Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 6.djvu/633

Rh C K O M W ELL 599 expended on arms ; and during the summer he was actively engaged in raising volunteers. His first exploit was to seize the magazine in the castle at Cambridge, and prevent the carrying away of the university plate to help the royal exchequer. In September he received his commission as captain of a troop of horse. In the first campaign the royal troops generally had the advantage. Cromwell already knew in his own person wherein lay the strength of Puritanism, and the secret of its success. He spoke on the subject to his cousin Hampden. &quot; Old decayed serving men and tapsters,&quot; and such &quot; base mean fellows,&quot; he said, &quot; could never encounter gentlemen and persons of quality.&quot; To match &quot;men of honour&quot; they must have &quot;men who had the fear of God before them,&quot; and would &quot; make some conscience of what they did.&quot; &quot; A. few honest men,&quot; he elsewhere said, &quot;are better than numbers.&quot; Mr Hampden thought his cousin &quot; talked a good notion, but an im practicable one.&quot; To turn &quot; good notions &quot; into facts, how ever, was the characteristic work of Cromwell, &quot; impractic able&quot; being a word for which we maysuppose him to have had as little tolerance as Napoleon. On this principle of selec tion accordingly he gradually enlisted around him a regiment of 1000 men, whose title of &quot;Ironsides &quot; has become famous in history. &quot; They never were beaten.&quot; &quot; Had his history,&quot; says Mr Forster, &quot;closed with the raising and disciplining of these men, it would have left a sufficient warrant of his greatness to posterity.&quot; During the winter associations for mutual defence were formed among the counties. Of these the &quot; Eastern Association &quot; alone, through the prompt and indefatigable activity of Cromwell, proved really efficient. During the spring of 1643, having now attained the rank of colonel, he employed himself in quelling all royalist attempts throughout the association, giving them the final blow by the capture of Lowestoft, with a considerable body of influential royalists and a large supply of warlike stores. His services were next devoted to Lincolnshire, and with similar success. Towards the end of July the marquis of Newcastle, after his victory at Atherton Moor, advanced with a large army against Gainsborough, which was gar risoned by a small Parliamentary force under Lord Willoughby. Cromwell threw himself between the town and the enemy s van, under General Cavendish, forced his way up a sandy eminence, in the face of a body three times superior in number to his own, and drove them in total rout down the other side. Their commander, an accomplished young nobleman, was killed on the spot. &quot; This victory,&quot; says Whitelocke, &quot; was the beginning of Cromwell s great fortunes, and now he began to appear in the world.&quot; The other Parliamentary leaders, meantime, had met with a series of humiliating reverses, and at the close of the summer the popular cause seemed in imminent peril. In August the earl of Manchester took the command of the Eastern Association, with Cromwell as one of his colonels. On 9th Octo&quot;ber they effected a junction with Fairfax at Boston, and on the llth Cromwell and Fairfax encountered the royal force under Sir John Henderson on the field of Winceby, near Hornoastle. Cromwell led the van, which advanced to the battle singing psalms. His horse was killed in the first charge, and fell upon him. As he rose he was again struck down, but recovering himself he mounted a &quot; sorry horse &quot; belonging to a trooper, and mingled in the fight. The enemy gave way at the first onset, and were pursued with terrible slaughter for many miles. During the remainder of this season Cromwell was occupied in attending to the security of the Eastern Asso ciation, in raising funds, and settling public affairs in Ely, of which he had some months previously been appointed governor. On 10th April 1644 the Scotch Covenanted army of 21,000 men under Lesley, earl of Leven, united with Fairfax at Wetherby, and proceeded to invest York. They were presently joined by Manchester and Cromwell, now lieutenant-general and second in command. On hearing of this, Prince Rupert hurried from Lancashire at the head of 20,000 men, and relieved York. The Parliamentary army raised the siege, drew out to meet the enemy on Marston Moor, and on the evening of the 2d July gave a death blow to the royal cause in the north of England. To Cromwell belonged the chief glory of the victory. While the right wing under Fairfax was overpowered by the furious onset of Prince Kupert, Cromwell carried all before him on the left, and, suddenly wheeling round, charged the victorious cavalry of Rupert with such overwhelming force that they were &quot;swept off the field,&quot; &quot; God made them as stubble to our swords.&quot; In the west, on the other hand, Essex and Waller succeeded only in losing their armies. The Parliament, Btill confiding in these generals, granted them fresh forces, and summoned Manchester and Cromwell to join them. On 27th October they met the king at Newbury, and a sanguinary conflict ensued, with dubious success. During the night the king effected a safe retreat. Cromwell urged Manchester to pursue him, but in vain. Twelve days thereafter, the king and Prince Rupert returned, re- victualled Dennington Castle, and carried off their artillery. Cromwell again pressed Manchester to attack them, but the timid earl was immovable. The fruit of these disagree ments was a rupture, ending in important results. On 25th November Cromwell, having been called upon to give an account of the affair at Newbury, charged Manchester in the House of Commons with neglect of the Parliamentary interests ; and on the 9th December openly urged the necessity of remodelling the army. The &quot;Keif-denying ordinance,&quot; discharging members of Parliament from military offices, and permitting enlistment without the signing of the Covenant, was finally passed on 3d April 1645. Meantime Fairfax had been nominated general, the &quot; new model &quot; was passed, and the raising of troops and remodelling of the old army proceeded with activity. The wisdom of these changes was proved by the triumphant result of the next campaign. Cromwell s services were by this time felt to be indispensable. He accordingly received a dispensation from the self-denyiiig ordinance, and was hastily despatched (April 23) to intercept a force of 2000 men sent by Rupert to convoy the king from Oxford to Worcester. On the second day he attacked and routed them at Islip Bridge, took Bletchington House on the same day, and on the 26th gained another victory at Radcot Bridge. On 31st May the king suddenly stormed Leicester ; the southward move ment of his army exposed the eastern counties to imminent danger ; and Fairfax, appealed to for help, immediately solicited the appointment of Cromwell as his lieutenant- general. The request was granted, and Cromwell, collecting 6000 chosen horse, joined the camp at Northampton with out the loss of an hour, amid the acclamations of the whole army. Decisive action attended his presence; on the very day following, June 14, 1645, the royal army was beaten to pieces on the field of Naseby, and the first civil war virtually brought to an end. Cromwell and his Ironsides decided as usual the fate of the day. Proceeding victoriously south-westward, the Parliamentary army encountered the &quot;Clubmen, &quot;a new and somewhat formidable party in the royal interest. At Shaftesbury Cromwell dis persed a large body of them, after which they appeared no more. On llth September Bristol was stormed ; and again turning southward the army took every town and stronghold in its way. Cromwell particularly distinguished himself by his sieges. Basing House, the residence of the marquis of Winchester, had for four years defied all