MacDidz: The Scottish Blog

[Didz]

Summer 1100 AD: Alexander assaults York.
The English having failed to surrender the city, Alexander decides that an assault is unavoidable. Therefore, choosing what he considers to be the weakest part of the City defences he draws his army up ready for the assault.

Supported by his crossbowmen a force of Irish kerns use a ram to batter a breach in the city walls.

With the breach established Crossbowmen move forward to clear the English defenders from the breach.

Unable to do anything to protect themselves the English defenders are flensed by concentrated crossbow bolts.

In desperation the English charge troops through the breach to drive off the Scottish crossbowmen.

Only to be decimated and broken by the concentrated fire of the Scots Archers and crossbowmen beyond the wall.

With their spearmen routed the entire English garrison surrenders the walls and retreats towards the city centre.

At this point Alexander makes a mistake and orders the Border Horse to pursue the English into the city in the hope of cutting them down before they can rally. The border horse charged into the town hacking and hewing their way through the streets in pursuit of the routed English spearmen, only to turn a corner and run headling into a group of mailed English Knights. Whereupon, they in turn were cut to pieces and fled the field. Proving once again that cavalry are neither mine nor the Scottish strong point.

Alexander attempted to save his horse by ordering the Irish Galloglaich axemen forward and these eventually drove off the English Knights forcing them to withdraw to the city centre with the rest of the army.

The crossbowmen were then ordered forward again to cut down the English in the town square.

This triggered a series of six or seven costly counter-attacks by the English horse in an attempt to drive off the crossbowmen, each attack resulting in the crossbowmen withdrawing behind the Galloglaich and more English horse being cut down with axes.

The English general is cut down during one of these charges.

The death of their captain knocked the last of the fight out of the English garrison and they retreated once more to the city centre.

As the first Irish troops reached them they surrendered the keys to the city.

Casualties had been relatively light except amongst the border horse but the City of York was safe in Scottish hands.