Why Was It Thought Necessary To Change The Army During The Years 1790-1918?

Question 1

What was the regimental system? And what did it give?

Answer 1

an organising principle for a peacetime army, the regimental system was thought to be fit for purpose by many traditional thinkers. It gave every serviceman a home barracks and enabled the army to be administered relatively efficiently. Cavalry regiments would be posted onto active service as a whole, whereas infantry regiments would release individual battalions for duty overseas.

Question 2

What was a problem with the regimental system? (Hint: recruitment)

Answer 2

when it proved difficult to attract new recruits. As the 19th century progressed, the career of soldiering became less and less attractive compared with manual labouring in the factories, which paid much better. Moreover, the possibility of being posted to an unpopular regiment and then spending years in the tropics put men off. In addition, Victorian sensibilities about having the ‘right’ sort of man for the armed forces made the recruitment of convicted criminals, which had proved such a rich source of manpower during the wars against the French, less appealing

Question 3

What was another problem with the regimental system?

Answer 3

it was perceived as being a bastion of privilege. The purchasing of rank had been a traditional practice and became increasingly regarded with suspicion, particularly by the liberals. The idea of meritocracy began to gain favour with liberal politicians and this process was accelerated when continental wars, such as the Crimean wars and the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, revealed that the British army was not the force it had been when it fought Napoleon. The success of the Prussian army with its highly professional officer corps showed the poorer quality of British leadership. The government began to consider that advancement on merit might serve the army better.

Question 4

what was the nickname of the main weapon for the infantry?

Answer 4

it was the Brown Bess musket and it could fire 3 bullets a minute in the hands of an expert and 4 in very extreme circumstances.

Question 5

what development in the 1870s and 1880s led to a further increase in demand for bullets?

Answer 5

the development of machine guns

Question 6

what was the quality of the British army uniforms and footwear

Answer 6

they were poor quality, and this meant that a pair of boots from a dead Frenchman would be a good reward
-uniforms were so poorly made that the dye ran and turned the uniforms unto a shade of grey-brown.
-officers would rather pay for their own uniform than use government issued equipment

Question 7

did the British army live off the land when fighting against the French?

Answer 7

no they did not, British realised the value of keeping the local population on good terms - looting was prohibited and often punished
-local food could be purchased but mostly supplied using the British navy from Britain herself

Question 8

what happened to supply lines as Wellington moved further into the campaign?

Answer 8

the supply lines became stretched due to being physically further from the coast
-often soldiers went hungry

Question 9

what did the Crimean war show the British government?

Answer 9

it showed that little had changed
-observers of the British army in 1854 saw the men in terrible conditions without equipment, good clothing or food
-many of them had started in poor physical condition that had not helped the matter

Question 10

what were the greatest threats to the British solider in the winter of 1854-55?

Answer 10

were the cold, hunger and disease
-cause of this was partly due to the very long line of supply through the Black sea, Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Often the supplies were there, but it was the inefficiency that stopped them from reaching the front line

Question 11

in 1815 what did the British empire include?

Answer 11

Canada, and some islands in the West Indies and parts of India
-also staging posts between Britain and these territories.
-small colonies in Australia and Cape Town was British, although it was seen as simply a convenient port en route to India
-by the end of the 19th century, basically the whole of India was an English possession.
-territories of Australia and New Zealand were fully part of the Empire, though like Canada still had parts of unsettled land

Question 12

what happened as the British Empire grew?

Answer 12

as it grew, the need for armed forces to be sent across the world increased
-supplying armed forces could no longer be done on and ad hoc basis, but needed a professional central administration
-much of the 19th century reforms focused on supply and meeting demands

Question 13

what was the Crimean war?

Answer 13

it was an attempt by the western powers to help the Ottoman Empire and check Russian aggression
-it consisted of a limited campaign in the Balkans and a full-scale invasion of the Crimean peninsula. The big aim was to capture Sevastopol and battles often happened within the first few months of the war, rest was a drawn out siege of the city

Question 14

what war was the furthest distance from Britain that a major British force had fought, since the war of Independence?

Answer 14

the Crimean War

Question 15

what major weakness did the Crimean war reveal about the British army?

Answer 15

fighting a major campaign that involved transport of men, horses, equipment and supplies to a theatre nearly 6,000 miles away by sea had shown the weaknesses of the British armed forces.
-weaknesses down to supplying and transporting, as well as the way it was commanded, rather than the quality of the troops

Question 16

other than being the furthest war the British army fought since the independence wars, what else about the Crimean war was the first?

Answer 16

it was the first war fought by Britain where news of what was happening was digested on a daily basis by the public
-the new telegraph meant that short news reports could be sent to Britain in hours. This is different to before, where news from old campaigns had to be carried by ship and took days

Question 17

as a result of the Crimean war being the first war where news of what was happening was digested on a daily basis by the public, what happened?

Answer 17

for the first time, people started to sympathise with the experiences of the common soldiers rather than just the outcomes of the battles.
-the British gov was alarmed y the reports of the poor conditions of the serving soldiers and also the poor leadership within the army.

Question 18

in 1855 who did the British government send to the Black Sea to report on how the campaign was going? (Crimean war?)

Answer 18

the gov sent John McNeill, a diplomat, and administrator Colonel Alexander Tulloch

Question 19

how was the McNeill-Tulloch report issued?

Answer 19

it was issued in two stages:
1- first in June 1855
2- second in January 1856
-each had a slightly different focus. The first looked at conditions of the common soldier with a focus on diet and food supplies. The second focused on supply of equipment with a small update on medical conditions

Question 20

what were the main findings of the McNeill-Tulloch report?

Answer 20

-majority of casualties from the Crimea were caused by diseas, not combat.
-poor health of the troops could be linked to the lack of fresh food, especially vegetables.
-army was not providing all units with their full daily ration of food
-camp kettles were often mislaid and not replaced which forced soldiers to cook food themselves in their mess tins. This proved tough for soldiers who could not find wood to keep their fire on.
-ordinary soldiers were still attending their duties despite the poor health
-officers provided a good example and caring for those under their care.
-supply was often brought to the supply base at Balaklava. the army was slow to distribute these supplies to the frontline. there was a notable incident involving line juice. the lime juice was imported for preventing scurvy. it was unloaded at Balaklava on 10th December 1854, but was not distributed to the troops until the first week of February 1855
-lack of feed for horses = 40% dead in winter 1854-55
-army short of medicine

Question 21

what was the main recommendation by McNeill and Tulloch after the report?

Answer 21

-it was for an improvement in the organisation of the army and its supply procedures
-said that material was there, either at Balaklava or at Scutari in Turkey. What was not happening quickly enough was the distribution to the troops at the front line.
-pointed out that disease was the main cause of the casualties and could be prevented by given a diet full of fresh meat and vegetables
-they also suggested changing the traditional run ration with a larger quantity of porter, a dark beer that contained iron and was thought ‘to build you up’

Question 22

what were the few changes that resulted from the McNeil-Tulloch report?

Answer 22

-Royal warrant issued in October 1858 that provided for a professional reform of the commissariat with much more of its operations being controlled directly by the army (previously it had largely been a civilian undertaking)
-the significant change is that the army began to take responsibility for services that were vital for it to function. Prior to this was the idea from army leaders was that the army was simply a fighting force and the extra services were to be provided from civilian sources.
-As the army grew, supplying the army became harder.
Minor improvements made to military medicine, also due to the work of Nightingale and William Russell.

Question 23

what scandal was caused when the McNeil-Tulloch report was published?

Answer 23

-Politicians and the public had some idea of the poor conditions in the Crimea due to press reporting’s.
-Report gave this information official status and couldn’t be ignored.
-It contained criticism, both actual and implied, of the army leadership.