British Army structure Flashcards
how many British troops in 1793?
40,000 men
what was Army pay like?
soldiers were paid less than farmers but were provided with food and shelter
what was a bounty and how much was it?
a £40 signing on fee which motivated many men to join the army
how many deaths per year during the Napoleonic Wars?
24,000 deaths
what was army drill?
continuous marching to drive discipline amongst soldiers
which type of people made up the BA?
most recruits were from poor families
many were criminals
how was Army discipline carried out?
floggings were scaled in relation to the rules broken
what was a common number of lashes given?
700 lashes
what were Wellesley’s thoughts on discipline?
he believed corporal punishment was the best way to inflict fear and prevent soldiers from disobeying the rules
how did the BA go around recruiting?
through recruiting parties which toured Britain and tricked men into joining (drink trick)
how much of British land forces were militiamen?
1/5
what were Britons motivated by to join the regular army?
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
what were Britons motivated by to join the regular army?
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
how many militiamen joined the regular army between 1807-12?
74,000 men
all already trained making it easier to head straight to battle
by 1813 how many foreigners were in the army?
52,000 men
1/5 of the entire force
what was the Kings German Legion?
many Germans fled to Britain after Napoleons invasion of Germany culminating in the battle of Austerlitz
these Germans joined the KGL
how many men in a battalion?
2000 men
who commanded a battalion?
a Lieutenant Colonel
how many men in a company?
100 men
how many battalions in a brigade?
4
who commanded a brigade?
a Colonel or a Major General
how many brigades in a division?
2+
who commanded a division?
a General
why was the commission system unfair before reform?
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
at what rank did the purchase system stop at?
Lieutenant-Colonel
after this promotion was by seniority
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
how many officers in the Peninsular War were purchased?
less than 1/5
who appointed Generals-in-command?
they are selected by the cabinet and appointed formally by the King
how many officers by 1814?
10,000 officers
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
what was artillery divided into?
horse and foot
how many horses pulled artillery?
8 horses
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
what administered artillery?
the Board of Ordanance
what was a British battery made up of?
5 cannons
1 howitzer
what was a cannon?
gun with a flat trajectory meaning it needed to be directly fired at enemies
what was a howitzer?
gun with a curved trajectory which could be fired over troops and thus on top of the enemies
what were most British cannons?
4 or 6 pounders
what were the 3 types of projectiles used by the BA?
round shot
canister shot
shrapnel shot
why were Congreave’s rockets unpopular?
they were very inaccurate
what were the engineers in the BA called?
the Royal Engineers
what was the Royal Waggon Train?
was responsible for moving supplies
how many BA cavalry regiments were there in 1808?
20
what was cavalry split into?
light
heavy
what did light cavalry carry?
a sabre
carbine
what did heavy cavalry carry?
straight sword
carbine
function of light cavalry?
recon
screening
escort
pursuit
function of heavy cavalry?
shock action
what was Wellesley’s view of cavalry?
he saw cavalry action as the same as fox hunting
how many infantry regiments in 1808?
103
what book shaped infantry movement?
Principles of Military Movements
what colour was infantry uniform in the Napoleonic Wars?
red
what was the standard infantry rifle?
the Brown Bess
cons of the Brown Bess?
created loud noise and smoke
slow rate of fire
inaccurate at range
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
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
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
when did the Duke of York order the formation of light infantry?
1799
features of light infantry?
wore dark green uniforms
armed with Baker rifles
were trained in using cover and sharpshooting
function of light infantry?
went ahead of the regular troops and tried to weaken the enemies front line from afar
how many men died from diseases during the Peninsular Wars?
25,000
what was the main disease during the Peninsular Wars?
Dysentry
when did the Duke of York become commander in chief of the BA?
1795
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
