Civil War Leader
- Already
a firebrand prior to the declaration of the Civil War, Cromwell formed a troop
of calvary, seizing Charles'
powder store at Cambridge Castle.
- Cromwell was an advocate of a military
solution over negotiation with Charles. Early in the war, Cromwell joined his
forces with the earl
of Essex and took part in the Battle
of Edgehill. Later he was a cavalry colonel in the Army
of the Eastern Association, lead by his neighbor, rival and ultimately his
enemy, the
earl of Manchester.
- Cromwell acquired the reputation of welcoming
'godly' officers and soldiers, as well friends and family, into his regimen.
- Cromwell's
personal courage, and assurance of the justness of the war outweighed his inexperience.
He admired Lilburne's
seizure of Tickhill castle in 1643.
- Cromwell first came to national prominence
when he publicly excoriated his commanding officer, the earl of Manchester. In
a confrontation at Donnington
castle near Newbury, Charles was able to pull his armaments out of the castle
while within the range of the nearby Parliamentary army. Infuriating Cromwell,
the earl of Manchester hesitated to pursue an outright military solution in favor
of a negotiated settlement with Charles. Cromwell later issued charges of incompetence
against Manchester.