Into The Sleet
No sooner had the Scots entered the marsh at the foot of the hill than the first arrows began to descend. They continued to fall in great clouds as the schiltrons freed themselves from the marshy ground and began the ascent up Halidon Hill. Having lost all momentum they moved slowly upwards, so tightly packed that even the most indifferent archer could scarcely fail to hit his target. The shooting was so intense that many turned their faces away as if walking into a storm of sleet. The Lanercost Chronicle reports: ...the Scots who marched in the front were so wounded in the face and blinded by the multitude of English arrows that they could not help themselves, and soon began to turn their faces away from the blows of the arrows and fall. Casualties were heavy, with some of the finest troops falling dead or wounded on the lower reaches of the hill. The survivors crawled upwards, through the arrows and on to the waiting spears.
It was Moray's depleted schiltron that first made contact with the enemy, closing on Balliol's division on the left. Stewart followed, advancing on King Edward in the centre. Douglas came in their wake. But even before Stewart and Douglas arrived Moray's front ranks were failing in the hand-to-hand fighting with Balliol. With no let up in the arrows, the schiltron broke, retreating rapidly downhill. Panic spread from the centre to the left. With English arrows directed towards the flanks the Scots bunched in a disorganised mass towards the centre, much as they had done at Dupplin Moor, as if each man was trying to hide from death behind the body of his comrade. Those in the rear began running back towards the marsh, away from the killing ground. Scots honour was saved by the Earl of Ross and his Highlanders, who fought to the death in a gallant rearguard action.
With Ross gone the English knights took to horse, riding off in pursuit of the fugitives. Stewart together with the earls of Moray and Strathern all managed to escape; but few others were as lucky. The battlefield was a grim place; the Guardian lay dead with five other earls. They died in the company of the nameless commons of Scotland, who fell in their thousands. English casualties were light. The following day Berwick surrendered.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Halidon Hill