Cromwell was indeed an excellent military commander whose greatest strength lay in his ability to create an extremely disciplined, almost fanatical fighting force guided by Cromwell's own puritanical beliefs. Cromwell's "New Model Army" eschewed sinful earthly pleasures, and were highly focused and devoted to their cause. Cromwell's ascetic adherents seldom failed to beat the less devout King's men on the battlefield.

It is strange that anyone would consider those who criticize Cromwell as a royalist (like the indignant London cabbie in the story Genghis often tells) as Cromwell probably did a great deal of harm to the Republican cause in the long term.

Though a boon on the battlefield, Cromwell's puritanical morality became a much hated infliction on the country at large after he'd decapitated the king and made himself "Lord Protector". Cromwell banned the performance of plays, most sports, elaborate dress on women, and any religous celebrations with "pagan" overtones (including Christmas!). When Cromwell died, the beleaguered British people welcomed back Charles II with open arms, and the whole experience significantly soured the British people towards the idea of deposing the monarchy ever since.

Today is September 3. On this day in history, in 1658, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, died, probably of malaria. Lord Protector was a polite way of saying "military dictator."

September 3 was indeed Cromwell's day of destiny. On that date in 1650, he defeated the Scot's Army in the Battle of Dunbar, ending Scotland's opposition to his rule, and on that date in 1651, he won the Battle of Worcester, defeating King Charles I and the royalists' attempt to return the king. The king indeed did not return until after Oliver's death in 1660.

The royalists spread a story that someone witnessed a meeting between the devil and Oliver in a forest just outside Worcester after the battle, September 2, 1651. Oliver was bargaining with Old Nick for an additional lifespan but the devil would only yield seven more years to end on September 3. Oliver was heard to cry, "Only seven more years!"

Cromwell was a great military leader and is a great force in the history of the English speaking peoples. He was a brutal and bigoted man, however, and his atrocities, particularly in Ireland, still live on. A famous Irish curse is "The curse of Crumwell be upon ye!" The massacre of the garrison at Drogheda in 1649 and the massacre in Wexford stain his memory.

After the restoration of the king, Cromwell's body was dug up and hanged from the official scaffold at Tyburn, now part of central London. His skull was displayed for years on a pole in front of Westminster Abbey. Some say it was buried in 1685, but other historians found that it changed hands several times and now it is unknown where the head of Oliver actually is.

Around 1900, Cromwell experienced a revival. People forgot or overlooked his atrocities and commemorated the fact that he was a great parliamentarian. There is even an equestrian statue of Oliver on the green in front of the Houses of Parliament. I commented about it to a cabby in London, one time and he accused me of being a royalist.

I explained to him that many Americans considered Cromwell to be an odious military dictator because of his actions in overthrowing the legally elected parliament, let alone the king, but I guess the working class Englishmen consider him a hero.

Read all about Oliver at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell