Br's Readiness for the French Wars 1793-1815 Flashcards
Recruitment?
Br = no conscription (soldiers = volunteers)
vs.
Fr conscription
1793 - Br army = 40,000 men
army pay was poor & discipline harsh = lack of volunteers
Army Officers?
traditionally from landed gentry = wealth > talent
BUT
- commissions not purchased in the Royal Artillery/ Royal Engineers
- Duke of York’s reforms = officers had to serve 2 years before they could purchase a captaincy & 6 years before they could become a major
- many officers led efficiently & courageously
Army Composition?
3 main branches:
Cavalry -
1808 = 20 cav regiments
in theory 900 men
reality rarely more than 650
Infantry -
1808 = 103 inf regs
most had 2 battalions (1 at home & 1 abroad)
main weapon = brown bess musket (accurate & shot up to 100 yds & 3 hots per min)
Br line = 2 men deep (all can fire)
vs.
Fr column = 170 wide & 24 deep (only first 2 ranks could fire)
Artillery -
Br guns hit a target at 1,000 yds
fired shot, canister & shell
short of heavy guns (used to take down fortress walls)
The French War 1793-1802?
- main Br effort against Fr possessions in the Caribbean
- by 1798 Br forces had captured several Fr, Spa, Dutch islands
BUT 40,000 soldiers died of yellow fever & other illnesses
British Success in India?
1797 - Arthur Wellesley sent on military duty to India
1803 - war broke out w the Maratha confederacy
September - W with 7,000 men attacked an Indian army of 40,000 at Assaye and won a major victory
&
2 months later triumphed at Argaon/Argaum
Napoleonic War 1803-1809?
1803+ Br wanted to recapture colonies given to Fr & allies in the Treaty of Amiens (1802)
= not all expeditions were successful:
- 1807 = failure! to capture Spanish colonies in South America
- 1809 = 44,000 force dispatched to capture Flushing & Antwerp
BUT 4,000 died of disease on the island of Walcheren before army retreated home to Br
1793-1809: the Military Situation?
1793+ Br army was engaged in campaigns in Europe & around the world
