Blackheath Army

The Blackheath Army was a contingent of the English Army assembled at Blackheath in Kent during the summer of 1673. The army consisting of old and newly-raised regiments were under placed under the command of the French Huguenot Frederick Schomberg. It was intended to use the Blackheath Army to attack the Dutch coastal province of Zealand, as part of the English contribution to the Third Anglo-Dutch War. However the Zealand Expedition was abandoned following the defeat of the Royal Navy at the Battle of Texel (August 1673). The newly-raised regiments were disbanded and the army returned to its smaller pre-war size.

The standing army of England remained relatively small during the Restoration era. In order to meet the needs of the war, several fresh regiments were raised by leading figures such as the Earl of Carlisle and Duke of Albemarle. The ranks were filled with freshly recruited levies, with the odd scattering of more experienced men from the standing army or those who had seen foreign service in Continental armies. By 1673 the paper strength of the Blackheath force was 12,000 men. Although it was planned to put the force under martial law, this was abandoned following objections in Parliament. There was some rivalry over the command of the army between Schomberg and the Duke of Buckingham, one of the regimental commanders, and the two men almost fought a duel. It was widely reported that the Duke of Monmouth, Charles II's eldest son, would be given command in their place but this did not happen.

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