ABSTRACT
I When war broke out between England and France only a few months after the Peace o f Amiens, it was feared not only that Napoleon would take advantage o f his strength in Europe to invade England, but that England would have neither sufficient men nor sufficient enthusiasm to repel the French. In the Commons debate on the Additional Force Bill, Windham1 expressed doubts on the reliability o f defence forces recruited by ‘the noble art o f crimping’ : ‘I f we think that we can be protected by any o f the ordinary means o f war by trusting our defence to men, dressed as soldiers, and hired or compelled to defend us . . . we are little less than undone.’ Instead, he urged that defence strategies be devised which, by involving all men in military preparations, gave them a conviction o f the danger, and made defence the talk o f every ale house, church porch, and village green. ‘You must prepare the country; you must put the country in a situation in which its patriotic zeal, its native courage, its various and abundant energies may have a way to operate and produce their natural effects.’ The only sure defence was that o f a voluntary force, and such a force could only be raised and depended upon i f it had a sufficient sense o f the danger from France. Besides, only convinced patriots could be entrusted safely with weapons.2
