The Scots won the Battle of Stirling Bridge
On this day · 11 September 1297
On a narrow timber bridge over the Forth, two Scottish rebels turned a river crossing into a slaughter and a nation's defiance.
On 11 September 1297, a Scottish army led jointly by William Wallace and Andrew Moray crushed an English force near Stirling, the first great victory of the Wars of Independence. The English under the Earl of Surrey and the treasurer Hugh de Cressingham had to funnel across a narrow wooden bridge over the River Forth, wide enough for only two riders abreast.
The Scots waited until enough men had crossed, then charged with long spears, sealing the bridgehead. Trapped on soft, looping ground, the English were cut down or drowned under the weight of their armor; Cressingham was among the dead.
The English watched, unable to cross, as their comrades were slaughtered on the far bank.
Victory raised Wallace to Guardian of Scotland, though Moray died of wounds soon after. The triumph was brief: Edward I returned in person and broke Wallace at Falkirk in 1298.
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