Editing Battle of Worcester (section)

===Invasion of England===
The King was aided by Scottish allies and was attempting to regain the throne that had been lost when his father [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] was [[regicide|executed]]. The commander of the Scots, [[David Leslie, Lord Newark|David Leslie]], supported the plan of fighting in [[Scotland]], where royal support was strongest. Charles, however, insisted on making war in [[Commonwealth of England|England]]. He calculated that Cromwell's campaign north of the [[River Forth]] would allow the main Scottish Royalist army which was south of the Forth to steal the march on the Roundhead [[New Model Army]] in a race to London.  He hoped to rally not merely the old faithful Royalists, but also the overwhelming numerical strength of the English [[Presbyterian]]s to his standard. He calculated that his alliance with the Scottish Presbyterian [[Covenanter]]s and his signing of the [[Solemn League and Covenant]] would encourage English Presbyterians to support him against the English Independent faction which had grown in power over the last few years. The Royalist army was kept well in hand, no excesses were allowed, and in a week the Royalists covered 150 miles in marked contrast to the [[James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton|Duke of Hamilton's]] ill-fated expedition of 1648. On 8 August the troops were given a well-earned rest between [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]] and [[Kendal]].{{sfn|Atkinson|1911|p=420}}

However the Royalists were mistaken in supposing that the enemy was unaware. Everything had been foreseen both by Cromwell and by the [[English Council of State|Council of State]] in [[Palace of Westminster|Westminster]]. The latter had called out the greater part of the militia on 7 August. Lieutenant-General [[Charles Fleetwood]] began to draw together the midland contingents at [[Banbury]]. The London trained-bands turned out for field service no fewer than 14,000 strong. Every suspected Royalist was closely watched, and the magazines of arms in the country-houses of the gentry were for the most part removed into the strong places. On his part Cromwell had quietly made his preparations. [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]] passed into his hands on 2 August and he brought back his army to [[Leith]] by 5 August. Thence he dispatched Lieutenant-General [[John Lambert (General)|John Lambert]] with a cavalry corps to harass the invaders. Major-General [[Thomas Harrison (soldier)|Thomas Harrison]] was already at [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] picking the best of the county mounted-troops to add to his own regulars. On 9 August, Charles was at Kendal, Lambert hovering in his rear, and Harrison marching swiftly to bar his way at the [[Mersey]]. [[Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Thomas Fairfax]] emerged for a moment from his retirement to organize the [[Yorkshire]] levies, and the best of these as well as of the [[Lancashire]], [[Cheshire]] and [[Staffordshire]] militias were directed upon [[Warrington]], which Harrison reached on 15 August, a few hours in front of Charles's advanced guard. Lambert too, slipping round the left flank of the enemy, joined Harrison, and the English fell back (16 August), slowly and without letting themselves be drawn into a fight, along the London road.{{sfn|Atkinson|1911|p=420}}