St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-02-13

torious horse around the enenly Ieoi
upon his center, where the business
of the day, nay, Of the kingdom" was
to be settled. Cromwell settled 1t by
one monster stroke Of tactics. The
Ironsides charged home, and the pa
triot infantry, heartened by the turn of
the tide. did the same. Thus Marston
Moor was won by Cromwell, first
through his lion hearted spirit in fac
ing the issue before the campaign, next
his timely and resistless blows on the
battlefield. Well named "Ironside" by
the warrior prince he vanquished that
day. the fiery Rupert.
After the battle Cromwell urged that
the PIritans push things and destroy
the Royalists root and branch. The
military leader, Lord Manchester, was
of a different opinion, and Cromwell
assailed him in parliament. An army
that would stay in the fight to the END
was needed in place of the short term
volunteers who had won at Marston
Moor. Cromwell inspired the molding
of the New Model army and was made
lieutenant general in command of the
horse His work at Marston Moor
pointed him out as the one warrior nee
essary to the patriot cause.
When the armies were gathering at
Naseby, Cromwell was off on another
errand, but a summons brought him in
hot haste to the field on the morning of
the battle. With his Ironsides he held
the right, literally held it against the
shock of Royalist charge which car
ried away the Puritan left and stag
gered their center. Next he charged
the Royalist horse opposed to him I'M
der Longdale and after scattering it
turned to repeat his tactics of Marston
Moor. Falling upon the ROyalists who
had the best of it with the Puritan
center he broke the line. With his
men we'll in hand he made third and
last charge upon the second Royallst
position, and Naseby was added to
the victories won by Oliver Cromwell.
Even at this time, with the eyes of
the kingdom upon him as leader in
war and in counsel, Cromwell retained
the simplicity of his farming days. He
preached to his men, cracked jokes
and played games with them. Idolized
in the field and in camp, it was inevita-
BILE that when the clash came between
parliament and army Cromwell should
be the man of the hour.
If there is any single stage Of Crom-
wells career which more than any 9th
er stamps him a man of lion heart, 1t
was In the crisis after Naseby, when
the martial cloak was exchanged for
the robe of statesman. Fighting men
are jealous and critical Of diplomacy.
Sherman as a friend and cOmrade ap-
pealed to Grant at the close of the
war, For Gods sake get out of Wash
ington or it will be your ruin" Crom-
we'll said that the question of the mo-
ment was not what would please the
people, but what would be for their
good, Seeing the certain drift toward
anarchy with three parties contendng
the headstrong parliament, the army
extremists and the royalist intriguers
he tried to make terms with the king
and restore order by means Of the
monarchy. When difficulties faced the
reformerS at every turn, he cried out
for honesty and courage to do the diff
cult things for the very reason that
they had "the will of God in them"
The Scotch championship of Charles
! while the Puritan reformers were de-
batting called Cromwell to the field once
more His army was twice forced back
to Dunbar and bottled up" But the
indomitable communicable was chief
in this war-held on and In the end
seized the opportunity to attack when
the Scots were not expecting it and
won the day. Later the Scots invaded
England and with the English Royal
lists met Cromwell at Worcester The
combat was terrible, for both sides
were spurred by the same intense re-
ligious zeal.
The odds in numbers were with the
kings army, but Cromwell had but one
purpose, that was to fight, fight, fight,
until the enemy was destroyed. To
this pass CromwelPs experience in
counsel had carried him. There must
be no compromise, no terms with roy
atty. The king had to go.