Soldiers and Civilians, Transport and Provisions

Runner up of the 2023 Chapple (First Book) Prize by the Society of Army Historical Research

Until now historical works have neglected to fully consider the events of the British Civil Wars with respect to the logistics and supply systems. As such, this book evaluates and challenges these narratives of the wars by tackling historical debates through the lens of these logistics and supply systems at an operational level. How the military logistics and supply systems of the period functioned is revealed, including what methods of supply were used, what decisions and events these systems impacted, and how these related to strategic and tactical outcomes of the wars.

The book investigates the facets of land, coastal, and riverine transportation, the supply of manpower to the armies, and the supply of food, clothing, and shelter to multiple forces across various conflicts throughout the British Civil Wars. With an application of a broad range of both civilian and military sources, this research employs archival and manuscript materials from national and local archives across the British Isles, contemporary tracts, letters, books, and pamphlets, as well as secondary literature from a variety of historical fields—from military history, economic and social studies, as well as reconstructive archaeology. As a result, the study outlines regional disparity in military logistics systems due to reliance on pre-existing civilian structures and methods—which had not been developed with a military purpose in mind and resulted in substantial logistical and supply differences that consequently, and heavily, favoured one faction over another.

Many questions that have bedevilled previous historiography—and some that remain contentious even today—are likewise explored through this new perspective. This includes, but is not limited to, countering the simple narrative that Royalist armies were terribly supplied in comparison to Parliament, placing the Royalists’ Gloucester campaign in its correct strategic context, highlighting Catholic recruitment to Cromwell’s forces in Ireland, and providing a reasonable and informed explanation for Prince Rupert’s decision to fight at Marston Moor—all through the lens of logistics and supply. It emphasises the absolute necessity of interactions between civil and military authority across multiple levels to supply early modern forces, providing a more nuanced history of civilian and military interactions than the popular view of soldiers imposing their will on a suffering population.

The book’s analysis of logistics and supply during the British Civil Wars, a focus not undertaken in such detail so far for the period, will provide a compelling read for those with interests in the operational realities of warfare during the seventeenth century more broadly, and the British Civil Wars in particular.

"Soldiers and Civilians, Transport and Provisions is a remarkably interesting study of early modern military logistics and supply systems during the British Civil Wars between 1638 and 1653. I mean remarkable insofar that for such a niche, often overlooked or misunderstood, and rarely studied subject the author has brought to life the intricacies of military logistics and supply and how they impacted on the strategic and tactical outcomes of the war.....The book is well written, includes a number of nice contemporary black and white illustrations and judging by the vast and comprehensive bibliography has been extensively researched.  I enjoyed reading it and my less than full understanding of this topic and the Civil Wars as a whole has been much improved." carryingsonupthedale.com

"...This book challenges the traditional neglect of this topic, and reveals how it relates to strategic and tactical outcomes of the wars. While there are still some gaps in the subject, it is an important and long-overdue study, which should prove compelling to anyone who wants to understand the operational realities of the British Civil Wars." Military History Matters Magazine, Mar 24

"....This book challenges the traditional neglect of this topic, and reveals how it relates to strategic and tactical outcomes of the wars.....it is a long-overdue and important study, and should prove to be compelling for anyone who wants to understand the operational realities of the British Civil Wars." Battlefield Magazine, Vol 28, Issue 2

"Glenn W. Price offers a compelling and deeply researched contribution to the military and administrative history of the British Civil Wars..... [it] is a landmark in the historiography of both logistics and the Civil Wars." Nuova Antologia Militare (NAM) Journal, No 6, 2025

“I’d recommend reading through the extensive bibliography. Anyone contemplating an ECW wargame campaign will appreciate the effort that went into ferreting out data and the insight into how logistics shaped historical ECW campaigns. Well done.” Historical Miniatures Gaming Society