French Wars- The condition of the army

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How were men recruited into the army? (2)
Volunteering, recruiting sergeants
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How were men recruited into the French Army?
Conscription including foreign conscription of invaded territory
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of voluntary recruitment?
Increased morale and obedience, smaller numbers
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of conscription?
Decreased morale and obedience, larger numbers
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What was the King's German Legion?
A group of foreign volunteers for the British Army
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What proportion of the army was foreign in 1815?
1/5
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When was the Militia Act?
1802
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What was the purpose of the militia?
Protect the home front in the case of a French invasion
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How long did militia have to serve for?
5 years
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How many militiamen joined the regulars from 1805-15?
Around 75,000
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Why were the militia no longer necessary after 1805?
The war at sea had been won, and Britain controlled the channel
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Why did men join the army?
King & country, food & shelter
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Why were men in the army encouraged not to marry?
Would leave behind destitute families if they died (no welfare state)
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What were the problems with communal barracks?
Lack of privacy, disease
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What did military training include?
Musket drill, marching, cavalry drills, no tactical training/use of initiative
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What did Wellington call the army?
'the scum of the earth, who had enlisted to drink'
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What made flogging a harsh punishment?
Extremely painful, normally public, often led to infection and death
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What proportion of the British Army fought in France?
Less than half- the rest were in colonies, especially India
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Why were officers often inexperienced?
Purchase system
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What was required if one wished to join the artillery or engineers?
2 years of training at the Royal Military Academy
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What was promotion based on in the artillery and engineers?
Seniority (age)
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Why did the artillery and engineers need better training and officering?
Had very important jobs which could affect the whole army if done incorrectly
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Why was the purchase system supported? (3)
Maintained social exclusion of lower classes, prevented abuse of authority as money would not be returned if officers were fired, prevented military coup
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What were the problems in the infantry?
Poor training, poor leadership
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Why was it beneficial for the army to wear bright red uniforms?
So the enemy could be distinguished from British soldiers in close range combat
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What weapons did the infantry have?
Brown Bess smooth bore muskets
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What were the problems with the Brown Bess musket?
Smooth bore (inaccurate), slow rate of fire, short range
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What weapons did skirmishers have?
Baker rifles
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Why didn't the whole of the infantry have Baker rifles?
Expensive
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What were the benefits of Baker rifles?
Increased accuracy, longer range
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What did skirmishers wear and why?
Green and black uniforms for camouflage to carry out raids
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What were the roles of skirmishers? (6)
Attacking enemy patrols, causing disruption behind enemy lines, destroying bridges, killing livestock, small-scale battles, assassinations
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What was the role of heavy cavalry?
Break through enemy lines
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What were heavy cavalrymen equipped with?
Longswords, armour for defence against melee weapons, large, slower horses
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What was another name used for heavy cavalry?
Cuirassiers
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What were the names given to light cavalry?
Dragoons or hussars
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What were light cavalrymen equipped with?
Light armour, sabres, light and fast horses
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What were the roles of light cavalry?
Carry messages, engage in skirmishes, reconnaissance, escort duty, finishing off enemies
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Why could only the rich join the cavalry?
Had to provide own horses and uniforms
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What guns did cavalrymen use and why were they not very useful?
Carbine muskets- only one shot, as it was impossible to reload on horseback. Fired shrapnel-like bullets
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How long were artillery crews trained for?
1 year
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What organisation trained artillery crews?
Board of Ordnance
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What was an artillery battery composed of?
6 field guns and a howitzer
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What were the features of field guns?
Smooth bore (inaccurate), small and light, bouncing shot to maim enemies, explosive or round shot
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What were the features of howitzers?
Timed canister shot to explode overhead and terrorise
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What were the features of Congreve's rockets?
Shrapnel case shot, incendiary shot or explosive shell, inaccurate, 'screaming' whistles to scare the enemy
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What were the benefits of Congreve's rockets?
Fast fire rate, long-range. cheap, could be used for signals, good for setting fire to enemy ships
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When were Congreve's rockets introduced?
1806
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Where did engineers train?
The Royal Military Academy
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What were the roles of the engineers?
Built bridges, roads, battlements, and dug trenches
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When was the waggon train founded?
1802
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What was the role of the waggon train?
Logistics- moving supplies, ammo, and the wounded
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Why was the waggon train abandoned in 1833?
Horses were expensive due to the need for food
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Why was it a bad move to abandon the waggon train?
In the Crimean War, logistics was a severe problem
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Give some examples of auxiliary troops
Drummers, cooks, medics, stretcher-bearers, batsmen
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What were the 4 main tactics in the army?
Lines, columns, squares, skirmishes
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Which strategy was favoured by the British and why?
Lines- could kill lots of enemies with minimal damage to troops- needed due to the small size of the army
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Which strategy was favoured by the French and why?
Columns- had more men than the British and could act as a battering ram
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Which strategy was used against cavalry and why?
Squares- the only way to prevent being outflanked
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What were skirmishes?
Small-scale tactical battles, often to intercept scouts or cause disruption behind enemy lines
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Card 2

Front

How were men recruited into the French Army?

Back

Conscription including foreign conscription of invaded territory

Card 3

Front

What are the advantages and disadvantages of voluntary recruitment?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What are the advantages and disadvantages of conscription?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What was the King's German Legion?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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