Warfare Through Time 1700-1850 Flashcards
How did the size of the army change? 1700-1850
There was now a standing army. Around 50,000 men during peacetime.
- In 1700, it was small compared to countries such as France
- The army grew during wars but returned to its normal size after war
- By 1850, the British army was bigger. Overall trend was slow growth.
What was the composition of the army like in 1700-1850?
Infantry remained the dominant part of the army. It grew slowly from 75% in 1700 to 80% in 1850.
Cavalry were about 20% in the army in 1700 but 15% by 1850. The trend was a slow decline.
Artillery remained about 5% of the army.
Describe the weapons used by the army from 1700-1850?
Infantry mainly used the Brown-Bess musket. Came in 1715 and was used for 130yrs. It was effective up to about 100m, fitted with bayonet.
Cavalry mainly used swords. Some had firearms (dragoons) - they could dismount and fight on foot as well.
Artillery had cannons. Shot cannon balls against infantry or walls but aso shot bags of metal balls for a spray.
Describe the development of field artillery.
The Industrial Revolution enable the iron industry to grow rapidly. This meant that industrialists could experiment with new ways of meaning artillery with iron. Soon a lighter, more powerful and accurate cannon was created. This light field artillery meant that it could be quickly pulled around the battle field by horses and used in a variety of ways.
How did infantry tactics change from 1700-1850?
- Musket fire was improved. Improvements in loading times meant that more muskets could fire at the same time whilst charging then they could meet in hand to hand combat.
- Marching improved. Rhythmic marching was introduced. Infantry could be moved around quickly and precisely.
How did Artillery tactics change from 1700-1850?
Before heavy guns were just positioned on the battlefield and remained static. Now, lighter guns allowed more flexible tactics They could be move constantly to:
- sit in front of infantry to defend lines
- withdraw to safety inside infantry squares
- move to high ground to bombard the enemy
How did cavalry tactics change from 1700-1850?
They were becoming too vulnerable to muskets to be used much in frontal attacks. But they could be moved quickly around the battlefields for scouting and harassing the enemy, and for skirmishing with enemy cavalry.
What factors affected change of warfare from 1700-1850? (3)
> Social attitudes - larger army cost more money. Higher taxes. People believed that a large army would mean that the government could impose their will on people by force.
Political attitudes - People saw how change could threaten the power and the wealth of the upper classes from the French Revolution. This made Britain’s ruling classes nervous about all change
Industrialisation - caused some change but was most effective after 1850.
Was recruitment different in 1700-1850?
Not much change. Higher the rank, higher the price - highest ranks were from the nobility. Made quality of officers poor and unreliable. Other ranks had poor pay and could sign up for life or for 8-12 yrs. Quality of recruits was poor and desertions was common.
Was training different in 1700-1850?
Several attempts were made but without much affect. The main problem was that officers thought that weapons training and tactics were simple things that officers could be left to arrange themselves. So training of officers and troops had improved very little by 1850.
What was the impact of war on civilians in 1700-1850?
It was not serious and didn’t change much
How did civilian deaths affect civilians in 1700-1850?
Not many wars were fought on British soil in this period so the direct impact was minor.
How did recruitment affect civilians in 1700-1850?
The militia act was widely disliked. There were riots when people feared that the militiamen would be forced to serve overseas in the regular army.
How did requisitioning affect civilians in 1700-1850?
The army had no transport of its own so they relied on requisitioning to gain any wagons and animals to pull them.
How did Army accommodation affect civilians?
In 1700, there was no army barracks so they had to find lodgings. As the army grew, this caused a problem. Soldiers disrupted lives in towns and cities. From about 1800, barracks became more numerous so this problem subsided.