Battle of Alton - Aftermath

Aftermath

During and after the battle, Waller captured at least 500 men, around 100 of these re-enlisting with him. Additionally, more than 100 Royalist soldiers were killed. Together, the men lost represented nearly half of Hopton's infantry forces in the south. Waller, on the other hand, lost around ten men and gained much reputation for his success. Waller put his prisoners to work dragging the horse carcasses from the church, dismantling the scaffoldings inside, and burying their fallen comrades near the northern wall of the building. All of the captured men were then marched to Farnham tied together in pairs.

Waller ordered his men to demolish the town's fortifications, and had survivors that did not re-enlist paraded through the streets of London to mark his victory. Lord Crawford's hat, cloak and gifted wine were all left behind in Alton. From then on, it was said that Lord Crawford, in fleeing, "left his sack at Alton". King Charles, upon hearing of Boles's death, called for a mourning scarf, lamenting at the loss of what he considered to be one of "the best Commanders in this Kingdome". In the following weeks, letters were sent from Crawford and Hopton to Waller:

Hopton was severely depressed by his defeat at Alton, actually more than was appropriate given its military import. On the Parliamentarian side, the morale boost enjoyed by Waller was significant, and on 15 December, the House of Commons of England ordered Sir Arthur Haslerig and Sir Gilbert Gerard to draft a letter to Sir William Waller commending him for his success. The Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Alton allowed Waller to advance south-east, and upon Arundel where he began a successful siege on the Royalists garrisoned there. Hopton was unable to break the siege with his few remaining foot soldiers, and the 1000 horse he received from Oxford were unhelpful. After the Siege of Arundel, both armies were forced to retire for the winter due to the harsh weather.