The Battle of Stirling Bridge was fought in Stirling, Scotland in 1297. The battle was fought between an English army commanded by John de Warenne and a rebel Scottish army jointly commanded by Andrew Moray and William Wallace, near the beginning of the First War of Scottish Independence. The English army greatly outnumbered the Scottish and possessed superior equipment. However, the Scottish carried the day, due to superior use of terrain and tactics. Wallace and Moray devised a plan to lure the English army over a narrow bridge, which served a choke point, then ambush a manageable portion of the English force while they were cut off from support. Thousands of English soldiers died, and they retreated from the battlefield in shock. There were other avenues of approach available to the English army, but they were dismissed as unnecessary. Had the English properly utilized intelligence prior to the battle, they would have identified the problematic terrain and the waiting ambush. Armed with that knowledge, they would have selected a different strategy for the battle. This would have resulted in the bulk of the Scottish army being crushed at Stirling, ending the war decades earlier, and thereby changing the course of British history.
The Battle of Stirling Bridge: Battle …show more content…
The bridge at Stirling was the only bridge across the River Forth. However, there was also a shallow place about a mile upstream to the west, known as the Ford of Drip, which would have permitted troops to wade across. The bridge was very narrow, which creates a chokepoint, where "men could go only two abreast". The causeway further limits the mobility of troops on the north side of the bridge. The Scottish utilized this geography to their advantage, while the English ignored it, believing that their superior numbers, equipment, and training would easily carry the
The Battle of Stirling Bridge: Battle …show more content…
The bridge at Stirling was the only bridge across the River Forth. However, there was also a shallow place about a mile upstream to the west, known as the Ford of Drip, which would have permitted troops to wade across. The bridge was very narrow, which creates a chokepoint, where "men could go only two abreast". The causeway further limits the mobility of troops on the north side of the bridge. The Scottish utilized this geography to their advantage, while the English ignored it, believing that their superior numbers, equipment, and training would easily carry the