abundance of good officers produced by the wars on the continent, and in
the second place the absolute inadequacy of the military system of the
country; the commissions of array, militia ordinances, &c., had at last
to give way to regular methods of enlistment and a central army
administration. It was clear, at the same time, that when the struggle
was one of principles and not of dynastic politics, excellent recruits,
far different from the wretched levies who had been gathered together
for the Spanish war, were to be had in any reasonable number. These
causes combined to produce the "New Model" which, originating in
Cromwell's own cavalry and the London trained bands of foot, formed of
picked men and officers, severely disciplined, and organized and
administered in the right way, quickly proved its superiority over all
other armies in the field, and in a few years raised its general to
supreme civil power. The 15th of February 1645 was the birthday of the
British standing army, and from its first concentration at Windsor Park
dates the scarlet uniform. The men were for the most part voluntarily
enlisted from existing corps, though deficiencies had immediately to be
made good by impressment.
Four months later the New Model decided the quarrel of king and
parliament at Naseby. When Cromwell, the first lieutenant-general and
the second captain-general of the army, sent his veterans to take part
in the wars of the continent they proved themselves a match for the best
soldiers in Europe. On the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 the army,
now some 80,000 strong, was disbanded. It had enforced the execution of
Charles I., it had dissolved parliament, and England had been for years
governed under a military regime. Thus the most popular measure of the
Restoration was the dissolution of the army. Only Monk's regiment of
foot (now the Coldstream Guards) survived to represent the New Model in
the army of to-day. At the same time the troops (now regiments) of
household cavalry, and the regiment of foot which afterwards became the
Grenadier Guards, were formed, chiefly from Royalists, though the
disbanded New Model contributed many experienced recruits. The permanent
forces of the crown came to consist once more of the "garrisons and
guards," maintained by the king from the revenue allotted to him for
carrying on the government of the country. The "garrisons" were
commissioned to special fortresses--the Tower of London, Portsmouth, &c.
The "guards" comprised the sovereign's bodyguards ("the yeomen of the
guard" and "gentlemen-at-arms," who had existed since the times of Henry
VII. and VIII.), and the regiments mentioned above. Even this small
force, at first not exceeding 3000 men, was looked on with jealousy by
parliament, and every attempt to increase it was opposed. The
acquisition of Tangier and Bombay, as part of the dower of the infanta
of Portugal, led to the formation of a troop of horse (now the 1st Royal
Dragoons) and a regiment of infantry (the 2nd, now Queen's R.W. Surrey,
regiment) for the protection of the former; and a regiment of infantry
(afterwards transferred to the East India Company) to hold the latter
(1661). These troops, not being stationed in the kingdom, created no
distrust; but whenever, as on several occasions during Charles's reign,
considerable armies were raised, they were mostly disbanded when the
occasion ceased. Several regiments, however, were added to the permanent
force, including Dumbarton's regiment (the 1st or Royal Scots, nicknamed
Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard)--which had a long record of service in the
armies of the continent, and represented the Scots brigade of Gustavus
Adolphus's army--and the 3rd Buffs, representing the English regiments
of the Dutch army and through them the volunteers of 1572, and on
Charles's death in 1685 the total force of "guards and garrisons" had
risen to 16,500, of whom about one-half formed what we should now call
the standing army.