Barratt, John The Last Army. The Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold and the end of the Civil War in the Welsh Marches, 1646

Although the Battle of Naseby (14 June 1645) is generally regarded as the decisive action of the First Civil War, dooming the Royalist cause to inevitable defeat, fierce fighting continued for over a year, including several pitched battles and numerous sieges.By the end of 1645, with his forces crumbling and his territory shrinking, King Charles' hopes were increasingly dependent on the Royalist heartland of the Welsh Marches and the tiny field army which Jacob Lord Astley was struggling to muster there.This book describes the often dramatic preliminaries to this and sets in context Astley's campaign which ended on 21 March 1646 with his defeat at Stow-on-the-Wold ? the last pitched battle of the First Civil War, together with the last stand of the royalist garrisons in the Marches.This book, making comprehensive use of both Royalist and Parliamentarian sources, will be the first complete detailed study of these events which finally doomed Royalist hopes in the First Civil War. It will be of interest to military and local historians, the general reader, re-enactors, wargamers and modelers.

This book describes the often dramatic background and events that led to this situation, and places them in the context of Lord Astley's campaign, which ended with his defeat at Stow-on-the-Wold on 21 March 1646. In addition to this last great battle of the first English Civil War, the author also deals with the desperate endurance of the last royalist garrisons in the Welsh Marches. This book, which makes extensive use of both royalist and parliamentary sources, is the first full and detailed examination of these events which ultimately led to the demise of the royalist cause in the First Civil War. The book will be of interest to military and regional historians, the general reader, re-enactors, wargamers and figure painters.