SOURCE: "A Lovely Company," in Cromwell: Portrait of a Soldier, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1976, pp. 44-63.

In the following excerpt, Gillingham relies on Cromwell's letters and conversations to illustrate his development as a revolutionary soldier and as the leader of a loyal army.

On 29 August 1642, just seven days after King Charles raised his standard at Nottingham, Cromwell mustered his troop of horse at Huntingdon. Even in these small beginnings Cromwell's speed and decisiveness of action is apparent. A fortnight later he was ordered to join the main Parliamentary army under the Earl of Essex at Northampton. The Earl had some experience of war on the continent—but not much, and he had little natural talent. But he was an earl and he was utterly reliable; these two qualities counted for much, especially at a time when the allegiance of many men was uncertain—'they will go with the tide'...