ammunition boxes, and the many other stores distributed
in various ways throughout the battery.Each carriage in a horse artillery battery lias six horses, except the general service waggon and store cart, which have only four. The horses are teamed in pairs, lead, centre, and wheel, the drivers mounted on the near horses. The off horse of the wheel is in the shafts. Much contro versy has been raised as to the respective merits of " shafts " or " pole ; " the latter was in use in India for many years, and is still generally used by Continental powers. The balance of advantage seems to lie on the side of shafts, but it requires a very powerful horse for the off wheeler, on whom so much is thrown. The harness is strong and fairly simple. The off horses have pads upon which the valises containing the drivers kits are carried. Picket ropes and posts are carried on the waggons, and each mounted man has a head rope and a forage cord, which may be used as a heel rope, a peg and leather shackle being carried for it.
(c.) Field Batteries differ from horse artillery in that they teries. have a heavier armament, and the gunners are not mounted. The guns now in use are (1) 9-pounder M.L.Tl. gun of SJ cwt., (2) 12-pounder B.L.R. Armstrong gun of 8 cwt., (3) 16-pounder M.L.R. gun of 12 cwt. No. 2 has, however, been superseded in England, and will erelong become ob solete in India also, where the whole of the field artillery is being armed with the 9-pounder M.L.R. The 16-pounder is a most powerful gun, probably the most powerful field gun in Europe, but is heavier than the corresponding guns in Continental armies, and some consider that its weight is inconsistent with sufficient mobility.
The personnel of a field battery is as follows:—
A table should appear at this position in the text. See Help:Table for formatting instructions. |
Peace Est.ib- War Estab- Indian Estab lishment, lishmeiit. lishment. Officers 555 N.-O. Officers 19 20 20 Artificers 795 Gunners and Trumpeters G3 87 78 Drivers til 73 54 Horses 88 154 110
The peace establishment, however, is variable. In India a field battery has, further, a native establishment of hos pital attendants, lascars, grass-cutters, artificers, itc., and amounting in all to 247.
A. field battery has G guns and carriages, 6 ammunition waggons, 1 forge, 1 store, and 1 general service waggon total, 15. In war time the 6 ammunition waggons (known as the second line of waggons) form the nucleus of the ammuni tion reserve. In India the second line of waggons are kept in readiness in the arsenals, and when taken into the field are drawn by bullocks. The gun-carriages are of wrought- iron, similar in construction to those of horse artillery. The obstacle to the rapid movement of field artillery has always been, that no means were provided for carrying with the gun the gunners required to serve it, as the limber could at most only accommodate three men. In India the constant necessity for rapid movement had caused the adoption of axletree seats, by which tvo more gunners could be mounted, one on each side of the gun, and saddles were also provided for the lead and centre horses of the gun team, so that, with the mounted non-commissioned officer, seven men would be at hand to serve the gun, in dependently of those mounted on the waggons. The axle tree seats are generally used on the Continent, and have recently been adopted in England for field batteries.
The projectiles for the M.L.R. guns are common shell, shrapnel, and case; the first used against earthworks, buildings, &c., the second against troops, and the third at close quarters. The fuzes used are percussion and wood time fuzes. The amount of ammunition carried with the 9-pounder M.L.R. gun, and manner of carrying it, are the same as in the horse artillery. With the IG-pounder M.L.R. field batteries, the arrangement of the ammunition and the packing of the boxes and stores are similar, but the number of rounds carried is less. The near limber box of both gun and waggon contains 7 common and 5 shrapnel shells, the off one 5 common and 7 sharpnel, while the front waggon boxes contain each 5 common and 7 shrapnel shells, and the rear boxes 1 2 shrapnel ; so that, with four rounds of case in the axletree boxes, the gun and waggon carry 34 common shell, G2 shrapnel, and 4 case, or 100 rounds altogether. In India the ammunition stores, ic., are similarly packed, but the camp equipment being larger is separately carried on camels provided for the purpose.
Field artillery has been carried on elephants in India, and cradles or saddles are kept up there for the purpose in case of need ; and has also been transported by sleiyhs, as in Canada. The sleigh is a platform placed on runners IG inches high and 3 feet broad. A description of the sleigh-carriages and the exercise with them is given in the Hand-book for Field Service.
(d.) Position Batteries,—a heavy field artillery, capable of movement, but not required to move fast, or to change position frequently, and used in the defence of special important points on a battle-field, entrenchments, &c. No manned batteries of this description are kept up in England, but the matériel is kept in store, and the personnel would be furnished from the garrison and field artillery. The guns at present used are 40-pounder B.L.R. Arm strong guns, 40-pounder M.L.R., and 25-pouuder M.L.R. guns. The carriages are of angle iron, Math bracket trails, and of great strength ; the projectiles are common and shrapnel shell, and case. The detail for a battery is as follows, 4 guns and carriages, 4 ammunition waggons, 1 forge, 1 general service, 1 platform, 1 store waggon, and 1 store cart. The guns are drawn by 12 horses, harnessed four abreast ; and as it is intended that the horses shall be furnished from the country if possible, the batteries have been specially fitted for the attachment of farmers horses.
In India position artillery is maintained in the form of "heavy field batteries," some being armed with 40-pounder Armstrong guns and 8-inch mortars, others still with the old smooth-bore guns. The guns are dragged by elephants, two for each gun, one in the shafts and the other as leader; the mortars and ammunition waggons by oxen. Elephants are dangerous under fire, and, therefore, their place is then taken by bullocks, of which ten pair are required for a gun.
(e.) Siege Artillery.—There is no special organisation of Siepe siege artillery in England in time of peace. The matériel artillery is kept in store, and the personnel and transport are furnished according to the requirements of the particular service. The new M.L.R. wrought-iron guns, 40 and G4-pounders of 35 and G4 cwt. respectively, will probably form part of any future siege train, and with these will be associated 10-inch and 8-inch M.L.R. howitzers, and 5J inch and 10-inch mortars, or, perhaps, a rifled mortar. The personnel would be supplied from the garrison artillery, a battery of which at war strength would form a siege train battery. The transport might be specially furnished or supplied from the country in which operations were to be conducted.
The proportions of guns, &c., in a British siege train would be approximately—
A table should appear at this position in the text. See Help:Table for formatting instructions. |
55 64-pounder M.L.R. guns. 20 40-pounder ,, 30 8-inch M.L.R. howitzers. 105 To these would probably be added rifled and smooth-bore mortars according to circumstances.
