But I'm getting ahead of myself. The first stop of the day was Bannockburn, site of the battle of. This, as I'm sure you know, was a pivotal battle in the wars between England and Scotland and took place in 1314, when Edward came north with some 2,000 horse and 16,000 foot soldiers. The stated intent was to relieve Stirling Castle, just down the road and currently under siege but in reality, he wanted to knock the rhubarb out of the Scottish army in the field, and thus, end the war. Of course, it didn't turn out like that.
Despite his wimpy portrayal in Braveheart (which for the record, is not a documentary), Robert de Brus was one hard bastard and a brilliant military tactician. His army numbered only around 9,000 but they were in place long before the English arrived. Brus peppered both sides of the approach road with small pits, three feet deep and covered with brush, which forced the enemy to take the route he wanted, away from solid ground and onto a wet, boggy area called the Carse.Legend has it that one of the English commanders, one Henry de Bohun, saw Brus mounted on a small horse, without armor and armed only with a battle-axe. Bohun lowered his lance and charged his war-horse into history. For Brus, totally unfazed, merely stood on his stirrups, and beaned him with the axe, splitting not only Bohun's helmet, but his head in two. Cheered by the heroism of their leader, Brus' troops rushed forward to engage the main enemy force.
The battle raged for two days, but Brus' tactics, plus his command of the strong ground made the Englishmen's task almost impossible. Time and again the mobile Scottish spearmen were able to withstand the attacks of the more cumbersome English horsemen. The very size and strength of the English army was working against them. It took time to move the forces into position and the Scots were picking them off almost at will.
By the time Brus committed his entire army to an inexorable, bloody push, the English host was a disorganized mass and by mid-morning on the second day, Edward's army had been thoroughly routed. Out of the 16,000 infantrymen, only around 5,000 are believed to have survived, while the Scots losses were almost negligible. Full English recognition of Scots independence didn't happen for another ten years, but Robert de Brus' position as king were cemented by the events at Bannockburn.
The National Trust's visitor center was pleasant enough, with dioramas and wall mounted accounts of the battle. But the experience was marred by the inevitable hord of ill-behaved school children yelling and screaming while their teachers beamed indulgently. That said, I did get a kick out of hearing one of them explaining to the oblivious weans how William Wallace had led the Scots into battle here, "Remember...you saw it in Braveheart?". This would have a feat worthy of Hollywood indeed, considering Wallace was executed some 9 years before the battle took place. Even Mel Gibson didn't distort history quite as much as this alleged teacher.
I escaped into the sunshine, hoping that by standing beside the ugly, modern abstract monument, a few hundred yards away, I might feel a connection to the ghosts of the past, to my ancestors who fought for liberty all those centuries ago. But I can't say that I did. It's certainly a beautiful location for a battle, with rolling green hills sweeping down to the new houses in the distance. But there was no mystical, intangible presence to the place, no sense of the history that took place here. It was just a pretty field.
It wasn't until I was home again, and checking the accuracy of my notes that I learned why that might be. Apparently, there is some dispute amongst historians as to where the actual battle took place. Nobody really knows, but one thing about which they're in almost unanimous agreement is, it wasn't here. Maybe a couple of miles over a bit.
Ah well, Mel Gibson didn't get it right either.
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