Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Warfare/Forming a Regiment
Regiments
Unlike in the modern military of today, armies of the English Civil War were composed of individual regiments funded and commanded by a member of the gentry. Commanding soldiers had long been a role for upper class men in English society, and as the war broke out in England, gentlemen would use their own personal fortunes to equip and lead a regiment into battle. Each regiment would have it's own standard, organization, and whatever could pass for 'uniforms.' Because these armies were composed of individually funded units, there was no sense of uniformity, for the equipment of a particular regiment depended on the funds of the gentleman who raised it. It wasn't until the creation of the New Model Army that regiments all dressed and were equipped the same. [1] There were two different types of units on the battlefield: horse (heavy and dragoons) and foot. [BN: What about artillery?]
Equipping a Regiment
Infantry regiments were units of ten companies of one hundred men led by a colonel, who was generally the same man that paid to form the regiment. [2] In theory then, a regiment of foot would consist of one thousand armed men. To equip these soldiers with a musket, buff coat and all of the necessary accoutrements of war would cost ₤1 19s. 6d. per soldier. [3] Therefore the cost of equipping a full regiment of foot would be roughly ₤2000. Although this was quite a sum of money, being the colonel of a regiment of soldiers was a way to climb the social ladder in England. The regiment would bear the name of the gentleman who funded it, and any gallant or important action undertaken by the regiment would reflect well on him.