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
