Second Battle of Newbury

The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War fought on 27 October 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in late September the previous year. The battle ended indecisively, the Parliamentarian army, commanded by Sir William Waller and the Earl of Manchester, attempted to trap the royalist forces in a pincer by attacking both sides of Charles' army simultaneously. The Parliamentarian attacks were repulsed by the Royal army. Charles however realised following the battle, his position had been rendered untenable and withdrew towards Oxford during the night. The exhausted Parliamentarian army was unable to block the royalist retreat and Charles was able to leave unmolested, despite being heavily outnumbered. The tactical failures in the command and control of the Parliamentarian army during this battle led to several major military reforms that resulted in the creation of the New Model Army for Parliament the following year.