Industrial Warfare c.1700 to c.1900 Flashcards
How did the main weapon for infantrymen change?
Went from flintlock musket to Brown Bess musket, both smoothbore, to Lee Enfield Rifle, rifled barrel
What were features of the Brown Bess musket?
-Used from 1700s to 1840s. Flintlock firing mechanism. 2-3 shots/minute, muzzle loaded, quite inaccurate, 50m range, lead musket balls, smoothbore. Produced black smoke on firing.
-Late 1700s- bayonets attached to muzzle.
What were features of the Lee Enfield rifle?
-Rifled barrel, much more accurate. 500m accuracy now, 3-4 shots/minute, faster reload, fired brass cartridges, breech loaded. Mass produced in 1850s
What was breech loading and its effects?
-Faster, more efficient way to reload guns. Loaded in middle of muzzle rather than the end. Decreased reload time.
What were brass cartridges?
-Brass cartridges contained gunpowder and a bullet contained within one cartridge. More efficient as gunpowder and ball didn’t have to be loaded separately.
How did artillery change?
-Went from smoothbore and inaccurate to rifled, because of Bessemer process, and accurate, 10km accuracy.
-Problematic in wet weather as cannon balls not bounce on soft ground and rain put out fuse.
What was the Bessemer Process?
-New method of steel casting which allowed for artillery to become rifled so they were more accurate.
How did the size of armies change?
-Increased over time, 70,000 to 108,000.
How did infantry change?
-Went from 75% to 15%. First used muskets, deployed in DC and SS to using rifles and forming lines to fire volleys.
How did cavalry change?
-Went from 15% to 85%. Used for cavalry charges throughout, tactics changed to rely on charges. Used pistols, mainly swords as poor were inaccurate and short ranged.
How did artillery change?
-Went from 10% to 1%. Placed behind infantrymen and fired over them.
What did infantrymen wear?
-Wore red coats so allied infantrymen could be seen through the black smoke given off when firing BB Musket.
What was the situation of the army?
-By 1700, England had paid standing army.
-In 1707, England and Scotland joined, British Army formed.
What were the main methods of recruitment in early IP?
-Recruiting parties, ‘Get out of Jail free’ offers, militias, crimping
What were recruiting parties?
-Group of soldiers sent to local pubs to attract recruits.
-Drunk people more likely to recruit, recruited poor quality men (alcoholics).
What was a ‘Get out of jail free’ offer?
-Offered military service instead of prison time for people in debt. Good incentive as they didn’t want prison time, but recruited criminals and desperate people.
What were militias?
-Local defence force recruited by ballot of lists of 18-45 yr old men. Increased size of defence but not overseas armies.
-1809- Amendment of Militia Acts- men in militia could be transferred to army. More valuable soldiers as were already trained.
What was crimping?
-Crimps kidnapped drunk men and forced to swear oath of loyalty. Collected bounty for bringing them, could increase numbers.
What were problems with recruitment at the start of the IP?
-Nepotism and the Purchase system, a system whereby officers bought their position.
-Leaders recruited from aristocratic families. Leaders favoured family members. Leaders not skilled as received roles because of class not experience.
What were Cardwell’s Reforms?
-Series of reforms in early 1870s by War Minister aiming to encourage better professionalism, reforming recruitment and promotion procedures.
-Abolished purchase system, increase gov. control over army, reduced enlistment period, ended bounty money, abolished flogging during peacetime.
What was the Royal Commission?
-Group set up by gov. to investigate mismanagement and recruitment problems in Crimean War. Found failure to give troops essential supplies in winter 1854, failure to recruit enough troops for fight.
How did providing assistance to the military affect civilians at the start of the IP?
-Requisitioning and billeting still used, directly impacting civilians.
How did requisitioning affect civilians at the start of the IP?
-Civilians expected to supply the army with resources but much less so than EMP.
How did billeting affect civilians at the start of the IP?
-Billeting in towns and inns continued however troops increasingly stayed in purpose-built barracks.
-Civilians complained about drunk soldiers recruited and fighting.
