Warfare through time 1700-1900

Question 1

Standing army change from 1700-1850

Answer 1

1700: 30,000
1838 88,000

Question 2

Standing army change 1850-1900

Answer 2

Rapid growth, went from 115,000 in 1869 to 250,000 by 1899.

Question 3

Infantry 1700-1850

Answer 3

Brown bess musket was used from 1715-1845. Infantry made up 75% of the army by 1700 and 80% by 1850.

Question 4

Infantry tactics

Answer 4

Rhythmic marching was introduced in 1760.
Square formations were introduced to deter cavalry charges.
Infantry firing lines became thinner.

Question 5

Infantry 1850-1900

Answer 5

Rifiling was intoduced and created the rifle. First used in 1845 opposed to the smoothbore musket.

Question 6

Cavalry 1700-1850

Answer 6

Shrank from 20% to 15%. They mainly used swords. Dragoons were also used which were troops that rode on cavlry but then dismounted.

Question 7

Cavalry 1850-1900

Answer 7

Became vulnerable to the rifles and the machine guns. They were still used as shock troops and scouts.

Question 8

Artillery 1700-1850

Answer 8

Remained 5% of the army throughout. Cannons could fire cannon balls, grapeshot and cannister shot (explosive.)

Question 9

John Iron Mad Wilkinson

Answer 9

Produced more precisely engienered cannons, lighter cannons and more accurate cannons. Driven by Industrial revolution.

Question 10

1720-1900

Answer 10

25tonnes of Iron made in 1720.
2million tonnes of Iron made by 1900.

Question 11

Artillery 1850-1900

Answer 11

Breech loading was created. Cannons were now made out of steel. They could fire 10RPM.

Question 12

Britain communications 1815.

Answer 12

Poor communication. Used carrier pigeons. First news of Waterloo came from a carrier pigeon.

Question 13

Britain transport

Answer 13

Could travel 15X faster than Russian marching by using train. Used steam ships which were twice the speed of sail ships. The British could travel 20miles an hour. The Russians could travel 15miles a day.

Question 14

Railworks at Baclava.

Answer 14

240tonnes/day. First purpose-built military railroad. Travels 35miles from Balaclava to Sevastopal.

Question 15

Communications

Answer 15

Telegraph reports by 1830. However battlefeild communication was the same.

Question 16

Enfeild rifle

Answer 16

Effective up to 500m. Percussion caps were used. They were far more reliable in wet weather.

Question 17

Lee Metford Rifle

Answer 17

First issued in the British army by 1888. They were magazine loaded and have a range of 1.5Km.

Question 18

Ammunition by 1830

Answer 18

The bullet and the gunpowder came in one cartridge and was loaded together.

Question 19

Breech loading.

Answer 19

4X faster than muzzle loading, and made rifled barrels far more practicle.

Question 20

Rifiling

Answer 20

Minie rifle by 1847. Had a range of 300m at first.

Question 21

Cannon developments 1700-1900.

Answer 21

By 1890 they had a recoiling action and used smokeless powder. By 1900 they had percussion shells. Have rifiling. Made from steel making them more durable and less likely to crack or explode.

Question 22

Alfred Nobel

Answer 22

Created nitro-glycerine by 1867. This was smokeless powder for weapons. This meant that the positions of infantry and artillery were not given away and their sight was not obscured.

Question 23

Henry Bessemer

Answer 23

By 1855 he had found a way to mass produce steel making it go from £60 to produce a ton to just £7. Allowed weapons to be proced cheaper.

Question 24

Hiram Maxim.

Answer 24

In 1884 used a recoiling system to create a machine gun which rapidly fired bullets. 500rm. Was adopted by the British Army in 1889 and 5 other armies by 1890.

Question 25

George Armstrong

Answer 25

Created the armstrong gun in 1861. Pioneered breech loading. Was a rifled cannon. Could fire a 70kg shell 10km.

Question 26

Battle of Balaclava reporting

Answer 26

The telegram of what happened came in hours. The Charge of the Light Brigade event was published 20 days later.

Question 27

Strength of Impacts of war reporting (Crimean War.)

Answer 27

It was repoted that only 8% of casulties came from the war. This pressured the government into adressing this. First war correspondents. William russel witnessed the thin red line. Roger Fenton took photos which were published in papers.

Question 28

Strength of Impacts of war reporting (Boer War)

Answer 28

In 1854 the times had a circulation, however by 1900 the Daily Mail had a ciculation of 500,000 copies per day." 300 newspaper correspondents sent in total, 20 from the times. The times raised £5000 in a week for the sick and wounded. Music halls showed silent films of the Boer war for illeterate, however this was an excuse for propaganda.

Question 29

Limitation of impact of war reporting. (Crimean War)

Answer 29

30% of men and 40% of women were illeterate. Pictures were posed and just taken of camps and not the actual battle. Russels account was slow to get to Britain as it travelled by boat.

Question 30

Winston Churchill

Answer 30

Was a war reporter with the Morning Post. He was captured and escaped from a Boer prisoner of war camp!

Question 31

Crimps

Answer 31

Men who went round to bars and signed men up to the army (usually under the influence) with a bounty. Crimps are said to have even kidnapped some people."

Question 32

1794

Answer 32

At the height of war with France there were British riots against crimps.

Question 33

Prisoners and Debters

Answer 33

They could get out of trouble by joining the army. 7,000 men joined the army with this in the American Revolutionary war.

Question 34

1757 Militia act.

Answer 34

All men aged 18-50 were put into a ballot for 5 years of service. They were not required to go abroad.

Question 35

1805-1815

Answer 35

100,000 men joined the army with offer of a bounty.

Question 36

The Purchase System.

Answer 36

People could buy officer ranks. It cost £4,500 in 1837 to be an Lietuenant colonel. Thats 418k today!

Question 37

Sandhurst

Answer 37

Royal Military College Sandhurst created in 1800 to train existing officers. Junior cadets branch was those training to be officers was added in 1802.

Question 38

Cardwell reforms conditions.

Answer 38

Branding was abolished and so was flogging.

Question 39

Cardwell reformd \terms of service.

Answer 39

In 1870 lower ranks could enlist for 12 years (6 as reserves). Reserves were paid 4D a day (75p) today.

Question 40

Cardwell reforms Army structure.

Answer 40

2 batallions. 1 abroad and one at home. Limited the time people had to serve abroad.

Question 41

Requisitioning-

Answer 41

The army had no transport and so relied upon requisitioning wagons and animals to pull them from civilians.

Question 42

Army accomodation

Answer 42

No barracks in 1700 but by 1800 there were 17 barracks and there were 168 by 1812.

Question 43

Tax during peacetime

Answer 43

Army rose from £1million to run to £8 million to run 1700-1836. However due to the population growth tax stayed similar.

Question 44

Tax during wartime

Answer 44

During the Napoleonic Wars the cost of the army rose to £25 million and totalled £550 million between 1805-1815. Income tax was introduced in the Napoleonic Wars, and reintroduced in the Crimean War. (10% in 1799 for those earning over £200)

Question 45

Army composition at waterloo. (Coalition.)

Answer 45

67,000 men. Allied Coalition had 50,000 infantry, 11,000 cavalry and 6,000 artilley men with 156 guns.

Question 46

Army composition at waterloo (French army.)

Answer 46

69,000 men. 48,000 infantry, 14,000 cavalry and 7,000 artillery with 246 guns.

Question 47

Battle of Waterloo positions.

Answer 47

Wellington was waiting for the Prussian army to arrive. He positioned the army behind a ridge line. He sent troops to Hugomont and La Haye Sainte for defensive cover.

Question 48

How waterloo unfolded

Answer 48

Wellington sent tropps to the Farm houses to protect his flanks. At 11:30 Napoleon sent a large French force to try and take Hugomont. Wellington sends reinforcements and the French fail. The French then fired an artillery barrage on the British, however as it was wet the cannon balls did not bounce. Wellington also made all the soldiers hide behind the ridge line for protection. 18,000 French troops then advanced but Wellington got artillery to fire at them and sent line men and cavalry to charge him. British lost half their cavalry so the French deployed their cavalry as a counter attack. The British made 13 square formations to deter the cavalry charge and held these until 6pm. French flanked and took La Haye Sainte. Wellington the rode up and down boosting morale. "I and every englishman on this feild must stand and die on this spot which we now occupy." The Prussian army arived so Napoleon ordered his Imperial Guard foward as a last effort. However the Coalition gunned them down.

Question 49

The thin red line.

Answer 49

700British and Turkish infantry (a line 2 men thick.) discharged 3 volleys but not at point blank as the cavalry had retreated. 2,300 cavalry. Power of rifles.

Question 50

Battle of Balaclava

Answer 50

300 British heavy cavalry made 2,000 russian Cavalry retreat. British light cavalry charged to a Russian battery. Those who made it there were faced by Russian cavalry. 113/600 died and over half were injured. Obscured views of the battlefeild meant the light brigade could not properly see the guns they were going to attack. Unclear communications also lead to this.