Roundhead general

Sir William Waller has been largely neglected in histories of the English Civil War and yet in 1645, when Waller had commanded a Parliamentary army for over two years, Oliver Cromwell was still one of his subordinates. Waller achieved distinction as a Parliamentarian General in the early years of the war, successively becoming Major General in the West, General of an army to be raised largely by the Independents, and Major General of the Southern Association. His career as a soldier was marked by several quite significant achievements, notably the first major defeat of the King's cavalry at Cheriton in March 1644. An early advocate, from his own bitter experiences, of the need to remodel the armies of Parliament, Waller accepted the military reforms introduced in the autumn of 1644, and after brief service as a 'caretaker' in the West he retired to civilian life. Besides containing the first continuous narrative of Waller's campaigns, this book includes an introductory analysis of his army and a discussion of his political significance in the struggle between moderates and radicals in Parliament. It also examines Waller's emergence after the war as leader of the Presbyterian party, his expulsion from Parliament and imprisonment and, finally, his support for the Restoration of 1660.