Britain and the French Wars, the Navy (1793-1815) Flashcards
How was the Royal Navy organised?
- Ships were organised into fleets, which were named after the area in which they were serving (e.g. the Mediterranean Fleet)
What were ships of the line, and how were they typically used?
- The navy’s biggest battleships, with up to 100 guns
- They would line up parallel to the enemy, so they could simultaneously fire the cannons that were along the side of the ship (firing a full broadside)
What were frigates, and what were they typically used for?
- They were smaller warships built for speed and manoeuvrability
- Usually used for escort duties, patrolling and scouting
What tactics would the navy use to prevent enemy ships from leaving port? How was this applied to the French?
- A close blockade: the main fleet sailed near the enemy port
- An open blockade: the main fleet was a distance away from the enemy port, and frigates patrolled the area
- If the enemy ships went to sea, the frigates would inform the fleet
- French ports were blockaded to interfere with trade and naval activity
What tactics would the navy use in battle, and what in particular made them successful?
- Ships would be parallel and fire cannons at each other, and the speed at which they could fire would determine the outcome of naval battles
- British seamen could unleash a broadside every 1 and a half minutes, which was much faster than their enemies
- When the ships came close together, marines (soldiers on board ships) would then board the enemy ship
What other advantage did the British Navy have when it came to the personnel within the navy?
- Due to the American War of Independence, British naval officers had gained a lot of experience
- On the other hand, lots of experienced French officers had either fled the country or had been executed during the French Revolution
What 3 things was the navy used for?
- To guard the nation against invasion
- To protect overseas trade
- To protect colonies
What problems were the navy facing around the time of the French Wars, and how had they become aware of them?
- Many of their ships of the line were old and poorly maintained
- Their defeat in the American War of Independence
How did the number of British ships of the line and sailors change during the French Revolutionary Wars?
- 1792: 135, 16,000
- 1802: 202, 135,000
How did the navy recruit sailors, and why?
- Britain did not impose conscription, but there were not enough volunteers in the navy
- Therefore, they used impressment; this was the (forced) rounding up of men by press gangs
- This was because the navy was seen as vital for the country’s survival
By 1805, what proportion of the navy was made up of pressed men?
- Half
Using 3 examples, describe what life was like for sailors in the Royal Navy.
- They were paid half as much as merchant seamen
- Discipline was harsh
- Sailors could be at sea for years at a time
What were 3 problems the navy faced around the time of the French Revolutionary Wars?
- Its dockyards were in poor condition
- Shortages of timber meant that shipbuilding and repair were deficient
- Discontent among sailors had led to mutinies
Give an example of a mutiny, and how the government responded.
- 1797, in Spithead (Portsmouth) about conditions
- The government agreed to raise wages and make concessions on other issues
Did the government always respond positively to mutinies? Give an example.
- No; in 1797 in Nore (Thames), sailors mutinied for political reasons
- 29 of them were hanged
Who was Horatio Nelson?
- Commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean 1803-05
What were 4 personal qualities Nelson had?
- He had the trust and respect of his men (he discussed his plans with his officers, and took part in storming enemy ships with them)
- He was inspiring
- He used simple tactics
- He didn’t hesitate to disregard convention, such as when he would break the enemy’s line, sending broadsides into the bow (front) and stern (back) of enemy ships
List 3 major naval battles Nelson was involved in, and when each one was.
- The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 1797
- The Battle of the Nile, 1798
- The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805
What did Nelson do in the Battle of Cape St Vincent?
- Nelson had taken his 74-gun ship, HMS Captain out of the line of British ships (although he was not instructed to do this), and into close-quarters despite the severe damage it had sustained
- He led his men into battle on the enemy’s deck
- He captured 2 Spanish warships
What were 2 outcomes of the Battle of Cape St Vincent for Nelson?
- It brought him public fame
- He was promoted to rear-admiral
Which other naval officers played an important role in the Battle of Cape St Vincent?
- John Jervis
- Cuthbert Collingwood
What was John Jervis’ role in the Battle of Cape St Vincent?
- He was Commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, and therefore led the attack
What important contribution had Jervis made?
- He weeded out officers he considered to be weak in favour of rising officers, including Nelson
What happened at the Battle of the Nile?
- Nelson attacked the French near nightfall, which went against the conventional rules of naval warfare
- The French were anchored in a line, but Nelson managed to get half his ships between the French ships and the coast in order to attack them from both sides
- The French 120-gun flagship, the Orient, exploded
What were 3 outcomes of the Battle of the Nile?
- Of the 17 French ships engaged, 13 had been captured or destroyed
- The Royal Navy regained control of the Mediterranean in one night
- Napoleon and his army were stuck in Egypt
Why was there a pause between the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars?
- Britain and France signed the Peace of Amiens in 1802
- However, war recommenced in 1803
What did Napoleon do as a result of the breakdown of the Treaty of Amiens?
- He began gathering an army of 100,000 at Boulogne to invade Britain
How did Napoleon plan to invade Britain?
- Napoleon wanted Admiral Villeneuve to lure the British fleet away
- Meanwhile, the army would cross the Channel
When did Villeneuve start executing Napoleon’s plan?
- March 1805
What happened when Villeneuve followed Napoleon’s plan?
- Villeneuve evaded Nelson’s open blockade, joined up with the Spanish fleet, and crossed the Atlantic to the West Indies
- Nelson followed, and was much faster than Villeneuve
- Villeneuve then quickly returned to Europe, and Nelson did the same
- Although Villeneuve was involved in a skirmish with the British, he reached Cadiz
- This ended any hopes of Napoleon being able to quickly cross to Britain
When was the Battle of Trafalgar?
- October 1805
What led to the Battle of Trafalgar?
- In October 1805, Napoleon commanded Villeneuve to sail from Cadiz to Italy to support him against the Austrians
- Nelson gave chase
How many ships did the British and French have in the Battle of Trafalgar?
- British: 27 ships of the line
- Franco-Spanish: 33
How did Nelson and Villeneuve arrange their ships?
- Villeneuve ordered his fleet into a makeshift line
- Nelson organised his fleet into 2 columns, one headed by himself, and the other headed by Collingwood
What happened when the British fleet reached the Franco-Spanish fleet?
- Nelson gave the signal to ‘engage the enemy more closely’
- The British ships broke through the Franco-Spanish line, and fought them at close-quarters
What setback did Nelson face at the start of the battle? How big of a threat was it?
- When his ships were approaching the enemy line, they were under heavy fire, which they could not return (their bows were facing the enemy)
- Their aim was poor
What role did Collingwood play in the battle?
- His ship, the Royal Sovereign, had been coppered and was much faster than the others (even Nelson’s Victory)
- His ship was therefore the first to reach the enemy line
- It engaged with the ship of the Spanish Admiral, and it fired its broadsides so rapidly that the Spanish Admiral’s ship was close to destruction before any other British ship had engaged in battle
How successful was the Battle of Trafalgar for Britain? Give 4 details.
- Nelson was shot by a French sniper, and died before the battle ended
- They managed to take 18 of Villeneuve’s ships
- No British ships had been lost
- Over 2000 French deaths, but less than 500 British deaths
What was an advantageous outcome that the Battle of Trafalgar had for Britain?
- The Royal Navy was not seriously challenged by the French for the remainder of the French Wars
What 2 facts suggest that the Battle of Trafalgar was not particularly important in the French Wars?
- It did not prevent a French invasion of Britain, as this had already been postponed
- It did not have much of an impact on the War of the Third Coalition, as Napoleon continued to triumph on land (e.g. at Austerlitz)
What did Napoleon do to try to weaken Britain in 1807?
- He introduced the Continental System; this was an economic blockade that forbade Europe from trading with Britain
How successful was the Continental System, and why?
- French trade suffered more than British trade as French manufacturers relied on imports from British colonies
- British maritime supremacy meant that this method had limited success
What were 2 actions taken by the navy in response to the Continental System?
- They blockaded French ports
- The British Navy insisted on stopping and searching neutral shipping they suspected of trading with France
What issue did the navy’s method of responding to the Continental System cause? How big of an issue was this?
- It caused a war with America in 1812, as the Americans were angered by the British blockade of European ports
- It was a small war as the USA only had 14 small warships in 1812
