royalists opened fire and were able to thwart the Dukes attack with the firepower of their muskets. In the heat of this attack, as the Monmouths had come merely armed with farmers utensils as weapons, they yelled to their adversary to join them in real combat. It is documented that the phrase that was shouted to James II and his troops by the Monmouths army in the heat of this battle was “come over and fight”, as they had no range with their weapons and were merely shot down from a distance by their enemy.
Bibliography: "James Scott, Duke of Monmouth (English Noble)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/389635/James-Scott-duke-of-Monmouth Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. The Battle of Sedgemoor 1685: The Last Battle Fought on English Soil." Bridgewater Blake Museum. N.p., n.d. Web; http://www.bridgwaterblakemuseum.org.uk/battle%20of%20sedgemoor.htm