The British Army before 1815

Question 1

How large was the British Army by 1793?

Answer 1

40,000 men

Question 2

Why did the army struggle with recruitment?

Answer 2

• no conscription (not to infringe on individual freedoms)
• no impressment (unlike the Royal Navy)
  = relied on volunteers, yet army life wasn’t particularly attractive

Question 3

How did the army try to increase recruitment?

Answer 3

• ‘bounty’ = £40 signing fee motivated recruits (usually spent on drinks or kit)
• ‘taking the King’s shilling’ = recruitment parties would often get a man drunk and slip him a shilling, then claim that he enlisted

Question 4

How many yearly casualties were there in the army between 1793 and 1815?

Answer 4

16,000 - 24,000 yearly casualties

Question 5

What had the Duke of Wellington famously said about the men who enlisted in the army?

Answer 5

it was “composed of the scum of the Earth…fellows who have enlisted for a drink”

Question 6

What was army life like for a wife?

Answer 6

lived in a communal barrack with only a blanket hung up for privacy
–> only a few were allowed to accompany their husbands overseas

Question 7

What was the ‘militia’?

Answer 7

home army / restricted to home defence operations
–> recruits were selected by ballot and had to serve for 5 years unless they paid for a substitute

Question 8

What was the ‘KGL’?

Answer 8

the King’s German Legion
–> after 1714 the King ruled Hanover
–> other European soldiers joined too

Question 9

Army divisions (biggest to smallest)

Answer 9

Division –> Brigade –> Battalion/Regiment –> Company –> Platoon

Question 10

Other reasons for enlisting in the army? (4)

Answer 10

• patriotism
• prospect of adventure
• travel abroad
• appeal of heroism

Question 11

What was the background of most officers like?

Answer 11

• few received formal training
• most from the landed gentry
• commissions could be bought (rich fathers often bought their son’s ensign)
• by 1815, most officers were of the professional classes, no longer from the officer class
• ordinary soldiers could be promoted to officer…
  (a) if they enlisted 40 militiamen
  (b) as a result of bravery in action

Question 12

How was the purchase system not that fair?

Answer 12

• vacancies first offered by seniority, only if no one within the regiment accepted then it was sold
• promotions in the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers couldn’t be purchased
• the Duke of York initiated reforms where officers had to serve 2 years before they could purchase a captaincy, 6 before purchasing a major

Question 13

Why was there usually a shortage of soldiers available for offensive action?

Answer 13

As there was no police force yet, soldiers were sent to maintain law and order

Question 14

What was discipline like in the army?

Answer 14

• constant drill practice to make actions reflexes
• flogging used for most crimes (25-1200 strokes)
  –> performed in front of the entire Regiment
  –> tied to an iron frame and whipped using the cat-o’-nine-tails
  –> Sir John Moore didn’t believe in flogging; treated his soldiers with respect and kindness

Question 15

Artillery division (4)

Answer 15

• divided into horse/foot
• each gun pulled by 8 horses
• administered by the Board of Ordnance
• given thorough training

Question 16

Why could the artillery division only expand at a limited rate?

Answer 16

there was a lack of trained gunners to be employed (thorough, long training given)
- economic resources to produce artillery not a limiting factor

Question 17

Cavalry division (2)

Answer 17

• divided into heavy/light
• all carried a sword or sabre and a carbine

Question 18

Infantry division

Answer 18

• regiments had territorial designations
• while one battalion in a regiment was abroad, the other was at home
• used the Brown Bess/flintlock musket

Question 19

How many guns did British batteries usually have?

Answer 19

6
- 1 howitzer (lob projectiles)
- 5 cannons (flat trajectories, most 4/6 pounders)

Question 20

What projectiles were used?

Answer 20

• most common = round shot
• canister; small cast iron balls in a metal canister that disintegrated

Question 21

What about other advances in weaponry?

Answer 21

• the new shrapnel shell was invented by Major Henry Shrapnel
• Congreave’s rockets were rarely used due to low accuracy

Question 22

What was the ‘Royal Wagon Train’?

Answer 22

the supply and transport branch of the British Armed Forces –> responsible for the movement of supplies
–> neglected by the government

Question 23

How did Wellington deal with the government’s neglect of The Royal Waggon Train?

Answer 23

hired local mules and wagons in Spain and Portugal

Question 24

What was the difference between the light and heavy cavalry?

Answer 24

heavy = large men on large horses, straight swords, used for shock action
light = troops on smaller mounts, sabre, intended for missions (reconnaissance, escort, pursuit)

Question 25

What was a ‘carbine’?

Answer 25

a long gun; short-range, not very accurate

Question 26

What helped shape the manoeuvres of the infantry?

Answer 26

David Dundas’ 1788 book ‘Principles of Military Movements’

Question 27

What were the shortcomings of the flintlock musket/’Brown Bess’?

Answer 27

• discharged with a loud bang, clouds of smoke and a vicious recoil
• could only fire up to 3 shots per minute
• only accurate to 100 yards
  –> therefore, the best tactic was for troops to fire simultaneously in a volley, sending hails of bullets to the enemy

Question 28

What did ‘bandsmen’ do?

Answer 28

stood behind two rank lines of the infantry in a defensive battle and acted as stretch-bearers

Question 29

What were the shortcomings of the French column formation?

Answer 29

• only the first two ranks could fire effectively
• rarely broke through a British line

Question 30

What were the shortcomings of the British square formation?

Answer 30

it was vulnerable to enemy artillery and infantry attack

Question 31

What was the 95th regiment? (5)

Answer 31

• designed to counter the large number of French light infantry / trailleurs
• troops trained in sharpshooting and using cover
• usually scouted, held positions ahead of the army, fought in the rear in a retreat
• wore dark green uniforms
• used the Baker rifle (accurate up to 200 yards, difficult to load)

Question 32

How did the British treat their POWs compared to other European powers?

Answer 32

relatively humanely
–> system of exchange ensured they were freed quickly

Question 33

What was Wellesley/Wellington’s character?

Answer 33

• known for his attention to detail
  –> picked battle locations that gave him an advantage
• strict disciplinarian
  –> keen eye for slackness among soldiers and officers
  –> ensured his men were always fed and equipped
• Believed the army should be supplied with British things, not live off the local land
  –> used the navy to transport supplies from Britain
  –> could alienate local populations
• aloof

Question 34

Wellesley promotions

Answer 34

• 1806, conservative MP for Rye
• 1807, Chief secretary for Ireland
• 1809, given command of British forces in Portugal by Castlereigh
• 1809, became Viscount
• 1814, became Duke of Wellington
• 1828-1830, served as PM
• 1851 died