Nothing sums up the tragedy of the English Civil War more than the friendship between Sir William Waller and his opponent Sir Ralph Hopton as "this war without an enemy."However, Waller was also a general respected by both sides during the war, the Royalist Colonel Walter Slingsby described him as "the fox" and the "best shifter and chooser of ground when he was not master of the field." The Parliamentarian John Vicars in his England's Worthies published in 1647 refers to Waller as "one of the most impregnable offensive and defensive walls of the kingdom." His victories in 1642 and early 1643 earned him the nickname of "William the Conqueror," and due to his tactics of marching by night to surprise his enemy, the "Night Owl."It was Waller who also first mentioned the need for the formation of the New Model Army. Using contemporary accounts to describe events, this book looks at Waller's campaigns from the siege of Portsmouth in June 1642 to April 1645 when his army was disbanded. It includeshis victories in the West in 1643, the raising of a new army in August 1643, the sieges of Basing House and Arundel Castle along with the defence of Farnham and the storming of Alton. Also included is Waller's many battles including Lansdown, Roundway Down, Cheriton, Cropredy Bridge, and the Second Battle of Newbury. The book also covers the logistics of putting Waller's Army into the field, including clothing, arms, and taxation as well as the tension between Waller and the Earl of Essex.

The Battle of the White Mountain and the Bohemian Revolt, 1618-1622 looks not only at the battle of the White Mountain, but also the campaigns and events leading up to the battle, such as the Bohemian Army's march on Vienna, the sieges of Pilsen and Bautzen and the battle of Zablat. These events are often described using the words of the protagonists themselves. It also examines the armies that took part in these campaigns, the soldiers from which came not only from Bohemia, but also Britain, the Dutch Republic, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Poland, Spain, the Spanish Netherlands and Transylvania. However, even before the battle of the White Mountain the seeds had been sewn for the war to last 30 years and such was the Emperor Ferdinand's Counter Reformation policy that when the sword which executed some Bohemian rebels when on display in the nineteenth century it had to be removed for fear of a public disturbance and has been compared with the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazi Germany in 1938. Therefore this book is essential reading to anyone interested in the wars of the early seventeenth century, not just the Thirty Years War.

The Bavarian Army has been overshadowed by those of Gustavus Adolphus' and Wallenstein's Armies, but it was one of only a few armies to have fought throughout the Thirty Years War, first as part of the Catholic League and then an independent army after the Peace of Prague. Among the generals of the Bavarian Army were Count Johan von Tilly and Gottfried von Pappenheim, who are two of the most famous generals of the war. This book covers not only the Bavarian Army's organisation, but also has chapters on recruitment, officers, clothing, weaponry, pay and rations of a soldier during the Thirty Years War. As well as life and death in the army, this book also looks at the women who accompanied it. The chapter on 'civilians and soldiers' looks at the impact of the war on the civilian population, their reaction to it and the infamous sack of Magdeburg which sent shockwaves across Europe. This chapter also looks at the impact on Bavaria by having Swedish, Spanish and Imperialist troops quartered upon it and how this affected the country's war effort. In addition there are chapters on regimental colours and a detailed look into the tactics of the time, including those of Spain, Sweden and the Dutch. As well as using archival and archaeological evidence to throw new light on the subject the author has used several memoirs written by those who served in the army during the war, including Peter Hagendorf who served in Pappenheim 's Regiment of Foot from 1627 until the regiment was disbanded after the war. Hagendorf's vivid account is unique because not only is it a full account of the life of a common soldier during the war, but also records the human side of campaign, including the death of his two wives and all but two of his children. This book is essential reading to anyone interested in the wars of the early seventeenth century, not just the Thirty Years War.