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British Warfare > British Army structure > Flashcards

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
Q

at what rank did the purchase system stop at?

A

Lieutenant-Colonel

after this promotion was by seniority

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26
Q

what reforms did the Duke of York introduce to the purchase system?

A

officers had to serve 2 years to be able to purchase the rank of Captain and 6 years for the rank of Major

27
Q

how many officers in the Peninsular War were purchased?

A

less than 1/5

28
Q

who appointed Generals-in-command?

A

they are selected by the cabinet and appointed formally by the King

29
Q

how many officers by 1814?

A

10,000 officers

30
Q

what were ways of getting promoted in the BA?

A

seniority after lieutenant colonel
by enlisting 40 militiamen
purchase system for lower ranks
bravery in action

31
Q

what was artillery divided into?

A

horse and foot

32
Q

how many horses pulled artillery?

A

8 horses

33
Q

why was it difficult for artillery to expand in the BA?

A

artillery troops needed thorough training and therefore would take a while to reach the battlefield so less artillery

34
Q

what administered artillery?

A

the Board of Ordanance

35
Q

what was a British battery made up of?

A

5 cannons
1 howitzer

36
Q

what was a cannon?

A

gun with a flat trajectory meaning it needed to be directly fired at enemies

37
Q

what was a howitzer?

A

gun with a curved trajectory which could be fired over troops and thus on top of the enemies

38
Q

what were most British cannons?

A

4 or 6 pounders

39
Q

what were the 3 types of projectiles used by the BA?

A

round shot
canister shot
shrapnel shot

40
Q

why were Congreave’s rockets unpopular?

A

they were very inaccurate

41
Q

what were the engineers in the BA called?

A

the Royal Engineers

42
Q

what was the Royal Waggon Train?

A

was responsible for moving supplies

43
Q

how many BA cavalry regiments were there in 1808?

A

20

44
Q

what was cavalry split into?

A

light
heavy

45
Q

what did light cavalry carry?

A

a sabre
carbine

46
Q

what did heavy cavalry carry?

A

straight sword
carbine

47
Q

function of light cavalry?

A

recon
screening
escort
pursuit

48
Q

function of heavy cavalry?

A

shock action

49
Q

what was Wellesley’s view of cavalry?

A

he saw cavalry action as the same as fox hunting

50
Q

how many infantry regiments in 1808?

A

103

51
Q

what book shaped infantry movement?

A

Principles of Military Movements

52
Q

what colour was infantry uniform in the Napoleonic Wars?

A

red

53
Q

what was the standard infantry rifle?

A

the Brown Bess

54
Q

cons of the Brown Bess?

A

created loud noise and smoke
slow rate of fire
inaccurate at range

55
Q

what was the line infantry tactic?

A

infantry would stand shoulder to shoulder and fire barrages of musket fire down range at the enemy

used by British

56
Q

what was the column infantry tactic?

A

infantry would stand in columns and fire at enemy
BUT
only front 2 ranks could fire

used by French

57
Q

what was the square infantry tactic?

A

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
Q

when did the Duke of York order the formation of light infantry?

A

1799

59
Q

features of light infantry?

A

wore dark green uniforms
armed with Baker rifles
were trained in using cover and sharpshooting

60
Q

function of light infantry?

A

went ahead of the regular troops and tried to weaken the enemies front line from afar

61
Q

how many men died from diseases during the Peninsular Wars?

A

25,000

62
Q

what was the main disease during the Peninsular Wars?

A

Dysentry

63
Q

when did the Duke of York become commander in chief of the BA?

A

1795

64
Q

what reforms did the Duke of York introduce?

A

removal of the purchase system
establishing of a Military College for cadets
standardised drill and tactics
created light infantry

British Warfare (35 decks)

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