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British Army structure Flashcards

1
Q

how many British troops in 1793?

A

40,000 men

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2
Q

what was Army pay like?

A

soldiers were paid less than farmers but were provided with food and shelter

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3
Q

what was a bounty and how much was it?

A

a £40 signing on fee which motivated many men to join the army

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4
Q

how many deaths per year during the Napoleonic Wars?

A

24,000 deaths

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5
Q

what was army drill?

A

continuous marching to drive discipline amongst soldiers

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6
Q

which type of people made up the BA?

A

most recruits were from poor families
many were criminals

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7
Q

how was Army discipline carried out?

A

floggings were scaled in relation to the rules broken

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8
Q

what was a common number of lashes given?

A

700 lashes

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9
Q

what were Wellesley’s thoughts on discipline?

A

he believed corporal punishment was the best way to inflict fear and prevent soldiers from disobeying the rules

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10
Q

how did the BA go around recruiting?

A

through recruiting parties which toured Britain and tricked men into joining (drink trick)

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11
Q

how much of British land forces were militiamen?

A

1/5

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12
Q

what were Britons motivated by to join the regular army?

A

many were patriotic and wanted to serve their country
many were motivated by the sense of adventure
many wanted shelter, food and some pay
many were criminals looking for a way out

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13
Q

what were Britons motivated by to join the regular army?

A

many were patriotic and wanted to serve their country
many were motivated by the sense of adventure
many wanted shelter, food and some pay
many were criminals looking for a way out

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14
Q

how many militiamen joined the regular army between 1807-12?

A

74,000 men

all already trained making it easier to head straight to battle

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15
Q

by 1813 how many foreigners were in the army?

A

52,000 men

1/5 of the entire force

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16
Q

what was the Kings German Legion?

A

many Germans fled to Britain after Napoleons invasion of Germany culminating in the battle of Austerlitz

these Germans joined the KGL

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17
Q

how many men in a battalion?

A

2000 men

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18
Q

who commanded a battalion?

A

a Lieutenant Colonel

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19
Q

how many men in a company?

A

100 men

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20
Q

how many battalions in a brigade?

A

4

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21
Q

who commanded a brigade?

A

a Colonel or a Major General

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22
Q

how many brigades in a division?

A

2+

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23
Q

who commanded a division?

A

a General

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24
Q

why was the commission system unfair before reform?

A

rich families would buy their’s son’s commission and have them enter the army at a very high rank

promotions were like auctions with the highest bidder receiving the promotion, therefore those deserving of a promotion could not move up

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25
at what rank did the purchase system stop at?
Lieutenant-Colonel after this promotion was by seniority
26
what reforms did the Duke of York introduce to the purchase system?
officers had to serve 2 years to be able to purchase the rank of Captain and 6 years for the rank of Major
27
how many officers in the Peninsular War were purchased?
less than 1/5
28
who appointed Generals-in-command?
they are selected by the cabinet and appointed formally by the King
29
how many officers by 1814?
10,000 officers
30
what were ways of getting promoted in the BA?
seniority after lieutenant colonel by enlisting 40 militiamen purchase system for lower ranks bravery in action
31
what was artillery divided into?
horse and foot
32
how many horses pulled artillery?
8 horses
33
why was it difficult for artillery to expand in the BA?
artillery troops needed thorough training and therefore would take a while to reach the battlefield so less artillery
34
what administered artillery?
the Board of Ordanance
35
what was a British battery made up of?
5 cannons 1 howitzer
36
what was a cannon?
gun with a flat trajectory meaning it needed to be directly fired at enemies
37
what was a howitzer?
gun with a curved trajectory which could be fired over troops and thus on top of the enemies
38
what were most British cannons?
4 or 6 pounders
39
what were the 3 types of projectiles used by the BA?
round shot canister shot shrapnel shot
40
why were Congreave's rockets unpopular?
they were very inaccurate
41
what were the engineers in the BA called?
the Royal Engineers
42
what was the Royal Waggon Train?
was responsible for moving supplies
43
how many BA cavalry regiments were there in 1808?
20
44
what was cavalry split into?
light heavy
45
what did light cavalry carry?
a sabre carbine
46
what did heavy cavalry carry?
straight sword carbine
47
function of light cavalry?
recon screening escort pursuit
48
function of heavy cavalry?
shock action
49
what was Wellesley's view of cavalry?
he saw cavalry action as the same as fox hunting
50
how many infantry regiments in 1808?
103
51
what book shaped infantry movement?
Principles of Military Movements
52
what colour was infantry uniform in the Napoleonic Wars?
red
53
what was the standard infantry rifle?
the Brown Bess
54
cons of the Brown Bess?
created loud noise and smoke slow rate of fire inaccurate at range
55
what was the line infantry tactic?
infantry would stand shoulder to shoulder and fire barrages of musket fire down range at the enemy used by British
56
what was the column infantry tactic?
infantry would stand in columns and fire at enemy BUT only front 2 ranks could fire used by French
57
what was the square infantry tactic?
infantry would form squares when attacked by cavalry the outer rank created a square of bayonets which prevented horses from attacking the infantry inside BUT was very vulnerable to artillery fire
58
when did the Duke of York order the formation of light infantry?
1799
59
features of light infantry?
wore dark green uniforms armed with Baker rifles were trained in using cover and sharpshooting
60
function of light infantry?
went ahead of the regular troops and tried to weaken the enemies front line from afar
61
how many men died from diseases during the Peninsular Wars?
25,000
62
what was the main disease during the Peninsular Wars?
Dysentry
63
when did the Duke of York become commander in chief of the BA?
1795
64
what reforms did the Duke of York introduce?
removal of the purchase system establishing of a Military College for cadets standardised drill and tactics created light infantry

British Experience of Warfare (27 decks)

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