The Late Victorian Army 1868–1914

Abstract

Abstract During the late Victorian and Edwardian years, the army had to meet steadily expanding commitments at home and in the defence of the Empire within the constraints of voluntary enlistment and tight budgetary limits. It had to adapt to the demands of small colonial warfare, the challenges of new weaponry, and the organizational requirements of dispatching expeditionary forces overseas at short notice. In garrisoning and expanding the Empire, and in ultimately preparing for service on the Continent, the army depended upon personal qualities of courage and resolution, a highly disciplined organization, and an innovative leadership, both military and civilian. During his period as Secretary of State for War (1868–74), Edward Cardwell undertook the comprehensive reform of the administration and organization of the late Victorian army. He established a statutory division of duties within the War Office, allocating military, supply, and financial matters to the Commander-in-Chief, the Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, and the Financial Secretary respectively. He also affirmed his authority over the Duke of Cambridge (Commander-in-Chief, 1856–95), by removing the latter from the Horse Guards to the War Office in Pall Mall. By these measures Cardwell largely consolidated and developed the departmental reconstruction begun by Sidney Herbert after the Crimean War. In seeking to make the army more economical and more efficient, he began by sustaining his predecessor’s policy of colonial withdrawal.