The English Civil War 1642-1651 ; An Illustrated Military History by Philip Haythornthwaite (Blandford, ISBN 0-7137-1265-5), is the best one-stop volume for wargamers. This recently republished book has it all....armies, organisation, weapons, tactics, flags and of course history. It`s worth having on your bookshelf at home solely for the 32 superb full colour plates on uniforms, weapons and flags. The Histories All histories of the Civil War source back to Clarendon`s History of the Rebellion.The 1888 Edition is now available in 6 volumes with 5-600 pages per volume. Heavy going, partisan and somewhat inaccurate, S.R. Gardiner corrected this period piece with his 4 volume History of the Great Civil War. Still flawed, Gardiner replaced Royalist values with Victorian ones. Not surprisingly, Gardiner is more affordable than Clarendon and should be used as the building block of any serious research into the course of events. His battle maps and pre-combustion engine maps of localities add to the usefulness of his work. Possibly the best single volume histories are by two of Britain`s top "popular" historians. The King`s War by C.V. Wedgewood is an immensely readable history of the conflict, though it has suffered at the hands of modern research. Cavaliers and Roundheads by Christopher Hibbert altogether more leisurely read and ideal for the gamer who wants to know only the basics of the historical background. THE ARMIES One of the most important books to allow you to discover everything from basic soldiering to the construction and organisation of armies in the C17th is Cromwell`s Army by C.H. Firth. This book contains many references and examples from European wars, many of which have never appeared elsewhere in English secondary works. A far less substantial effort is Brigadier Peter Young`s The Cavalier Army: It`s Organisation and Everyday Life, which still appears on many library shelves. Caesar`s Due : Loyalty & King Charles 1642-46 by Joyce Malcolm is an in depth study into the recruitment and raising of the armies, particularly those of the Royalists. Ms Malcolm also produced two very interesting articles ; A King in Search of Soldiers : Charles I in 1642, for the Historical Journal, Vol.xxi, 1978 (pages 251-73), and All The King`s Men : The Impact of the Crown`s Irish Soldiers on the English Civil War, Irish Historical Studies, Vol.xxi, 1979. THE FIGHTING Going to the Wars: The Experience of the British Civil Wars 1638-51 (ISBN 9-780415-032827) by Charles Carlton provides an in depth study of all aspects of military life, with excellently researched documentation of the fighting, with many eye-witness accounts. The Impact of the English Civil War by John Morrill (History Today/Collins & Brown, ISBN 1-85585-042-7) includes a chapter which has an incisive study on the fighting. There are three books by Stuart Peachey published by Partisan Press which are well worth investing in. Edgehill Campaign and the Letters of Neremiah Wharton is the eye-witness account of the Edgehill campaign by Sergeant Neremiah Wharton of the London Trained Bands. Gunpowder Triumphant is a study of the infantry and presents an argument for the increasing dominance of the musketeer on the battlefield as the conflict progressed. Mechanics of Infantry Combat in the ECW, has provided much argument amongst re-enactors. THE BATTLES To my mind, the best first stop for battles on British soil is William Seymour`s Battles in Britain (Volume 2, Sidgewick & Jackson, ISBN 0-283-98220-9). Brigadier Peter Young and John Adair works form the backbone of in depth study on the major battles of the ECW. Edgehill, Naseby, Marston Moor, Cropredy Bridge, Cheriton . Most sadly now out of print. THE SIEGES Sieges of the Civil War (Bell & Hyman, 1978, ISBN 0-7135-1983-5) by Brigadier Peter Young and Wilfred Embleton gives a good overview of siege warfare backed up by several very good "case studies" such as Basing, Donnington Castle, Gloucsester, Lyme, Colchester, Reading etc. The 3-D illustrations of the besieged towns and the siege lines will allow any of you to recreate the wargames on the tabletop. The Great & Close Siege of York by Wenham is a `classic` which as the title suggests is an in depth study of the siege of York. This can be contrasted with Gloucester & The Civil War : A City Under Siege by Atkins. Actually, a far more interesting read is Govenor-Generals: The English Army and Empire 1569-1681by Webb, a close scrutiny of the men who held the keys for King or Parliament and kept the gates shut. THE LOCALITIES Whilst many wargamers and historians are attracted to the Civil Wars by the great battles ...Naseby, Marston Moor, Edgehill etc, I think I can safely say that the struggle between King and Parliament was really lost and won at the local level. Excellent level for the wargamer, where campaigns, battles and sieges can all be played at a manageable level. Consider that there were fewer than 30 major battles during the wars, but there are 605 smaller actions recorded in the regions. The Royalist War Effort 1642-1646 (Longman, ISBN 0-582-49411-7) by Ronald Hutton is a superb guide to warfare on the local level and how it shaped the major campaigns. As the title suggests the book`s bias leans towards the Royalists and looks at many of the great Royalist local commanders in detail. By contrast, The Eastern Association in the Civil War by Clive Holmes (Cambridge 1974) looks at this major Parliamentary force, it`s contribution to the war effort, some of it`s local actions and it`s part in the formation of the New Model Army. An excellent guide to the self interest, self defence and organisation for war of a locality in a Civil War. However, Revel, Riot and Rebellion by David Underdown (OUP, ISBN 0-19-285193-4), is the book that should begin any study of regional conflict and in the Civil War. For Underdown paints a canvas depicting the cultural loyalties, internal divisions and popular politics prior to the break between King and Parliament. As a case study he looks at Somerset, and follows through with examining local allegiances and how these may have shifted as the population became increasingly effected by the war. Underdown continues his study of the Civil War period in more depth in Somerset in the Civil War and Interregnum (Newton Abbott, 1973). Revolt in the Provinces by J.Morrill expands the view presented by Underdown and looks at the picture nationwide. To build a upon David Underdown`s study of Somerset yourself, look for War and Peace in West Somerset 1620-1670 by Stevens or better still A Community At War : Bath And North Somerset by John Wroughton (Bath, 1973). The Midlands were the cockpit of the war and a study encompassing the localities involved is provided in Roy Sherwood`s classic The Civil War in The Midlands, 1642-51 (Alan Stroud, ISBN 0-7509-0167-5). SCOTLAND The Campaigns of Montrose by Stuart Reid (The Mercat Press, ISBN 0-901824-92-5) is the best recent study of Montrose and the military situation in Scotland during the Civil War. Reid, like myself was heavily influenced by David Stevenson`s Highland Warrior: Alasdair MacColla and the Civil War (ISBN 0-85411-059-3). Other works worth consideration are Montrose by Falklands War correspondent Max Hastings; the dated but informative Montrose by John Buchan, and Montrose: For Covenant and King by Edward J Cowan. An account of Scots armies operating in Ireland is found in Scots Covenanters and Irish Confederates. Uniforms, Arms & Armour Osprey`s Elite Series ; Soldiers of the English Civil War (1): Infantry (ISBN 0-85045-903-6) and (2); Cavalry (ISBN 0-85045-940-0). As you can expect each volume is jammed packed with illustrations and 12 colour plates. Arms & Armour of the English Civil Wars by David Blackmore (Royal Armouries, ISBN 0-948092-08-4). Europa Militaria Special No.4: The English Civil War Recreated in Colour Photographs by Chris Honeywell & Gill Spear (Windrow & Greene, ISBN 1-872004-54-7). The English Civil War: A Living History by Paul Lewis Isenanger (Alan Salton Publishing, ISBN 0-7509-6555-7) THE COMMANDERS Cromwell : Our Chief of Men by Lady Antonia Fraser (Mandarin, ISBN 0-7493-0107-4) The Cavaliers by Mark Bence-Jones (Constable, ISBN 0-09-461260-9) Cromwell`s Generals Maurice Ashley (Jonathan Cape, 1954) Sir Ralph Hopton : The King`s Man in the West 1642-52 by F.T.R. Edgar (O.U.P.1968) By The Sword Divided : Eye-witnesses of the English Civil War by John Adair (London, 1983) Back to Rebel Yell No. 9 Table of Contents Back to Rebel Yell List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by HMGS South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com