14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Burnishing the Cromwellian Legend, September 14, 2009
This review is from: Ireland 1649-52: Cromwell's Protestant Crusade (Campaign) (Paperback)
Oliver Cromwell's expedition to Ireland in 1649-1650, amidst the English Civil War, is a highly controversial topic in the history of Ireland. Parliament dispatched Cromwell to fight a military campaign to subdue the Royalist forces in Ireland, but at least some members of the expedition viewed it as a `Protestant Crusade' (on the front cover sub-title, no less) against the Catholic Irish. The result was a particularly bloody 9-month phase of the Civil War, which is the subject for Michael Mcnally's Ireland 1649-52 in Osprey's Campaign series. Overall, the volume is one of the more interesting ones among the English Civil War titles. While the author initially attempts to strike some balance in the narrative, it tends to lean more and more toward burnishing the image of Cromwell as a great soldier and minimizing his role in the atrocities committed by his forces. By the end, the only thing that is missing is a line that says, "this message was approved by Oliver Cromwell."
The volume begins with a 6-page introduction that outlines the origins of the campaign in Ireland, before the arrival of Cromwell in August 1649. I found the author's discussion of the players on each side a bit confusing and a chart would have been helpful, particularly when some of the commanders switched sides. The 6-page section on opposing commanders is good, although the 3-page section on opposing armies is rather skimpy. The 2-page order of battle for August 1649 lists names of regiments, but with strengths only enumerated for the Royalist forces. One important item that was omitted here was the question of Cromwell's siege train, both in terms of the quantity and capabilities of its artillery. Clearly the main operations in Ireland were sieges and it would have been useful for the reader to know more about Cromwell's artillery. Since Cromwell's cavalry beat the Royalist cavalry repeatedly, it also would have been useful for the author to explain this a bit more, as well. The 4-page section on opposing plans is succinct, but makes its main points well.
The campaign narrative itself is 55-pages long and begins with the crushing Parliamentarian victory at Rathmines, just before Cromwell arrived. After this, the Duke of Ormond - the Royalist commander - could no longer fight field battles and had to rely on a strategy of defensive attrition. Once Cromwell arrives, the author notes that he issued an order forbidding looting and `seized the initiative.' Neither of this makes much sense. First, Parliament gave Cromwell only a few weeks' pay for his troops, so if he wanted to keep an army in the field he was going to have to allow a certain amount of pillage to keep his forces fed. Second, Ormond was an incredibly feeble opponent who had already fumbled the ball at Rathmines, so the Royalist forces had forfeited the initiative in Ireland before Cromwell arrived. That being said, the author moves into the siege of the town of Drogheda, which was stormed and sacked by Cromwell's troops on 11 September 1649. Now, the author admits that virtually the entire garrison, some 2,800 troops, were executed after they surrendered - at Cromwell's order (as noted in a letter by Cromwell). However, he skirts around the issue of civilian casualties, noting that some were `caught up in the fighting' but omits mentioning any numbers or details. This is a highly controversial issue even today, but most accounts conclude that somewhere between 400-700 civilians were killed in the sack. Flat out and even by the rules of the day, Drogheda was an atrocity and Cromwell was responsible.
The narrative then moves on to the siege of Wexford, where 2,000 more defenders were massacred (the author avoids that word). Afterwards, the author notes a letter from Cromwell citing his desire `to avoid an effusion of blood' as well as a letter from Cromwell to the surrounded Irish commander in Wexford. The Irish colonel asked that if he surrendered, the population be allowed `liberty of conscience.' Cromwell responded that "I meddle not with any man's conscience" but that did not include the practice of the Catholic mass. By the author's own exposition, it is clear that Cromwell was a hypocritical religious zealot and a liar, who glossed over his own atrocities as triumphs. In truth, the Royalist forces in Ireland were feeble opponents, with a divided and inept command structure, untrained levies and totally inadequate logistics to wage even a defensive campaign. What is lacking in this volume is recognition that Cromwell's campaign was not a "model" as the author mistakenly concludes, but more like poachers clubbing baby seals to death for their pelts. It's hard to see how the Parliamentarians could have lost this campaign, even if Cromwell were not present. The best part of this narrative was the botched attack on the town of Clonmel, where Cromwell lost nearly one-third of his army, but which was soon swept under the rug of history. There is little or no mention of harm done to civilians or property in this volume, which gives the impression of a pro-Cromwellian whitewash.
The volume has six 2-D maps (the coming of the Lord deputy, January-August 1649; the Rathmines campaign, June-August 1649; Cromwell seizes the initiative, September-December 1649; Operations, January-June 1650; operations in eastern Munster, February-April 1650; the fall of the Shannon, July 1650-November 1651) and two 3-D BEV maps (siege of Drogheda; the siege of Clonmel). Most of the maps are at strategic-level, showing all of Ireland, while the BEV maps depict very tight scale tactical actions. Graham Turner provides three battle scenes (Rathmines, 2 August 1649; the breach at Drogheda; defeat at Clonmel), which are almost entirely from the Parliamentarian point of view. Most of the photos in the volume fall into one of three categories: weapons in museums, modern shots of the terrain and colorful Irish battle flags. In addition, the author provides a 2-page bibliography.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Written Summary...., August 28, 2009
This review is from: Ireland 1649-52: Cromwell's Protestant Crusade (Campaign) (Paperback)
I found Michael McNally's addition to the Osprey Campaign series to be quite informative and interesting reading. Given the difficulty of writing a four-year campaign in less then 100 pages, I thought the book did a pretty good job summarizing the events and people at hand. The book managed to packed a lot of information in relatively short amount of pages afford in this format. Most of it centered around Cromwell's campaign and a short shift given to Henry Ireton's effort that finished up the overall campaign after Cromwell's departure. The book gives Oliver Cromwell a pretty fair hand considering that from most Irish accounts I read on him, he is more or less regarded as some sort of anti-Christ by the Irish Catholics. The book also reflects how the English Civil War should be really called "British Civil War" as this conflict in reality, spread throughout the entire British Isles.
I found the support materials like photographs, Graham Turner's illustrations and their regular maps to be well presented and useful in understanding the written material. They proves to be a major assets to this book. However, the two "3-D" battle maps provided here, one on Siege of Drogheda and another on Siege on Clonmel proves to be prime example of how not to make a map. The one on Siege of Drogheda is worthless. The map is too small, detail are tiny and worst of all, there is a crease right in the middle of the crucial part of the action. Unless I break the back of the book, this map is an example of sheer incompetence in the world of military history publishing. Clonmel also suffered from the same effects although its more readable because the crease is bit more left of the main action. Osprey's own map design people should be flog for this mess. It should be clearly noted that none of this mess is the fault of the author. Responsibility of ill-designed maps lies with the Osprey.
Otherwise, I found the book highly recommendable and anyone looking for a good introductory material on the Irish Front of the "English Civil War" would be wise to give this book a chance.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting chapter in the English Civil War, February 15, 2010
This review is from: Ireland 1649-52: Cromwell's Protestant Crusade (Campaign) (Paperback)
The English Civil War was fought not just in England but also in Ireland and Scotland. During my trip in 2008 to Ireland we passed many Irish castles and ruins which our guide blamed Cromwell or had an associated Cromwell story. I was aware that Cromwell fought in Ireland but didn't know the specifics.
This book clarified much of what went on at this time. Cromwell, a sitting member of Parliament, led the Army dispatched to Ireland to put down the remaining Royalists and their Irish allies. The campaigns fought in Ireland were controversial and led to the attitude many Irish have towards Cromwell today. In several cases men who surrendered to Cromwell were executed and on at least one occasion civilians were murdered. It seems that Cromwell, like Sherman, believed in prosecuting war to the fullest in order to end it quickly.
Maps, battlefield illustrations, photos and artwork bring the subject to life. If you are interested in the English Civil War in general or the Irish campaign in particular this is the book for you. However, a background in the civil war would be helpful.
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