Military logistics and supply during the British Civil Wars, 1638–1653

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the logistics and supply systems of the armies during the British Civil Wars at an operational level. Current historical works have neglected to fully evaluate the events of the British Civil Wars with respect to the logistics and supply systems, a shortcoming that this thesis addresses, and strategic choices in the wars still debated by historians are revisited as the thesis seeks to answer these from the lens of these systems. This is done by making use of both civilian and military source material to reconstruct how the military logistics and supply systems of the periods functioned, what methods were used, what decisions they affected, and how these related to strategic and tactical outcomes of the wars. It covers the facets of land, coastal, and riverine transportation, the supply of manpower, and the supply of food, clothing, and shelter of multiple forces across multiple conflicts during the wars. As a result, the study outlines regional disparity in military logistics systems due to reliance on pre-existing civilian structures and methods—one which had not been developed with a military purpose in mind and can be seen as heavily favouring one faction over another. The significance is the emphasis on the reliance the military had on pre-existing civilian infrastructure and the importance of military and civilian interactions for logistics and supply in all aspects of the British Civil Wars.