European battlefields of the seventeenth century were scenes of a complex transformation in the nature of military organization and the application of armed power. In 1639 and 1640 the Covenanter forces of Scotland demonstrated a remarkable familiarity with current military practice that led them to a decisive victory over their English adversary. The Covenanters defeated English arms during the Bishops' Wars because the Scots successfully adapted the emerging tenets of military revolution underway on the Continent to the existent civil and military conditions of Scotland.; The Covenanters translated European military knowledge through their study of printed military tracts and by capitalizing on the extensive record of overseas service undertaken by tens of thousands of Scots during the decades prior to 1640. Covenanters' acquaintance with recent military thought meant that Scottish officers understood how to identify and to advance upon strategic and operational objectives on campaign. The Scots also employed technological innovations being practiced by European forces such as “mobile” artillery pieces.; To direct war, the Scots capitalized upon the existing shires and presbyteries as useful administrative tools. Committee systems rotated elected positions, prescribed regular meetings, and transmitted information, orders, and business. The Covenanters' network capably expressed competent and coherent national authority.; The Covenanters reinforced local support for their cause by coupling aristocratic leadership with military expertise in every regiment's chain of command. This technique improved military preparedness by ensuring tactical competence while simultaneously guaranteeing political allegiance from elites. The partnership of social rank with military know-how also acted to sustain discipline and promoted recruiting efforts in the localities.; The Scottish arrangement of participatory mobilization thus facilitated a type of nationally-directed, locally-administered organization. When fused with the knowledge and experience possessed by Scottish military leaders, the Covenanters were able to campaign by means of an effective, contemporaneous comprehension of warfare. The Scots' decisive victory at Newburn in August, 1640, bore witness to the Covenanters' calculated, thoroughly-organized, and well-executed achievement.
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