invaded there in July. (His unit became the Coldstream
Guards, a regiment that remains in existence to this
day.)
In 1651, when Cromwell moved south to battle
Charles’s son (later Charles II), he left Monck in com-
mand of forces in Scotland, and in August Monck won
victories at Stirling (14 August) and Aberdeen. On 1 Sep-
tember, his forces raided Dundee, looted it, and killed an
estimated 500 civilians. Monck later wrote to Cromwell,
“The stubbornness of the people enforced the soldiers to
plunder the town.” An interesting sidenote to this story
is that Monck’s forces placed the stolen items on a ship
that sank in the River Tay in Dundee, taking the booty
to the bottom, and it has yet to be found. Some estimate
the treasure to be worth about $4 billion today.
In 1652, with Scotland subdued, Monck was ap-
pointed one of three generals of the fleet, along with
Richard Deane and Robert blake, in the first Anglo-
Dutch War. Following Deane’s death in a battle off the
coast of the Netherlands (2–3 June 1653) and Blake
being wounded, Monck became the sole commander of
the English fleet. Implementing a blockade, he forced a
closure of Holland’s ports, and when the Dutch tried to
break it, Monck’s forces defeated them at Scheveningen
(29 & 31 July 1653). During that battle, Dutch com-
mander Maarten tromP was killed in action.
While Monck was serving in the English navy,
Cromwell had taken control of England and dissolved
Parliament; Monck, Deane, and Blake had acceded to
Cromwell’s control in the “Declaration of the Generals
at Sea, and the Captains under their command, concern-
ing the late dissolution of the Parliament; and their reso-
lution thereupon. As it was sent to Vice-Admiral Penn,
to be communicated to the commanders and officers
of the ships under his command.” However, in a letter
Monck later wrote to Vice Admiral William Goodson,
he explained, “When this Parliament was interrupted
formerly, I shall answer you that, it was never in my
Conscience to go out of Gods way under the pretence of
doing Gods work, and you know the the variety of times
doth much vary the nature of affaires, and what might
then patiently be submitted unto, we being engaged
with a forraine [foreign] Enemy in a bloody Warre, can-
not be drawn into a precedent at this time; after our
Repentance and assurance of Loyalty and Constancy.”
In 1654, Monck returned to serve in the army, and
he was sent once again into Scotland, this time to sup-
press the earl of Glencairn’s uprising. He replaced Rob-
ert Lilburne as Parliamentary commander and issued an
edict calling on all those against him to lay down their
arms. He then preceded to march into each town and
destroy its food stocks, and after a series of Parliamen-
tary victories, Glencairn sued for peace in August 1654.
Following Oliver Cromwell’s death (3 September
1658), Monck advised his successor, Cromwell’s son
Richard, to reduce the army from two divisions to one.
Instead, Richard dissolved Parliament (22 April 1659),
which led Monck to oppose him. Monck then became
instrumental in helping to recall the dissolved Long Par-
liament, which had become known as the Rump Par-
liament. However, because he was not in London, he
could not stop John Lambert, another Parliamentarian
commander, from dismissing this parliament on 13 Oc-
tober 1659. Once he heard of Lambert’s move, Monck
determined to retire from the army and wrote a lengthy
letter from his station at Dalkeith in Scotland to Wil-
liam Lenthall, the Speaker of the House of Commons:I received yours of the 7th Instant, and cannot
but with thankfulness Acknowledge the Great
Grace and Favour the Parliament are pleased to
vouchsafe to me, in taking Notice of my weak
and wrothless Endeavours in their Service. I con-
fess such Encouragement is sufficient to Reward
the Highest Merits; I hope I shall such Use of It,
not only to satisfie me self as the best Recom-
pense for my former poor Services, but as a Mo-
tive to Future Obedience and Loyalty to them:
I bless the Lord I have a Witness in mine own
Heart, That my Designes tend not to any other
End than my Countries good, and I shall with
more Cheerfulness return the Sword into Your
Hands, than ever I received it with, and desire to
attend your Pleasure if You shall have no further
Use of my Service.Monck was not dismissed, but Lambert saw him
as a threat and marched north to arrest him. At New-
castle, Monck played for time by offering to negotiate,
but the weather came to his aid, as inclement conditions
forced many of Lambert’s forces to desert, leaving him
ill-prepared to battle Monck’s army. Then, however, the
Rump Parliament was restored, and Lambert gave up
and headed back to London; Monck followed him, ar-
riving on 3 February 1660. Although he never threat-
ened military action, Monck did advise on 1 May thatmonck, geoRge, Duke oF AlbemARle