The British volunteer movement 1794-1814

"The significance of the Volunteer Movement during the French wars has been vigorously debated by historians: this book provides the first comprehensive account of the social, political, and military aspects of the movement for nearly a century. Covering infantry, yeomanry cavalry, and armed associations, it studies their formation and recruitment; membership, internal organization, and relations with local authorities; their public image and participation in local festivities; and the roles accorded them in national defence and the maintenance of internal order. The author decisively refutes older scholarship which has characterized the Volunteers as a conservative force of order, the military embodiment of anti-revolutionary 'loyalism.' The Volunteers were independent-minded, and stood up for their autonomy; but in this as in other spheres, local self-government enhanced rather than endangered loyalty to the slate. Equally clear protest, played up by some historians, was rare and insignificant. The calculated risk taken by the government in arming up to 400,000 civilians paid off: the Volunteer Movement offered the non-combatant populations of England, Scotland and Wales a welcome opportunity to display their patriotism."--Jacket.