French Revolutionary (Land Warfare) Flashcards
1
Q
when were the French revolutionary wars
A
1792-1802
2
Q
what and when was the first coalition
A
Austria, Britain, Spean and Prussia
1792-7
3
Q
what and when when was the second coalition
A
Britain, Austria and Russia
1799-1802
end with a peace treaty
4
Q
why did the French Revolutionary Wars take place
A
- Britain did not go to war with France to uphold the Louis Dynasty
- revolution in France grew - France turned their interests to the Dutch Netherlands which brought British interest directly under threat
- Britain’s interests were economy and trade routes
- Britain traded a lot with Europe - the main port they used was Antwerp but the French expanded into that territory and started taking control
- British PM Pitt the Younger said if the French didn’t withdraw Britain would have to declare war
5
Q
discuss Napoleon Bonaparte
A
- artillery officer in his youth so excellent knowledge of where to place canons and how to use them effectively and good understanding of military strategy like how to fight a pitch battle and direct troops
- immensely intelligent man
- rare to have young general - shows his skill
- widely regarded as the greatest military general of all time
- incredible leader and strategist with devotion and admiration of his men
6
Q
discuss the blunders of the Duke of York at the Flanders campaign
A
- inefficient leader
- side-lined and given a different job ensuing the Flanders campaign due to his failures
- had no military skill or experience and gained the role through his royal status and aristocracy
- his leadership lacked discipline, coordination and the general knowledge of key things like land (topography) and military strategy leading to an embarrassing withdrawal at Flanders
- massive contrast to Napoleon
- ridiculed in Nursey Rhyme
7
Q
why was the Flanders’s campaign such a disaster
A
- coalition didn’t cooperate well together
- French superiority in uniform, equipment and leadership and strategy
- Duke of York was a weak leader
- it was costly in terms of land for the British - they lost Dutch, Austria and the Netherlands and major trade routes
- detrimental to Britain’s image - showed how weak their land army truly was
- weak supply lines
- they lost all the battles here
8
Q
what was the fall out of the Flanders campaign
A
- Britain lost one of her key continental allies - the Dutch Netherlands
- the entire Flanders region fell to the French including the key asset of the port of Antwerp
- DUKE OF YORK REFORMS
- embarrassing - French expanded their control
- it becomes issue of recruitment - why would you want to join an army that is failing - not a lot of prestige in the army at this time
- showed lack of coordination, administration and how ill-equipped they were against the French
- Duke of York side-lined and became C-I-C as he was a good administrator
- Britain learnt key lessons but with a huge economic and geographical cost
9
Q
what was the Duke of York reforms
A
- he restricted the purchase of commissions to lieutenant colonel - degree of meritocracy
- created training college for officers at Sandhurst - builds on reduced purchase system - trained officers used by Welly - maybe mistakes would have been made had he not had such a coherent fighting force - takes time to take effect
- increased pay and decreases corporal punishment such as flogging
- introduced the light infantry regiments
- he increased the medical provision - make war more attractive
- opened up a school for orphaned children - increased recruitment as people weren’t as scared about leaving their kids - thought bout the LT consequence of war which people hadn’t done before
10
Q
when was the Flanders Campaign
A
6th November 1792 - 7th June 1795
11
Q
how does British army failure in the Flanders campaign link to the royal Navy’s successes at sea
A
- at the time of Flander’s navy successful - everyone fighting in navy had expertise to be there - leadership desirable - they won at Glorious First of June - 1794
- Flanders failed Britain realised need to reform to make it same standard as navy or would lost strength across the continent
- army was a ‘rich boys playground’ - aristocracy
- other Europeans armies strong as they didn’t have coastline so navy not as important
- divide between running of navy and army highlighted in Helder campaign - navy successful, army not
12
Q
when was the Helder campaign
A
27th August 1799 - 19th November 1799
13
Q
what was the Helder campaign
A
- on land it was a french success - allies lost 20,000 of their 40,000 strong navy
- strategic objectives - to neutralize the Batavian fleet and to promote an uprising against the Batavian government
- achieved first objective but not the second
- showed strength of navy compared with the army
- British navy captured 25 of enemies ships
- wasted opportunity and time for the coaltion
14
Q
battle of Seringapatam
A
- Wellesley against Tipu Sultan Misah Kingdom
- it was an impressive siege
- difficult to breach walls of a fortress and Seringapatam meant to be impenetrable - Wellington breached the wall in 16 minutes
- LT impact - another situation like this in Pen wars - Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo where he can use his knowledge
- 1799
15
Q
battle of Assaye
A
- Wellesley captured all their canons, just 1,500 British casualties, 8000 Maratha soldiers killed or captured
- he said this was his greatest victory
- he was horrendously outnumbered but pulled off impressive victory
- he used volley fire for the first time
- chose the higher ground - topography - high village good view
- Welly had 10,000 men (9000 men, 500 cavalry and 17 canons) opponents had some 70,000 infantry and 40,000 cavalry and over 100 canons
- Welly turns odds in his favour
- he was aggressive at Assaye - caught enemy off guard
- his men less valuable than the Maratha soldiers as well but his men more disciplined
- his army did not break formations
- volley fire
- maratha retreat
