This article first appeared in 'Rattes Tayle,' the Regimental Newsletter of the NORFOLKE TRAINED BANDS. Our thanks to Grahame, the editor, for allowing its reprint.

The armies of King and Parliament were very similar. An army was composed of Foot (regiments of infantry), Horse (the cavalry), Dragoons (mounted musketeers) and Artillery (cannons).

There was no regular uniform in the armies (until the New Model Army was formed in 1645) and each unit would wear coats in the colour chosen by its Colonel. This could often cause confusion with soldiers not being able to tell friend from foe. To avoid this the armies would choose a "fieldsign." This could be a coloured sash (red for Royalist, orange for Parliament) or a piece of paper stuck in the hat or even a bunch of leaves tied to the helmet.

An army of 15,000 men when drawn up for battle would form a line nearly two miles wide. The infantry would be massed in the centre with the cavalry on the wings. The cannons would be placed in the gaps between infantry regiments.

A regiment of foot had ten companies. Each was commanded by an officer, usually a captain. In battle the regiment was drawn up six ranks deep with the pikemen in the centre and the musketeers on the wings. The basic unit of the cavalry was the troop of sixty men. A regiment would be made up of six or seven troops with a total strength of between 450-500 men.

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