Battle of Solway Moss    1542

James V

After James V had snubbed his Uncle, Henry VIII and not shown up repsonded "with their usual enthusiasm" and things began to teeter towards war. The final straw was when an English raiding party was caught by the Earl of Huntly at Haddon Rig. The English reivers abandoned the English troops to their fate.

Henry was furious, and he sent an army that burned Kelso, Roxburgh, and Teviotdale. After it returned to Berwick, James V raised and army, but his could not get his reluctant nobles into the field.

James then raised another army of 15,000-18,000 and attacked the English West March (Carlisle, Cumbria). James decided to wait at Lochmaben. The army burned out the Scots in the debateable land, the Grahams (nasty folks), and started crossing the Esk. Wharton waited on the English side with a small force of English reivers.

Seeing that the army was hemmed in by the swamps, he attacked with 700-800 mounted reivers. They made slashing attacks with sword and spear, and fired volleys from there dags into the massed and bogged down troops.

Oliver Sinclair, the hated King's favorite, declared himself commander. A bitter dispute broke out amongst the Scottish commanders, and the command structure totally disintegrated.

The Scottish army discarded their weapons, standards, and artillery. Men were trampled underfoot and oteher drowned in the Esk. The massive army then began a disorderly retreat accross the debateable land. Many were plundered and killed by the Grahams, who were waiting for them and a bit angry at the treatment they had received. Others willingly surrendered to the English to preserve their lives.

Summary, 700-800 English Border Reivers routed a force of 15-18,000 Scots at Solway Moss. James V was not at the battle.

As a dramatic scenario it is rather humiliating to the Scots. The drama there is the interaction between Sinclair and the Nobles. The battle would be mounted horseman, wheeling and shooting bogged-down, massed Sots at point-blank range, who then trample each other trying to escape. It wasn't a battle so much as a route.