Victorian Military: Rising Through the Ranks
The British military was involved in some form of combat consecutively from 1837 to 1901. Consequently, military was a vital part of the life of a soldier or a young man looking to join the military profession. In order to join as an officer, a man had to purchase his position. However, those who entered as common soldiers could join for free. These men, however, were seen as the “lowest of the low.” If a man hoped to maintain his status in the military as well as society, he must first purchase his commission. Usually positions like colonel or captain were the first to be purchased. There were two forms of colonels, each carrying their own status. The first, known today as colonel proper was a “substantive rank from which seniority would eventually, provided they lived long enough, elevate them to join the generals” (Holves xix). The second form were colonels of regiments. They were field officers, known for advising their younger officers and having an interest in making profits from their position. This type of colonel usually made about six hundred to nine hundred pounds a year but made about four hundred more from government granted money for their regiments. Money given to regiment colonels was often used to buy cheap uniforms; the rest was pocketed by the leading officer. The colonel’s regiment bore his name and often carried a badge from his armorial bearings. Colonels could be promoted to lieutenant colonels, who were also field officers. In war-time, promotions based on merit were far more common that purchase appointments, which surprises many (Holves 108). After purchasing a commission as lieutenant-colonel, an officer must be promoted and could not purchase any higher positions.
Generals were appointed by the monarch. They were chosen according to seniority, so rarely did generals receive their position based on talent. Most generals did not receive any more pay that a colonel and may have even been on half-pay as a retired officer. A general kept his position until death. He had a strong voice in appointments for positions in his regiments, especially his secretary and aides de camp. Dragoons were soldiers with much less respect. They maintained the name “dragoon,” which had belonged to members of the cavalry, was given to dragoons so that they may maintain some form of respect.
William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel Vanity Fair involves the Battle of Waterloo.
Brown, Jerold E. Historical Dictionary Of The U.S. Army. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2001. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Crashing cannon balls, firing muskets, Calvary charging with blades of cold steel. These are the images that are presented to people when contemplating, which many people in our society do very often, the Napoleonic wars. The reality is quite the contrary, to some extent this image is true. The reality is the Napoleonic wars were ones of attrition. The goal of army’s were to have enough troops to sustain the ability to fight in the next battle. The British government had this attrition as one of the principal complications with their army and Navy do to their constant involvement in war no matter where public opinion stood.
This paper will not bore with the definition of a profession. The United States Army is about more than words, it is about action. The action of over 238 years of tradition and service. The Army is a profession. A profession requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. A member of a profession must wholly commit himself and his skills to a calling which is entrusted by the public. A profession provides its members with intrinsic value which motivates beyond financial gain. The Army is a higher calling which demands all of these qualities and more.
Pat Barker's novel Regeneration explores the effects that World War I has on the human condition and more specifically on the condition of the British people. One particular area of exploration is the detrimental presence of class distinctions within the ranks of the British military. This issue of class distinction is addressed specifically on pages 66 and 67 of the novel through a conversation between Billy Prior and Dr. Rivers. The characters' discussion reinforces Barker's theme of the injustices of these class distinctions and the harm they produce on the war front.
The Attitudes of British Soldiers to their Commanders During the First World War On their own they are not very useful to a historian studying the attitudes of soldiers to their commanders in World War I. However, if used together and with some of my own knowledge, they could be useful in creating a picture of what the attitudes of soldiers towards their commanders were like. Time would have been a major influencing factor on the attitudes of the soldiers to their commanders. As the war went on and the soldiers began to realise that they weren’t getting anywhere they would begin to doubt their commanders. This coupled with the volume of casualties would have made them increasingly distrusting of their leaders.
During World War One, the British had trouble recruiting soldiers and needed new ways to increase the number of enrolled men. At the start of World War One, the British Army only had approximately 450,000 men ready for battle and the demand for soldiers was now greatly increased due to the outbreak of war throughout Europe in 1914. The Theory of Pal’s Battalions was introduced to help provide incentive for large numbers of men to enroll. The basis of Pals Battalions were that more men would sign up if they were promised that they could fight next to their neighbors, friends, and or coworkers. The idea was created by General Sir Henry Rawlinson who started with a group of stockbrokers from London and created a battalion of 1600 men who were the so-called “Stockbroker’s Battalion”. From here the theory spread like a wildfire, and sometimes whole town would enlist.
Colonel Mathew Moten once said, “Professions are not professions simply because they say they are. Their clients, society as a whole, have to accept their claims and trust the professions with jurisdiction over important areas of human endeavor”.
The Human Resources Sergeant (HR Sergeant) in the profession has the responsibility to balance the role of the profession’s Human Resources Leaders and the Army professional culture. The HR Sergeant in the Professional Arms has the role of supporting the Army culture. The HR Sergeant also ensures that a balance in the leadership role is attained. All these are for the purpose of achieving one common goal of the military in defending the U.S Society.
Introduction “Leaders have always been generalists”. Tomorrow’s leaders will, very likely, have begun life as specialists, but to mature as leaders they must sooner or later climb out of the trenches of specialization and rise above the boundaries that separate the various segments of society.” (Gardner, 1990, pg. 159). The. In a recent verbal bout with my History of the Military Art professor, I contended that the true might of a nation may be inversely proportional to the size of its military during peacetime.
Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
The same idea of an unwavering hierarchy that extends beyond title and into the deep roots of merit are inherent in both concepts. Even dealing with other branches of service, there are certain expectations to be upheld when dealing with an officer, a senior enlisted, and even with your peers. Officers are saluted by enlisted members, just as junior enlisted members stand at parade rest when addressing Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO). This level of respect would continue on into a civilian environment, although no saluting would be present in civilian attire. For example, a lower enlisted member could be at a restaurant or a bar over the weekend and happen to see his Company Commander. Even out of the work environment and military setting, the should still subtly take each other’s rank into account with everything said, such as a “Sir” every now and then from the enlisted member as well as avoiding certain comments that could get a soldier in trouble when dealing with his Chain of Command. This same level of military bearing will also carry on into encounters with civilians as military members and prior service member can almost always be spotted in a crowd with relative ease. Bearing can be taught at a basic level, but one must have the initiative to follow the guidance set before them and behave a certain
The military since the Colonial Era has been an impetus for social reform in the United States. The Revolutionary War afforded Black Americans an opportunity to escape from the toils of slavery and fight for freedom. Some Black Americans even earned their freedom by fighting for the Colonists, but still the freedom they fought for wasn’t their own. However, the military was responsible for the freedom of many slaves and some of these freed slaves became legendary soldiers like Salem Poor. His performance in battle gave credibility for future arguments about blacks being allowed to serve.
In June 2013 Army Doctrine Reference Publication 1 (ADRP1) “The Army Profession” was released and the website http://cape.army.mil was created. In (ADRP1), it states there are five essential characteristics of the Army Profession, trust, military expertise, honorable service, Esprit de Corps, and stewardship (ADRP1, 2013). Those characteristics is what I think separates a Soldier from a civilian. No one should think that their job or occupation is harder or more important than someone else’s. It takes all kinds of professions to make this country work but the Army could not be as successful as it is today without our professionals teaching, coaching, mentoring and preserving these five characteristics.
Many believe that the Army is a profession of arms because Soldiers train on a daily basis. In one opinion, the United States Army is a profession of arms because as far back as the late fights in 1700s battles by citizen Soldiers using their skills and training that they learn and use to defend their land. As time went on and battles were continuously prevalent, those in congress realized that more actions and training needed to be taken to better protect the land. It was around this time that Congress authorized the creation of the Continental Army in 1775. Essentially, as far back as 1775 some can see that the military profession was a profession of arms. It is a vocation comprised of experts certified in the ethical application of land combat power, serving under civilian authority, entrusted to defend the Constitution and the rights and interests of the American people.
level of Precedence and standards in the formation. The roles of the non-commissioned officer is