Experience Of Warfare 1700-1900 Flashcards
What was the dominant part of the army in this time period (1700-1900)
Infantry. It formed about 75% of the army in 1700 and grew slowly to about 80% by 1850.
What was the overall trend of the British Army size? (1700-1900)
By 1850, the British Army was larger. The overall trend was slow growth.
What was the composition of cavalry and artillery in the British army? (1700-1900)
Cavalry were about 20% of the army in 1700 and 15% by 1850. The trend was slow decline.
Artillery remained about 5% of the army.
What weapon did infantry mainly use?(1700-1900)
The ‘Brown Bess’ musket. It came into service in 1715 and was used for over 130 years.
What weapon did cavalry mainly use?(1700-1900)
Cavalry mainly used swords. Some, known as dragoons, had firearms. Dragoons could dismount and fight on foot.
What weapon did artillery mainly use?(1700-1900)
They used cannons with a range of about 500 metres. They used cannonballs against walled defences and large bodies of infantry.
How did the industrial revolution allow technology to improve?
In 1720, Britain produced 25 tons of iron; in 1790, 70,000 tons; and, by 1850, two million tons.
Iron was much more plentiful and cheaper. As a result, industrialists working in the iron industry were able to experiment with new ways of using iron to make artillery.
What did improvement of technology mean for artillery?
Light field artillery could be quickly pulled around a battlefield by horses and used in a variety of ways.Experiments with bronze made cannon lighter.By 1890 field guns were designed to recoil meaning loading was easier
How did John Wilkinson improve the cannon and who was he?
John ‘Iron-Mad’ Wilkinson was a pioneer of Britain’s iron industry. In the 1740s, he began to make thinner cannon barrels out of a solid piece of metal. All this meant lighter, more powerful and more accurate cannon.
How did musket fire improve in this time period?(1700-1900)
Improvements in loading times meant that by about 1760, longer, two-deep lines could be used instead of 4, each line firing at 20-second intervals. Then, as before, on reaching the enemy hand-to-hand combat using bayonets decided the outcome
How did marching improve in this time period?(1700-1900)
English armies introduced rhythmic marching (marching in step with each other). For the first time, infantry could be moved quickly and precisely around the battlefield, and they could change formation quickly for different purposes. These rapid manoeuvres by infantry made battles more complex than before
How did artillery improve in this time period?(1700-1900)
Lighter field guns pulled by horses meant that artillery could:
-sit in front of infantry to defend lines
-withdraw to safety inside infantry squares
-move to high ground to bombard the enemy.
How did the tactics of cavalry change in this time period?(1700-1900)
In the early 1700s, the Duke of Marlborough often used cavalry as shock troops; by the early 1800s, the Duke of Wellington rarely did. But, cavalry could be moved quickly around battlefields for scouting and harassing the enemy, and for skirmishing with enemy cavalry.
What were the factors affecting change 1700-1850?
Social attitudes slowed change by keeping the size of the army small. A larger army cost more money. This meant higher taxes.
Political attitudes slowed change. In Britain, people looked on during the French Revolution (1789) and saw how change could threaten the power and wealth of the upper classes. This made Britain’s ruling classes nervous about all change - including changes in the army.
Individuals sometimes affected change. The Duke of Wellington was a successful general, but, he opposed any attempts to modernise the army. He became an obstacle to change.
Industrialisation didn’t really cause much change to warfare until 1850
When were rifles invented
16th century
What are Minié bullets
Bullets that expanded within the barrel meaning loading was easier
What are conical bullets
More aerodynamic bullets to increase range
What are percussion bullets
Bullets that made loading easier and rifles more relaible by ending reliance on powder and flint
What was breech loading
A type of reloading that Made reloading 4X quicker than with muskets
What did magazines allow for
Multiple bullets to be fired at once
When did trench warfare first develop
Crimean war
What happened in the Crimean war for trench warfare to develop
Systems of trenches were developed that gave protection against enemy fire,This was due to the new development of guns leading to the power of defense being heightened
What were machine guns
Small cannon like guns,They had more impact after 1900
How did transport change in 1850-1900
Steam trains were created that allowed troops to move 15 times faster than they could on foot and supplies could be moved quicker
Steam ships created that could sail twice as fast as sailing ships yo deliver supplies and men
How did communications change from 1850-1900
The electric telegraph was created and could be used by goverment and army staff to contact generals on campaign
How did mass production increase in 1850-1900
Metal production had improved greatly leading to iron and steel being available at low costs meaning the mass production of identical parts for weapons happened
What did Henry Bessemer do and in what year
1856,He created a method of mass producing steel cheaply
What did George Armstrong pioneer and in what year
1857,Pioneered the breech-loading ‘Armstrong Gun’
What was the Maxim Gun
A machine gun developed by Hiram Maxim that used the firing recoil to reload
How did science help the development of weapons
The development of fulminate of mercury provided the explosive for percussion bullets
The invention of nitroglycerine led to smokeless gunpowder
Why were the quality of officers poor in 1700
Quality of officers was still linked to social status rather than merit.Other ranks involved enlistments of 8-12 years or life
Why did the army have problems with recruiting(1700-1900)
Quality was poor due to people not wanting to join,Criminals allowed out of jail if they agreed to serve so harsh discipline was used to keep the men in check
What were Colonels’ regiments
Officers paid to set up and equip new regiments
What was the 1757 Militia Act
An overhaul of the Assize of Arms,Men aged 18-50 selected from eavh parish to serve in the local militia for 5 years
Why was there little change in the social background of officers by 1900
Low pay despite the costs of training,accomodation and uniforms
Who was Cardwell
The secretary of state for War appointed by William Gladstone who argued for Army Reform
What did the Regularisation of the Forces act entail
Made by Cardwell
Every regiment had two linked battalions one at home and one abroad
Each regiments third battalion was made up of local militia
Rations improved,branding and flogging abolished
What did the 1870 Army Act create
Created a professional army
Lower ranks enlisted for 12 years 6 in the army and 6 in the reserves
Reserves paid a daily rate and retrained every year
After 12 years soldiers could resign or sign up for another 12 years+a pension
How did training improve after 1850
More officers came into the army via the Royal Military College (RMC)
Artillery and engineering officers trained at Woolwich Royal Milllitary Academy from 1741
In 1871 Commisions ended
Millitary schools opened
Why were there a lack of recruits in 1700 onwards
Conditions poor in army at home and even worse abroad
Pay low
Why were there problems in town with the soldiers from 1700-1800
They had no barracks to stay in meaning the army increasingly met problems with local people as they disturbed the people
Why was the 1757 Militia act resented
Provoked riots when rumors suggested that militiamen might have to serve abroad
What was the impact of newspaper reports from 1850
Newspapers were bought more as they were easily distributed due to to new transport.Short dispatches sent by telegraphs from Crimea to London (only took 5 hours) in turn more information reached the public than ever before
What were the public attitudes around 1850-1900
Successes bred jingoism and imperialism yet some turned to pacifism.
Public critical of leadership shown in Crimean War by press
Concerns over quality of recruits in Boer War
What did the Army rely on in 1700 for transport
Requisitioning of public transport such as wagons and animals
How did taxes rise from 1700-mid 18th century
Cost of the army rose greatly from 1 million to 8 million however burden caused by this was small due to population rise and standard of living rose.In wartime taxes rose considerably
How was requisitioning developed in the later 1800s
In 1855 Land Transport Corps created to provide transport for army
In 1888 Army Service Corps took on the provision and transport of millitary supplies
How did War Photography impact the public
Brought war to life,showed first hand the conditions soldiers encountered whilst serving the country,led to criticism of conditions
Who had more troops in the battle of waterloo,French or British
French
Why did Wellington choose a good position in Waterloo
Good defensive position
Only around three miles long
Deployed men behind a ridge to reduce artillery impact
Set up two positions on the flanks to interrupt french,Concealed field artillery in Papelotte on one flank
Why were Napoleon’s tactics poor at Waterloo
He attacked with large infantry columns and heavy artillery,these could punch through lines but were big targets
Why were wellington’s tactics good at waterloo
Used 20 infantry squares each 60 metres across to hold french attack,Artillery and wounded concealed
Then sent in cavalry and infantry in lines,firing devestating volleys
Why were wellington’s tactics sucessful
Prepared to defend his position ,Needed to avoid being beaten until Prussians came
Used squares for defensewith cannon on the corners and infantry firing in rotation,hard to break
Switched from defense to attack quickly and led his troops,cavalry placed behind to discourage desertion
Why was Napolen’s tactics innefective
Suffering with piles so unable to properly assess battlefield
Used 33,000 men to slow Prussians,they returned late,exhausted
Delayed start due to poor battlefield
Launched another unsucessful attack when he could’ve withdrawn on Hougoumont
Who was outnumbered in the Battle of Baclava
The british,Heavily
What did the British do well at Baclava
93rd highlanders held a defensive strong position
Soldiers in two deep lines held their own despite being outnumbered
Devestating volleys drove off cavalry then heavy brigade moved in and defeated alot of russian cavalry
What did the Russians do poorly in the Battle of Balaclava
They used old tactics of an infantry charge which was ineffective against the thin lines of infantry armed with the latest weapons
What was the charge of the light brigade
Russians were moving an allied cannon they had captured,Raglan ordered light brigade to take this cannon but orders were unclear and light brigade (who were unarmoured light horses) charged straight into enemy fire causing many casualties with no gain
