The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 998 pages of information about The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660.

The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 998 pages of information about The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660.
Accordingly, on the 9th of June, Fleetwood himself was solemnly presented with a signed transcript of the Act appointing him Commander-in-Chief in England and Scotland; and from that day, on through the rest of June, the whole of July, and even into August and September, much of the business of the House consisted in passing commissions to the officers recommended, sometimes with a rejection or substitution, and in seeing the officers come up in batches to the Speaker to receive their commissions one by one, each with a lecture on his duty.  As each foot-regiment, consisting of ten companies, had its colonel, its lieutenant-colonel, its major, and its quartermaster, with seven captains besides, and twenty subalterns, and as each horse-regiment, consisting of six troops, had its colonel, its major, four captains besides, six lieutenants, six cornets, and six quartermasters, one may guess the tediousness of this process of approving nominations and delivering commissions.  About 1200 persons had to be approved and commissioned, or, if we throw in chaplains, surgeons, &c., about 1400 in all.  Nevertheless, with certain arrangements for delivering commissions to officers at a distance, the process was carried so far that one can make out from the Journals of the House not only the general plan of the Remodelling, but even the names of a large proportion of the actually appointed officers.  The essence of the scheme was, of course, that all very pronounced Cromwellians,—­e.g.  Falconbridge, Howard, Ingoldsby, Whalley, Barkstead, Goffe, and Pride,—­should be thrown out of their commands, and men of the right stamp substituted.  It is to be noticed also, however, that there were to be now properly but two Generals, and that the highest officers under these, whatever had been their previous designations, were all, with a certain courtesy exception in favour of Lambert and Monk, to rank on one level as merely Colonels.  As far as to these Colonels, the result was as follows: 

I. ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND.

Commander-in-Chief:  LIEUTENANT-GENERAL, CHARLES FLEETWOOD.

I. FOR, SERVICE IN ENGLAND AND WALES:  1. Colonels of Horse
Regiments
:  John Lambert (with Richard Creed for his Major), John
Desborough, James Berry (with Unton Crooke for his Major), Robert
Lilburne, Francis Hacker, John Okey, William Packer (with John
Gladman for his Major), Nathaniel Rich, Thomas Saunders, and Herbert
Morley. 2. Colonels of Foot-Regiments:  Lieutenant-General
Fleetwood, Lambert, Robert Overton, Matthew Alured, John Hewson (with
John Duckinfield for his Lieutenant-Colonel), John Biscoe, William
Sydenham, Edward Salmon, Richard Mosse, Richard Ashfield, Sir Arthur
Hasilrig, Thomas Kelsay, John Clerk, Robert Gibbon, Robert
Barrow.—­One finds, besides, certain Colonels appointed to garrison
commands:  e.g.  Colonel Thomas Fitch to be Governor of the Tower,
Colonel Nathaniel Whetham to be Governor of Portsmouth,

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The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.