How many wargamers can you name that fight their battles during the period of the 1600’s? Why don’t you know of any? One answer could be the difficulty of finding information about the period.
Musketeer is an Old Glory. 25mm, painted by Dave Dugas from the collection of Bob Beattie. Photo by Bob Beattie.
Another reason might be the difficulty in setting up rules for this type of warfare which saw armor vs matchlock; cannon vs castles. My introduction to this transitional period of warfare was the accidental discovery of Cromwell’s Army by Charles H. Firth (Barnes & Noble, N.Y.). I’ve summed up the important parts of the book in this article, and I hope I can get you excited enough to go out and DO SOMETHING about developing a good set of rules.
1642 saw the beginning of 12 years of warfare in Britain between numerous opposing groups, none of whom were ready for the struggle. Save for a small handful of brave and skillful men in the Dutch and Swedish services, England had to rely for defense on raw levies of rogues and cripples recruited in the jails and gutters. The militia was untrained and unarmed, incapable of resisting invasion, which was thought to be its only duty. (Roundheads) was to raise, equip and train their armies moreover, to do this while those armies were actually in the field.
The King received his support from the nobles, land owning gentry and the religiously orthodox, who were predominant in Wales and the West and North of England. The rebels (or defenders of their rights and religion if you choose) were found particularly in the cities of the South and East of England and included the commercial classes, who fought for more political freedom; and the Puritans, a large religious minority fighting for freedom to worship; and finally to win a revolution in which they captured control of the kingdom. The Scots interfered with both parties according to the prospects of plunder, or gander to their own religion. A civil war in Ireland further added to the complications of all parties.
Voluntary enlistment was the first means of raising the armies, and resulted in regiments of misfits and paupers whose health and patriotism soon disappeared. When this source of cannon fodder dried up, both sides resorted to proprietary regiments. The colonel promised good food, wages and conditions to get recruits, but actually withheld pay and skimped on food and clothing as a means of recovering his investment and making a profit. Finally both sides turned to impressment and levying quotas on towns and parishes as the only way to keep the ranks filled. These drafted men were by far the best soldiers, healthy and intelligent. A mistake which both sides made was to constantly raise new regiments while the veteran units withered away. Another mistake was the garrisoning of towns and castles which reduced the size of the field armies. With 60,000 to 70,000 men under arms seldom could Parliament fight a battle with more than 20,000 men, even when two armies combined for a campaign. Several times during the war the London Train Bands left the city to fight in the field where they did good service. Of all the militia, they were the only units approaching discipline and proper equipment. Further, their presence in the city was enough to secure it from capture.
FOOT
Of the 1200 men in a full strength regiment, the strongest 1/3 to 1/2 carried sixteen foot pikes and wore the Pot, Back, Breast and Thigh armor. This was discarded during the latter part of the war for greater mobility. The Pikeman also carried a sword for close work. The Musketeer’s were armed with sword, bandolier of twelve cartridge bottles, bullet-bag and priming flask and the twelve gauge matchlock musket with rest (this latter also later discarded). He might also wear the Pot or wide brimmed Beaver hat and perhaps the expensive and protective Buff Coat of leather, purchased at his own expense. Bayonets a were unknown, the butt being preferred for close work.
The matchlock was sturdy and cheap, but it could not be used in wet weather (“Put your trust in God, my boys, but keep your powder dry” - the musketeer coiled it inside his hat.) Neither could the matchlock be used at night without discovery. To reduce difficulty in loading a fouled musket, the musketeer used undersized balls which fell to the breech without ramming. One regiment had the misfortune of raising their muskets to stop a cavalry charge coming up hill towards them, and seeing their bullets roll out of the muzzles! “Issued” ammunition was often too large and the musketeer had to carve or chew off the excess lead. We can say then, that accuracy was not too good at this period! Another problem faced by the musketeer was in loading his cartridge bottles at the open “budge barrel” of powder behind the lines. It seems that in the stress of battle he sometimes forgot to remove the match entwined between his fingers before he plunged his hand into the powder. Rest in Peace! Late in the war, General monk ordered each company to arm six men with firelock fowling pieces for sniping at enemy officers. Another “modern” idea was the use of greyish-green camouflage in Ireland.
The tactics of the day generally saw the pikes used in line of battle from which the musketeer’s advanced to skirmish; behind which they retreated from the horse. On several occasions the pike advanced and drove off enemy pikes, shot and even horse. The hollow square was a line of “kneeling shot”, one of standing, then the pikes held over the shoulders of the first two ranks. Artillery, if any, was stationed at the corners. Other tactics included a line of shot ranked six deep behind “swine feathers”, these were five foot long sharpened stakes driven into the ground as a protection against the horse. They would fire in successive ranks, each rank passing to the rear to reload. Another tactic was to fire a volley of three ranks; kneeling, stooping and standing. While advancing, two ranks would pass ten feet ahead of the others and fire, the others repeating in their turn. Occasionally the ranks were doubled to a broad right front of three ranks. When all let fly at once, this “salvoe” was very demoralizing to green troops (and to a few veterans, too, I’d guess!) English musketeer’s were very good at outpost work, holding hedges and houses; on the other hand, they lagged behind the Continent in developing field works and trenches.
HORSE
Generally the horse formed a third or more of the army and were divided into two types. First were the Harquebusiers, armed with a three foot long 20 gauge wheelock carbine, sword, Pot, Gorget and light Breast and Back, or instead, the Buff Coat. At first they were armed with two pistols, but as the horse gradually became mounted infantry, particularly in the bogs and hills of Ireland and Scotland, the carbine became necessary. Occasionally troops were fully armored and armed with the lance. Many accounts stress their usefulness, but they and armor were almost fully abandoned by the end of the war.
The second class of horse were the Dragoons. These were cheaply armed rogues mounted on nags. Armed with firelock and sword, their job was to secure passes and bridges, hold off pursuit during retreats, hold ditches and hedges during battle, serve as guards for the pistol armed Horse, or to fight on foot to aid the infantry (every tenth man held horses). Often they would charge up to the enemy’s line and fire long into the same spot to soften up the enemy for a cavalry breakthrough. With a mounted drummer per company, they were more mounted infantry than anything. Their low social position belied their usefulness in doing the dirty work of the army.
Tactics were of two kinds; the Dutch, where a rank trotted up to the 16 enemy line and discharged their pistols, then withdrew to reload while another rank charged; and the Swedish, where three ranks charged at a good trot and used their pistols among the enemy. Swords were often used. The Cavaliers relied on the rapidity of their charge, the Roundheads on shock and momentum. The horse loving gentry of the Cavaliers saw their supremacy change to equality as the Roundhead city boys became veterans. Finally the Roundheads became supreme because they were disciplined enough not to pursue, but rather to rally for another charge. At first, both sides mistakenly raised independent troops, rather than full regiments of horse.
GUNS
Some contemporary accounts stress the ineffectiveness of artillery, others the opposite. Certainly the guns were handy for covering retreat, or covering an attack by dashing up to the line and slowly advancing while firing. (It is rather hard to imagine the ponderous guns and farm horses “dashing up”!) Cromwell’s success in Ireland was due to his heavy culverins, the largest guns in that kingdom, which allowed him to batter down walls from outside the enemy’s range. Generally two small mobile guns were attached to each regiment of foot.
The pieces were served by Gunner, Mate and Man from an open “budge barrel” which explains the need for Fusileers (armed with flintlocks) as artillery support. The gun shot ball, case shot and probably grape. Equal in material, and Roundhead guns were generally better served. A train of Artillery would usually consist of 16 Demi-Culverins, 10 Sakers, 15 Drakes and 15 smaller pieces, plus battering cannon and Mortars.
| Gun | Shot Wgt | Shots/Hour | Extreme Range(yds) | Horses Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culverin | 16-24# | 10-12 | 2100 | 8 |
| Demi-Culverin | 9-12# | ? | 2000 | 6 |
| Sakers | 6# | 15 | - | 3-5 |
| Minions & Drakes | 3# | 15 | - | 3-5 |
ARMY ORGANIZATION
Foot Regiments were supposed to have 12 companies of 100 men each, officered by a Captain, Lieutenant and Ensign, with 2 sargents, 2 corporals, 2 drummers and a “gentleman at arms” (?). Regiments were led by Colonel, Lt. Colonel and Major, with a staff in the horse of clerk, chaplain, surgeon and provost marshal, while the foot added a quartermaster and drum major. Cavalry troops had three trumpeters rather than drums. Often used as messengers and flags of truce they had to be capable tactful men. The Captain General led the army, the Lieutenant General commanded the horse, and the Sargent Major General had charge of the foot. Staff officers had field grade with the titles of: Quartermaster General, Adjutant General, Engineer General, Comptroller of Ordinance, Commissary General, Provost Marshall General (police), Scoutmaster General (intelligence), Mustermaster General (personnel) and Markmaster General (?).
Uniforms were generally standard throughout the regiment, though the pikes were sometimes dressed differently than the shot. Coats would be supplied in red, blue, yellow, grey, green and even white and purple. The other garments were bought by the soldier and varied. The New Model Army raised by Parliament in 1644-5 was entirely dressed in red coats with regimental facings, and other garments were issued as well. Each troop or company had its banner. Those of the horse were fancy, the foots plain and conforming to the pattern and color for the regiment. Examples a large blue flag with the red cross of St George on a white canton, on the fly a device as; five balls, a lion, three triangles etc. Because the uniforms and flags of both sides were so similar, the generals issued field signs before a battle (an orange scarf, no white about the neck, etc.) and a battle cry (“God and the Covenant”, “The Lord of Hosts”, “God and the King”, etc.) that the soldiers might tell one from another.
One Roundhead officer pursuing the beaten enemy stopped his horse to loot a beaver hat from a dead opponent. He clapped it upon his head and galloped off again only to be stabbed in the back by one of his own men who cold see the sprig of green in the hatband (the enemy sign) but not the handkerchief pinned to the breast which was his own sign.
As a minimum library for this war, I would suggest in addition to Cromwell’s Army (quite inexpensive by the way), The King’s War 1641-1647a complete history of the period by the Master Historian C. V. Wedgewood, and The Great Civil War by wargamer Brigadier Peter Young and A. H.Bourne; Dufour Editions, Chester Sprigs, Pa., a lively military history. Each of these compliments the others and I would advise you to read all three for a really complete understanding of the War.
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