Editing New Model Army (section)

===Foot===
[[Image:Manual of the Musketeer, 17th Century.jpg|thumb|right|Drill manual for musketeers]]
The Regiments of Foot consisted of ten companies, in which [[musketeer]]s and [[pikeman|pikemen]] were mixed, at least on the march. Seven companies consisted of one hundred soldiers, plus officers, specialists and so on, and were commanded by captains. The other three companies were nominally commanded by the regiment's colonel, lieutenant colonel and major, and were stronger (200, 160 and 140 ordinary soldiers respectively).{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=128}}

The regiments of foot were provided with [[Red coat (British army)|red coats]]. Red was chosen because uniforms were purchased competitively from the lowest bidder, and [[Venetian red]] was the least expensive dye. Those used by the various regiments were distinguished by differently coloured linings, which showed at the collar and ends of the sleeves, and generally matched the colours of the regimental and company standards. In time, they became the official "[[Facing colour]]".{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=50}} On some occasions, regiments were referred to, for example, as the "blue" regiment or the "white" regiment from these colours, though in formal correspondence they were referred to by the name of their colonel. Each company had its own standard, {{convert|6|ft|cm}} square. The colonel's company's standard was plain, the lieutenant colonel's had a cross of Saint George in the upper corner nearest the staff, the major's had a "flame" issuing from the cross, and the captains' standards had increasing numbers of heraldic decorations, such as roundels or crosses to indicate their seniority.{{sfn|Money|1884|p=80}}

The New Model Army always had two musketeers for each pikeman,{{sfn|Firth|1972|p=70}} though depictions of battles show them present in equal numbers.{{efn|Two musketeers for each pikeman was not the agreed mix used throughout Europe, and when in 1658 Cromwell, by then the [[Lord Protector (Cromwell)|Lord Protector]], sent a contingent of the New Model Army to Flanders to support his French allies under the terms of the [[Treaty of Paris (1657)]] he supplied regiments with equal numbers of musketeers and pikemen {{harv|Firth|1898|pp=76–77}}.}}

Pikemen, when fully equipped, wore a [[morion (helmet)|pot helmet]], back- and breastplates over a buff coat, and often also armoured [[tasset]]s to protect the upper legs. They carried a sixteen-foot pike, and a sword. The heavily burdened pikeman usually dictated the speed of the Army's movement. They were frequently ordered to discard the tassets, and individual soldiers were disciplined for sawing a foot or two from the butts of their pikes,{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=69}} although senior officers were recommended to make the men accustomed to marching with heavy loads by regular route marches. In irregular fighting in Ireland, the New Model temporarily gave up the pike.{{sfn|Firth|1972|p=78}} In battle, the pikemen were supposed to project a solid front of spearheads, to protect the musketeers from cavalry while they reloaded. They also led the infantry advance against enemy foot units, when things came to [[push of pike]].{{sfn|Young|Holmes|2000|p=47}}

The musketeers wore no armour, at least by the end of the Civil War,{{sfn|Firth|1972|p=91}} although it is not certain that none had iron helmets at the beginning. They wore a bandolier from which were suspended twelve wooden containers, each with a ball and measured charge of powder for their [[matchlock]] muskets. These containers are sometimes referred to as the "Twelve Apostles".{{sfn|Falls|1969|p=294}} According to one source, they carried 1&nbsp;lb of fine powder, for priming, to 2&nbsp;lbs of lead and 2&nbsp;lbs of ordinary powder, the actual charging powder, for 3&nbsp;lbs of lead.{{sfn|Firth|1972|p=81}} They were normally deployed six ranks deep, and were supposed to keep up a constant fire by means of the ''countermarch''—either by introduction whereby the rear rank filed to the front to fire a volley, or by ''retroduction'' where the front rank fired a volley then filed to the rear. By the time that they reached the front rank again, they should have reloaded and been prepared to fire. At close quarters, there was often no time for musketeers to reload, and they used their musket butts as clubs. They carried [[tuck (sword)|swords]], but these were often of inferior quality, and ruined by use for cutting firewood.{{sfn|Roberts|2005|p=70}}