Author: Francis GrosePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 548
Book Description
Military Antiquities Respecting a History of the English Army
Author: Francis GrosePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 548
Book Description
Military antiquities respecting a history of the English army, from the Conquest
Author: Francis GroseA Guide to the Sources of British Military History
Author: Robin HIghamPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317390202
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 688
Book Description
Designed to fill an overlooked gap, this book, originally published in 1972, provides a single unified introduction to bibliographical sources of British military history. Moreover it includes guidance in a number of fields in which no similar source is available at all, giving information on how to obtain acess to special collections and private archives, and links military history, especially during peacetime, with the development of science and technology.
The History of England from the Accession of James II
Author: Thomas Babington MacaulayPublisher: Cosimo, Inc.
ISBN: 1605209643
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 572
Book Description
Perhaps the most famous example of the "Whig interpretation of history"-the idea that the human story has been inevitably destined for enlightenment, progress, and scientific truth-this five-volume work instantly revolutionized the British understanding of history when its first volume was published in 1848. Though not without its detractors-Karl Marx called author BARON THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY (1800-1859), an English politician and historian, "a systematic falsifier of history"-it nevertheless became a standard text, and one that is today required reading for anyone who wishes to explore changing values and ideals in historical scholarship. Volume I introduces the reader to Britain before James II, from life under the Romans and Saxons and the conversion to Christianity to the Monmouth Rebellion of Scotland in 1685 and James II's taking of the throne.
Catalogus Bibliothecae Harleianae
Author: Edward Harley Earl of OxfordPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Classical literature
Languages : en
Pages : 606
Book Description
The British Soldier in America
Author: Sylvia R. FreyPublisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292749287
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
This social history of the common British soldier in the American Revolution dispels myths and sheds new light on who fought for the Crown—and why. In this extensive study, Sylvia Frey surveys recruiting records, contemporary training manuals, statutes, and memoirs to provide insight into the soldier’s “life and mind.” In the process she reveals a great deal about the common soldier: his social origins and occupational background, his size, age, and general physical condition, his personal economics and daily existence. Her findings dispel the traditional assumption that the army was made up largely of criminals and social misfits. Special attention is given to soldiering as an occupation, and the moral and material factors which induced men to accept the high risks. Focusing on two of the major campaigns of the war—the Northern Campaign which culminated at Saratoga and the Southern Campaign which ended at Yorktown—Frey describes the human face of war, with particular emphasis on the physical and psychic strains of campaigning in the eighteenth century. Frey rejects the traditional assumption that soldiers were motivated to fight exclusively by fear and force and argues instead that the primary motivation to battle was generated by regimental esprit, which in the eighteenth century substituted for patriotism. After analyzing the sources of esprit, she concludes that it was the sustaining force for morale in a long and discouraging war.
The Instruments of Battle
Author: James TannerPublisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612003702
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 484
Book Description
“The hitherto forgotten story of the development of the regimental band, mainly drummers and buglers. A rare piece of social history” (Books Monthly). The Instruments of Battle examines in detail the development and role of the British Army’s fighting drummers and buglers, from the time of the foundation of the army up to the present day. While their principal weapon of war was the drum and bugle—and the fife—these men and boys were not musicians as such, but fighting soldiers who took their place in the front line. The origins of the drum and bugle in the classical period and the later influence of Islamic armies are examined, leading to the arrival of the drum and fife in early Tudor England. The story proper picks up post-English Civil War. The drum’s period of supremacy through much of the eighteenth-century army is surveyed, and certain myths as to its use are dispelled. The bugle rapidly superseded the drum for field use in the nineteenth century—until developments on the battlefield consigned these instruments largely to barrack life and the parade ground. But there are surprising examples of the use of the bugle in the field through both world wars as the story is brought up to modern day and the instruments’ relegation to an almost exclusively ceremonial role. This is all set against a background of campaigns, battles, changing tactical methods, and the difficult processes of command and control on the battlefield. Interwoven is relevant comparison with other armies, particularly American and French. Stories of the drummers and buglers themselves provide social context to their place in the army.
The Maligned Militia
Author: Christopher L. ScottPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317024605
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 357
Book Description
Despite its failure to unseat King James II, the Monmouth Rebellion had a profound influence upon English politics. In particular, it reignited the debate about whether the country should rely on a professional army under direct royal control or local country militias made up of part-time soldiers. King James favoured the former, and used criticism of the militia’s performance during the rebellion to support his argument. Contemporary commentators and historians alike all certainly seemed to agree that the king’s victory was won in spite of - not because of - the militia. But is this a fair judgement? Drawing upon a wealth of information gathered from personal accounts, private papers, letters, financial records, diaries and memoirs, this book revisits the events of 1685 to assess the militia’s performance in helping to defeat the so-called ’pitchfork rebellion’. Through an extensive investigation into the militia itself, its social composition, role, training, armament and leadership the study sets a benchmark for what could have been realistically expected of these part-time soldiers, and then sets this against the actual tasks that were asked of it in 1685. The results that emerge from this exercise paint a very different picture of the militia’s role in the rebellion than has hitherto been accepted by historians. Judged by these criteria, a convincing case is made that the militia was in fact an efficient military organisation according to contemporary expectations and demands made of it. Criticisms of it, it is argued, stem more from political expediency than impartial judgment. As well as being of interest to military and social historians, this book demonstrates the dangers to all historians of taking at face value contemporary comments. It shows how subtle and interlocking forces, that may at first glance appear unrelated, can work together to colour opinions of events and organisations.
The Nine Years' War and the British Army, 1688-1697
Author: John Charles Roger ChildsPublisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719034619
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
This is a description of how the Nine Years War affected the British Army, both in its actual operations in the theatre of war and in its size, operative capacity and costs. This war brought about radical changes in the sizes and the associated costs of the armies of Britain, France, Austria and the United Provinces in a relatively short period. For example, the size of field armies grew from an average of about 25,000 men during the Thirty Years' War to an average of about 100,000 men in 1695 during the Nine Years War. The costs of sustaining such huge field forces in terms of food, equipment and pay brought Britain and France, in particular, fiscal crisis and a shattered economy respectively, after the peace.
A Chronology and Calendar of Documents Relating to the London Book Trade 1641-1700
Author: Donald Francis McKenziePublisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198181767
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 488
Book Description
The Chronology and Calendar of Documents relating to the London Book Trade 1641-1700 provides, for the first time, easy access to information about the authors, printers, and distributors of books in the later seventeenth century. Chronological entries allow an insight into the day-to-day workings of the book trade. Substantial indexes allow quick reference to information on specific book titles, named authors, and book trade personnel, and specific topics such as booksellers' bills, coffee-houses, and imported books.