Book contents
- The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars
- The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars
- The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Key to maps
- Tables
- Contributors to Volume II
- Introduction to Volume II
- Part I The Nature of Warfare in the Napoleonic Era
- Part II The State of the Armed Forces
- Part III Raising and Supplying the Armies
- 12 Logistics and Supply
- 13 Arms and Weaponry
- 14 Funding War (1): Napoleonic France
- 15 Funding War (2): Britain
- 16 Funding War (3): The Habsburg Empire
- Part IV Napoleon’s Military Campaigns in Europe
- Part V Other Spheres of War
- Bibliographical Essays
- Index
13 - Arms and Weaponry
from Part III - Raising and Supplying the Armies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 December 2022
- The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars
- The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars
- The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Key to maps
- Tables
- Contributors to Volume II
- Introduction to Volume II
- Part I The Nature of Warfare in the Napoleonic Era
- Part II The State of the Armed Forces
- Part III Raising and Supplying the Armies
- 12 Logistics and Supply
- 13 Arms and Weaponry
- 14 Funding War (1): Napoleonic France
- 15 Funding War (2): Britain
- 16 Funding War (3): The Habsburg Empire
- Part IV Napoleon’s Military Campaigns in Europe
- Part V Other Spheres of War
- Bibliographical Essays
- Index
Summary
This chapter investigates the weaponry available to both armies and navies of the Napoleonic wars and their improvement during the period. This was very much a period of improvement rather than an era seeing the introduction of radical new technologies in the fields of weaponry and tactics. However, by the greater use of industrial processes, it became possible to greatly increase the number of arms available and thus the size of the combatting forces it was possible to put into the field. The greatest improvements however were undoubtedly in the field of artillery, which were made more powerful with the improved quality of gunpowder, while the weight of artillery pieces was reduced significantly, allowing them to be far more manoeuvrable on the battlefield. This allowed them to begin the process of achieving the domination of the battlefield that was so obvious in the First World War.
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- The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars , pp. 255 - 272Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023