THIS month will see the return of an English Civil War Society Major to Scottish soil for the first time in nearly 30 years as the Battle of Dunbar (1650) is re-enacted during a weekend of commemorations.

Last re-enacted in the town in 1988, the battle is now part of a triennial cycle introduced by the Scottish Battlefields Trust, which will see major reenactments of the Battle of Prestonpans, the Battle of Dunbar and the Battle of Pinkie Heugh held annually on a three-year cycle.

This year it is the turn of Dunbar, with the annual celebrations to mark the Battle of Prestonpans taking a back seat.

Thanks to the Battle of Prestonpans Heritage Trust, we know the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s victory over government troops during the Jacobite rising.

However, the tragedy of the Battle of Dunbar is less well known.

The Battle of Dunbar lasted two hours. It made Oliver Cromwell’s reputation as a great strategic military leader and went down in history as one of Scotland’s worst defeats.

Cromwell claimed that 3,000 Scots were killed in the rout and another 10,000 taken prisoner, while his Commonwealth army lost only 30 men.

In truth, his figures are probably exaggerated but it was without doubt a serious defeat, and as many died after being taken prisoner as did on the battlefield.

About 5,000 Scottish prisoners were marched south to Durham. Many died from sickness and hunger either on the eight-day march or during the subsequent period of imprisonment in Durham Cathedral. The survivors were ultimately transported to New England or Barbados as indentured labourers.

Last year a mass grave found under Durham Cathedral was identified as the bones of soldiers from the Battle of Dunbar.

So how did it go so wrong?

In 1650, Cromwell was leading an army on an invasion of Scotland but struggling to take Edinburgh.

As Scottish and English troops skirmished around the outside of the capital, sickness among Cromwell’s army, along with bad weather and a shortage of supplies, forced him to retreat.

Commander of the Scottish army the Earl of Leven saw the chance for the Scots to go on the offensive and his lieutenant general David Leslie led the Scottish Covenanters after Cromwell to Dunbar. By September 1, 1650, Leslie and his troops had taken a commanding position on Doon Hill, on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills, overlooking the English encampment at Dunbar.

But Leslie was under pressure from the kirk, which was funding the Covenanters, not to get involved in a prolonged stand-off and made a tactical error, opting to march down the hill to attack the English army on level ground.

Having put his men in position, he waited for morning to attack, but Cromwell seized an opportunity and moved troops in the darkness to prepare an all-out assault on the Scottish right flank at first light. At 4am on September 3, 1650, they began their attack. Many of the Scottish senior officers had left the camp overnight to seek shelter from the heavy rain which had been pounding the troops, and within two hours the battle was over and Cromwell victorious.

The battle led to the production of the Dunbar Medal to be presented to every English soldier who took part, the first medal of its kind ever presented to the English army. There would not be another until the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The Battle of Dunbar re-enactment weekend takes place from September 16 to 18.

Epic battles, living history, food and drink and more are all being promised for the event, which takes place at Deer Park, off the town’s Bowmont Terrace.

There will be drill displays, a living history encampment, children’s activities and food and drink.

But the weekend’s main attraction will be two spectacular battle recreations, each with cannon, foot and horse.

On Saturday, watch as Cromwell’s exhausted troops are driven back to Dunbar by the triumphant Scots. Then on Sunday, witness the dramatic turnaround as the Scottish army is surprised by a bold and devastating attack.

A parade is held through Dunbar on Saturday at 10am, with the living history getting under way at Deer Park at 11am.

On Saturday at 7.30pm, there is a talk on the Durham Scottish Soldiers Project at the Dunmuir Hotel with a seminar on Sunday at 9.45am at Dunbar Town House Museum entitled ‘What happened to the surviving Scots prisoners?’.

For details, visit eastlothianbattles.com