First English Civil War, 1646 - 1646 End of The War

1646 End of The War

The only field army remaining to the King was Goring's, and though Hopton, who sorrowfully accepted the command after Goring's departure, tried at the last moment to revive the memories and the local patriotism of 1643, it was of no use to fight against the New Model with the armed rabble that Goring turned over to him. Dartmouth surrendered on January 18, 1646, Hopton was defeated at the Battle of Torrington on February 16, and surrendered the remnant of his worthless army on March 14. Exeter fell on April 13. Elsewhere, Hereford was taken on December 17, 1645, and the Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold, the last pitched battle of the war, was fought and lost at by Lord Astley on March 21, 1646.

Newark fell on May 6 and the third siege of Oxford ended with the signing of a treaty on June 24, the keys of the City were formally handed over to Fairfax the next day. Wallingford Castle, the last English royalist stronghold, fell after a 65-day siege on July 27. On August 31 Montrose escaped from the Highlands. On the 19th of the same month Raglan Castle surrendered, and the last Royalist post of all, Harlech Castle, maintained the useless struggle until March 13, 1647. Charles himself, after leaving Newark in November 1645, had spent the winter in and around Oxford, whence, after an adventurous journey, he came to the camp of the Scottish army at Southwell on May 5, 1646.