Change and continuity in the army

• Composition

  1700-1850 - permanent standing army of around 50000 men, increased wartime - cavalry 20% army, decline - artillery 5%

  1850-1900 - army size increased due to empire 1899 - 250000 - government involvement in organisation and finance increased
• Specialisation

  1700 - forced into service, bright uniforms, bayonets and muskets, support came from immobile cannons

  1900 - leadership improved, better organised army, some specialist regiments, brown or grey uniform, transported into battle (Industrial Revolution - trains and ships), new weapons lead to specialised roles (rifles and machine guns), long distance artillery and light field artillery
• Roles on the battlefield

  Cavalry used for harassing the enemy, although new weapons left them vulnerable

  infantry - decisive factor in battle, used muskets (brown Bess 1715- 1850)
• Tactics on the battlefield

  Cavalry kept for harassing - officers kept them for due to social attitudes

  infantry - fought in lines columns and squares, loading times improved - less lines required - faced overwhelming firepower
• Training 


  Attempts made to improve - ignored due to generals arrogance, thinking they knew best