by whose help he was able to make serious attacks
upon the English garrisons of Lanark and Scone (May,
1297). These exploits, of little importance in
themselves, sufficed to attract the popular feeling
towards Wallace. The domestic difficulties of
Edward I rendered the time opportune for a rising,
and, despite the failure of an ill-conceived and badly-managed
attempt on the part of some of the more patriotic
barons, which led to the submission of Irvine, in
1297, the little army which Wallace had collected rapidly
grew in courage and in numbers, and its leader laid
siege to the castle of Dundee. He had now attained
a position of such importance that Surrey and Cressingham
found it necessary to take strong measures against
him, and they assembled at Stirling, whither Wallace
marched to meet them. The battle of Stirling
Bridge (or, more strictly, Cambuskenneth Bridge) was
fought on September 11th, 1297. Wallace, with
his army of knights and spearmen, took up his position
on the Abbey Craig, with the Forth between him and
the English. Less than a mile from the Scottish
camp was a small bridge over the river, giving access
to the Abbey of Cambuskenneth. Surrey rashly
attempted to cross this bridge, in the face of the
Scots, and Wallace, after a considerable number of
the enemy had been allowed to reach the northern bank,
ordered an attack. The English failed to keep
the bridge, and their force became divided. Surrey
was unable to offer any assistance to his vanguard,
and they fell an easy prey to the Scots, while the
English general, with the remnants of his army, retreated
to Berwick.
Stirling was the great military key of the country,
commanding all the passes from south to north, and
the great defeat which the English had sustained placed
the country in the power of Wallace. Along with
an Andrew de Moray, of whose identity we know nothing,
he undertook the government of the country, corresponded
in the name of Scotland with Luebeck and Hamburg,
and took the offensive against England in an expedition
which ravaged as far south as Hexham. To the great
monastery of Hexham he granted protection in the name
of “the leaders of the army of Scotland",[45]
although he was not successful in restraining the
ferocity of his followers. The document in question
is granted in the name of John, King of Scotland,
and in a charter dated March 1298,[46] Wallace describes
himself as Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland, acting
for the exiled Balliol. In the following summer,
Edward marched into Scotland, and although his forces
were in serious difficulties from want of food, he
went forward to meet Wallace, who held a strong position
at Falkirk. Wallace prepared to meet Edward by
drawing up his spearmen in four great “schiltrons”
or divisions, with a reserve of cavalry. His
flanks were protected by archers, and he had also placed
archers between the divisions of spearmen. On
the English side, Edward himself commanded the centre,
the Earls of Norfolk and Hereford the right, and the