Army Reforms Flashcards
what three things must you know about each army reform
what
why
consequence
what things ignited a need and recognition for change
- failure in the French Wars
- Pen wars - Wellington (+) but army and his men (-)
- glory at Waterloo
- purchase system
- rigid discipline and class structure
- infantry, cavalry, artillery
- shrinkage in 40 years peace prior to Crimea
- uphold the concert and status quo of Europe
- defending the empire
- Crimean failure
- inefficiencies
- to attract a better quality of personell
what is the difference between the ancillary and the comissariat
ancillary - wider part of the military such as engineers, medics, clothing, cooks and supply etc. - have to have a good hand on supply to keep structure
commissariat - part of government whose job was to supply the military
organisation of the British army in 1790s
- underfunded / downtrodden
- initially funded by wealthy men and not the government
- from the 1700s it was organised by the British government and funded through taxation but it was still funded poorly and scrapped together on a budget
- didn’t have what it needed in contrast to the navy
- aristocracy
- if you don’t have what you need the best army in the world could be blunted and Britain were hampered by the commissariat and the ancillary
- no conscription till FWW
what is a gun
a canon that fires shells or cannonballs
what is a rifle or a musket
what you carry in your hands
what is the difference between the infantry and the cavalry in terms of class
infantry - on foot with rifles - lowest rank and quality lacked but they were plentiful
cavalry - high tier - richer personnel - chase enemy and defend - critical- seen as more glorious as finish the battle
what did Napoleon say about food
an army marches on its stomach
what did the Duke of York reforms limit
limit the purchase system to lieutenant colonel
the position Lord Cardigan bought in the Crimean war
what did the purchase system mean
- someone could have a lot of responsibility without having the necessary experience to fill that role
in 1832 how large was the standing army in Britain
- 25,083
- didn’t really have an army of like 40,000 till the FWW
- Britain could rely on their navy so no one could get to Britain and invade but the standing army was numerically inadequate and lacked quality for a major war especially overseas
how did the empire affect the British army
- Britain’s army was reasonably sized given they had their navy but that army is distributed across the entire empire but Britain couldn’t neglect their empire and needed troops there to keep order e.g. in India and Ireland
- but the economic influx from their empire did allow them to fund coalitions
why did the traditional approach of the British army become increasingly problematic
- technological advancements needed relevant change of tactics and uniform etc
- other armies were becoming increasingly modern
- even the farmer-like and primitive Boers adopted a brown uniform in contrast to the British red one
what could you argue about Raglan and his position
- he got his position from experience in the French wars so you could argue that he was placed there by merit but was there not a younger more appropriate person who could have received the position
what did the french army not have
downtrodden elitism
what is the difference between Wellington and Raglan
- Wellington got the best out of his men, Raglan did not
what exacerbated the cold winter in Crimea and the difference between the men and aristocrats
- aristocratic elitist officers commanding men they have no respect for
- no critical care
- officers could go home for warmth during winter while the men suffered
discuss issues with the Rank and File Infantry that made it not an enticing career
- traditionalism - patriotic red - easily seen in uniform and not protective, uncomfortable and impractical
- length of service was 20 years plus which stopped many signing up
- need 20-25 years in army to secure a pension
- regular pay poor
- traditionally small force as Britain relied on navy
- flogging was still used as a punishment
- their tactics were primitive although Welly got the best out of them
- no innovation though minie rifle allowed thin red line and not the square
what was included in the Duke of York reforms
- he restricted the purchasing of commissions so you can only purchase up to lieutenant colonel
- established a school for orphaned children in Chelsea
- created Sandhurst military training college
- increased pay for soldiers and reduced flogging
- improved medical provision
- created light infantry regiments
- he also played a key role in the construction of the Martello towers to protect the British coastline
why did the Duke of York reforms occur
- after his failures at the Flanders Campaign in the French Wars he lost his position as General
- he was a poor leader but a good commander in chief and administrator so when C-I-C he could make significant changes as he had seen and experienced the issues first hand with his failures and seen how good the French were
- opportunity came from his disastrous leadership
- long overdue change
what were the consequences of the Duke of York Reforms
- limiting the purchase system meant there was a degree of meritocracy and experience in the army but it took a while to come into effect because those that had just bought higher commissions before the reforms could keep them
- Sandhurst - built on limiting purchase system - budding officers can now go learn how to be great - trained officers used by Welly, maybe Pen wars different without this - takes time to take effect but there forever - Welly said he was better for it
- school - recruitment element - know your kids will be looked after if anything happens - thought about the wider context and consequences of war which people hadn’t thought about before - LT
- new infantry reg - welly was excellent at using it and they were critical at Vitoria and Salamanca and Fuentes de Onoro - rapid moving, take advantage of situations, deploy into positions of strength
what were the Aberdeen reforms
- before he resigned Aberdeen separated the war and colonial office which were very different things - dedicated group of ministers now to deal with any challenges during a war time period - quicker improved
- he also made S.O.S for war a cabinet position - BIG DEAL - before this was not always on everyday agenda - Herbert was able to relay issues more, maybe Nightingale sent quicker because of this - Aberdeen elevated this critical war position which helps the LT planning of war
- didn’t directly change the army but changed government involvement
what were the Palmerston reforms
- the new War Office took control of supplies with the abolition of the Board of Ordinance in May 1855 - what the commissariat made up of
- an army medical department was created after it has been disbanded prior to war, something Welly disagreed with
- a land transport corps was created replacing the traditional local hiring of civilian wagons to carry supplies
- an army clothing department was created
- educational requirements to improve military knowledge
- essentially gives army a more direct control of supplies
why were the Aberdeen Palmerston reforms put in place
- they were reactive changes to counter the bad press that was coming out of Crimea in the reports of Russel and Chenery
- there was huge pressure on the Government from the public to make change
what were the consequences of the Aberdeen Palmerston reforms
- doesn’t take full effect until after the war but the commissariat was depoliticised
- no civilians or penny pinchers involved with supply after Crimea
- educated army personnel so it gets what it needs
- medical dep re made - has its own money and better supply - staple they should have had at the beginning of Crimea
- when travelled to Crimea they packed soldiers with ships and neglected wagons/engineers - couldn’t get sick men to ships to Scutari but the land transport corps helped fix this issue
