Tornado Alley (PROG)

[Crow3]

Two sept 11 dates... one you know, the other the battle of Sterling Bridge.

The Braveheart Movie did not report the battle as it really occured.

The English Army was encamped at the Sterling Castle area.

The Scottish irregulars were encamped sort of, accross Sterling Bridge in a large U bend of the Forth River. Wallace and Murray, the two "Generals" of the SCOTS were on top of a high hill or CRAIG observing, as good Generals ought to do.

Sterling Bridge had been rigged to be collapsed at a signal from Wallace, By pulling a Pin which was holding up the nearly sawed through timbers of the wooden bridge.

When Wallace saw that enough of the English Horse and foot had crossed the bridge, he sounded his Horn from atop the Craig,
and "PIN" Wright, as he was ever after known. yanked the Pin and the bridge collapsed, dumping a number of armoured horsemen ito the river. "Pin" was hidden under the bridge under some brush.

Scots ran in from both sides, a pincer movement, and finished cutting off the English that had crossed the bridge.. and here came the other Scots, killing the English. Mostly with spears, and some with long swords. One tactic was to goose the horse in the belly, causing him to buck and rear, dumping the Horseman with his heavy armour on the ground, where they became easy prey. It was a lot like shooting fish in a barrell.

A lot of the foot soldiers escaped by swimming the river..but most of them were slain.

There was no flashing of bare Scot asses at the English as was shown in the movie. Nor was there any rain of arrows on the Scots, most of whom were hidden in the brush before battle, and not lined up in an english style battle array.

Did Wallace himself join in the killing?? Or did he remain as a good General ought, in his observation post on the craig??

Not known for sure, but Murray, the other Commander, did. He was wounded badly, and eventually died some time later.

It does not matter..the significant thing is that this was the first battle for freedom, fought by both ordinary Soots, joined by a good many Noblemen. The english that were still on the Stirling side of the river fled but were attacted and decimated by two Scot Noblemen and their Followers as they fled upriver toward Dunbar Castle.

Wallace himself, a "Commoner", was later Knighted and became
Sir William. But on the day of the battle, he, like nearly all of his followers were commoners...Vassals and Peasant tenant Farmers.

Did Wallace inspire the American revolution, and other uprisings by common men to throw off opression?? I like to think so.