ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between Philip Skippon and the men under his command in the London Trained Bands, the earl of Essex’s army and the New Model Army in the British Civil Wars. Skippon was in charge of the first of these forces and commander of the infantry in the latter two. In particular, it focuses on how far Skippon’s confessional ideology and martial-cultural values intersected with the principles of the ordinary soldiers under his command. Studies of “ordinary” people are crucial to understanding the extent of a society’s engagement with political and religious issues. However, this chapter argues that the experiences of “ordinary” people are especially pertinent to military historians. In the horrific realities of warfare, the forces that kept men fighting once they had been enrolled in armies (willingly or unwillingly) become remarkable. This chapter maintains that to suggest that soldiers fought solely for prosaic reasons like pay and plunder is misguided. It demonstrates how Skippon was especially successful in utilising the widespread belief that a cause could belong to God, who took sides in contemporary conflicts and aided his own, to help him maintain morale and military efficiency amongst his men.
