Crimean War - Preliminaries (Leadership)

Question 1

Crimean War

Answer 1

1853-1856

Question 2

Army equipment at the start of war

Answer 2

• Army had been neglected since 1815 partly due to 40 years of European peace
• The infantry were armed with the minié rifle which gave troops and advantage over Russians who were still armed with smoothbore muskets

Question 3

The influence of Wellington

Answer 3

• After 1815, the army was run by the military high command without government interference
• The triumphs of the army in the Napoleonic Wars strengthened its conservatism and complacency
• He exercised massive authority over military affairs

Question 4

British commanders

Answer 4

• Lord Raglan was a 65 year old who had never commanded an army
• Lord Lucan commanded the Cavalry Division with his rival being his subordinate in Lord Cardigan leading the Light Brigade
• 4 out of 5 Divisional commanders were over 60

Question 5

The Military Administration

Answer 5

• Military administration as of 1854 was highly cumbersome
• Administration split between many ministers, departments, and army posts
• This made it very difficult for the c-in-c as his autonomy would be restricted by the bureaucratic nature of the administrations
• Governments had been unwilling to reform it due to the opposition of Wellington and other senior officers

Question 6

Reasons for low manpower

Answer 6

• Soldiers served for a minimum 21 years
• A soldier’s basic pay was poor with half being deducted for food
• Most barracks were overcrowded and insanitary with the families of married soldiers were expected to live in the same barrack rooms as the rest of the men
• The army disciplinary code was severe, soldiers could be flogged for a variety of misdemeanours, although the maximum number of lashes was reduced to 50 in 1846

Question 7

Graham Reforms for ships and gunnery

Answer 7

• 1832, reforms to the Royal Navy
• By 1817, there were only 13 battleships of the previous Napoleonic wartime of 100 battleships, as the navy invested into smaller ships but these reforms reversed this
• In the Napoleonic Wars, Royal Navy gunnery had been excellent, this had been neglected since and an order was issued that all crews should perform gunnery drills to improve their skills and ensure they’d be ready for combat

Question 8

Graham Reforms for promotions

Answer 8

• 1832, reforms to the Royal Navy
• Reduction in number of ships meant there were more officers and than ships some could rise up to Admiral without ever going to sea
• There was also discontent caused by men of influence being promoted over experienced officers
• Graham introduced a regulation requiring officers to have at least 2 years’ experience at sea as a lieutenant
• This reform did not solve the long Navy List of officers awaiting command or the unfairness of men of influence, but it did ensure a level of professional experience for commanders and captains

Question 9

Graham Reforms for supply

Answer 9

• Graham abolished the Naval Office and the Victualing Board, putting their responsibilities under the Navy, simplifying the supply and overall administration as it was no longer under bickering government departments
• Under the new system, fiver principal officers would be in charge of a certain area each
• Graham also extended Royal Navy control to the dockyards and victualing yards with an admiral appointed to oversee the biggest yards at Plymouth and Portsmouth, with Captains appointed to the others - making them more efficient