Changes In Nature Of Warfare 1850-1900

Question 1

The British Army grew because…

Answer 1

… as the empire grew, more soldiers were needed aboroad.

-1849: ,115,000 -1869: 135,000 -1899 (before Boer war): 250,000

Question 2

Change in Composition

Answer 2

Didn’t change rapidly. Cavalry continued despite being vulnerable to rifles and machine guns. Cavalry was important for scouting when armies were on the move. Gave an early warning of enemy presence.
-1854, the army sent to crimea had 5 infantry divisions and 1 cavalry
-1914, army sent to first world war had 4 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry

Question 3

Change in artillery

Answer 3

-steel cannon more durable
-breech loading and recoiling was quicker, fired ten rounds per minute
-rifled barrels allowed more range
-percussion shells were filled with chemicals that exploded the shell into deadly fragments on impact
-smokeless powder improved aiming and prevented location being given away by smoke

Question 4

(Change with rifles) minié bullets

Answer 4

-minié bullets invented invented 1847. Were dropped individually into the barrel and expanded upon firing allowing contact with rifling. Used with minie rifle, effecfive up to 300 metres

Question 5

(Change with rifles) conical bullets

Answer 5

Long and torpedo shaped. Could be fired even further than minié bullets

Question 6

(Change with rifles) percussion bullets

Answer 6

Were detonated by the hammer and ended reliance on powder, flints and sparks. Made loading easier and was reliable in damp weather

Question 7

(Change with rifles) breech loading

Answer 7

Involved pushing bullets into the bottom of the barell through the side. Reloaded four times faster than muskets

Question 8

(Change with rifles) magazines

Answer 8

Meant several bulkets could be loaded at one time

Question 9

Development of machine guns

Answer 9

-first appeared 1860s
-gatling gun and mitraileuse had 25 rotating rifle barrles. Fires 150 rounds per minute up to 2000m away but were heavy
-maxim machine guns were lighter (only 20kg) and could be easily positioned. Was fed bullets from a belt and fired 500 rounds per minute. Adopted by the British army in 1889

Question 10

(Factors influencing change 1850-1900) industry

Answer 10

-mass production of cheap steel meant better/cheaper weapons
-production lines: Royal Small Arms factory allowed mass production of Lee Enfield rifles

Question 11

(Factors influencing change 1850-1900) science

Answer 11

-fulminate of mercury made percussion bullets possible
-nitroglycerine was smokeless powder for rifles and cannon

Question 12

(Factors influencing change 1850-1900) individuals

Answer 12

-Henry Bessemer made cheap steel
-George Armstrong produced breech loading cannons
-Hiram Maxim invented the machine gun which used recoil energy to fire bullets

Question 13

(Changes in tactics) rifles and machine guns

Answer 13

Increased the power of defence
-cavalry charges or advancing infantry lines became very dangerous
-1854, battle of Alma, Russian troops advanced in columns and were defeated by British rifles. Two weeks later, Battle of Inkerman, British, using minié rifles, only lost 2000 while Russia lost 11,000

Question 14

(Changes in tactics) The decline of cavalry

Answer 14

1850 onwards, cavalry became ineffective as shock troops. They were still used because:
-scouting was important
-the army was conservative and valued tradition. Cavalry kept by leaders for emotional and illogical reasons

Question 15

(Changes in strategy) The strongest armies would be those…

Answer 15

…with the most modern weapons. Cost of armies rose rapidly as did size. E.g. 1849, 115,000 ; 1899, 250,000

Question 16

(Changes in strategy) Armies could operate further from home because…

Answer 16

…there was now longer-distance transport on land (rail) and on water (steamships). Rail was 15 times faster than marching and steamships got men and supplies to Crimea in less than 3 weeks.
Communication- the electric telegraph.

Question 17

(The impact of the press) The Times

Answer 17

1815, The Times, sold mainly in London, sold 5,000 copies per day. In 1850, it sold 40,000.
-there were also more national newspapers and 500 new provincial papers.

Question 18

(The impact of the press) William Howard Russel

Answer 18

Sent reports from Crimea back to London. It took 5 hours by telegraph links or 20 days by sea. Sent reports almost daily for almost two years.
Described victories, bravery, and what went wrong.

Question 19

(The impact of the press) Edward A Goodall

Answer 19

Sent illustrations from Crimea to the Illustrated London News

Question 20

(The impact of the press) Roger Fenton

Answer 20

Was employed by a publisher to take photographs in Crimea in 1855. Focused not on battles but on the daily lives of soldiers.
-showed poor quality uniforms, tents and camps
-wasn’t published in daily newspapers but copies were sold and had an impact on those who viewed them

Question 21

(The impact of the press) Boer war press coverage

Answer 21

Newspapers sent 300 correspondents to South Africa. 20 from the Times alone.
-interest in the war boosted the Daily Mail to sell over 500,000 copies per day
-music halls showed films reconstructing main events of the war. People paid to watch. This involved even those who couldn’t read