THE NAPOLEONIC 'DAD'S ARMY': The British Volunteer Movement, 1794-1814

1-242830

Discusses how the aim of the 'Loyal Britons' was to organize patriotic, anti-French forces in defense of king and country and to help maintain the established order - thus leading to the Volunteer Act of 1794 to fight against the French. By 1804, there were 380,000 volunteers under arms and the various corps made up half to one third of all the home service forces, combined with volunteers who agreed to serve overseas, as garrison troops in India for example, the number grows to approximately 800,000 - meaning that around one in every five adult males participated in military activities. Using diaries and archive sources, this book seeks to explore the 'Dad's Army' of the Napoleonic Wars. Contains 16 mono illustrations.