By 1650, Oliver Cromwell had acquired a formidable military reputation in part from his command of this cavalry regiment.
Ironsides
Puritan Guards
Huntingdon Cavalry
Roundheads
Cromwell’s Partisans
Ironsides. Born in 1599, Cromwell came from minor gentry in Huntingdon and had served in Parliament before the wars, during which he commanded the Ironsides, a cavalry regiment famous for its discipline and tenacity. Although he had had no previous military experience, he showed amazing courage and tactical brilliance, particularly at the Battle of Marston Moor on July 2, 1644. By 1650, he had acquired a formidable reputation as a commander, and the Council had every cause to regard him as the best man to lead the invasion of Scotland. On June 28, he set off for Scotland at the head of an army of 16,354 men.
