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Encyclopedia > Cannon operation
Cannon in a Civil War re-enactment: Large amounts of gunpowder often affected visibility, and gunners hoped for a strong wind.
Cannon in a Civil War re-enactment: Large amounts of gunpowder often affected visibility, and gunners hoped for a strong wind.

A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a long distance. The cannon is the archetypical form of artillery. Civil-war era cannons firing Taken by Elf | Talk Oct 95 Ft. ... Civil-war era cannons firing Taken by Elf | Talk Oct 95 Ft. ... Reenactors of the American Civil War Historical reenactment is an activity in which participants recreate some aspects of a historical event or period. ... A small cannon on a carriage, Bucharest. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A projectile is any object sent through space by the application of a force. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ...


Cannon operation during the 18th century required as many as a dozen men, including two gunners, while during the Napoleonic Wars five gunners were used. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Combatants Allies: Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] French Empire Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[6] Saxony[7] Denmark [8] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von Blücher Karl...

Contents

Late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries

Colonial artillery crew during the American Revolutionary War.
Colonial artillery crew during the American Revolutionary War.

Cannon operation during the 18th century is described by the 1771 Encyclopædia Britannica. Each cannon would be manned by two gunners, six soldiers, and four officers of the artillery. The right gunner was to prime the piece and load it with powder, while the left gunner would fetch the powder from the magazine and keep ready to fire the cannon at the officer's command. Three soldiers stood on each side of the cannon, to ram and sponge the cannon, and hold the lantern and ladle. The second soldier on the left was charged with providing 50 rounds.[1] artillery gun crew From http://www. ... artillery gun crew From http://www. ... Combatants American Revolutionaries French Monarchy Spanish Empire Dutch Republic Oneida and Tuscarora tribes Polish volunteers Prussian volunteers Kingdom of Great Britain Hessian mercenaries Iroquois Confederacy Loyalists Commanders George Washington Nathanael Greene Gilbert de La Fayette Comte de Rochambeau Bernardo de Gálvez Tadeusz KoÅ›ciuszko Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Sir... 1771 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Encyclopædia Britannica is an encyclopedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. ... Magazine is the name for a item or place within which ammunition is stored. ... Look up Round in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Round might mean: In mathematics: A round number is one that ends with one or more zeroes. ...


Prior to loading, the cannon would be well cleaned with a sponge to remove all sparks, filth, and dirt. The powder was added, followed by a wad of paper or hay, and the ball was thrown in. After ramming the cannon would be aimed with the elevation set using a quadrant and a plummet. At 45 degrees the ball had the utmost range – about ten times the gun's level range. Any angle above the horizontal line was called random-shot. The officer of artillery had to ensure the cannon was diligently served. Water was available to dip the sponges in and cool the pieces every ten or twelve rounds.[1]

18th-century cannon projectiles
18th-century cannon projectiles

In the late 1770s it was said that a 24-pounder could fire 90 to 100 shots a day in Summer, or 60 to 75 in Winter. However, French artillery officers managed to have a cannon fire 150 shots daily during siege.[1] A 16 or 12 pounder would fire a little more, because they were easier served. The Encyclopædia Britannica mentions "some occasions where 200 shots have been fired from these pieces in the space of nine hours, and 138 in the space of five."[1] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (4389x759, 1112 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (4389x759, 1112 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... Summer is a season of the year that is defined as beginning in June, and ending in September in the Northern Hemisphere. ... Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ...


During the Napoleonic Wars, a British gun team consisted of 5 numbered gunners. The first was the gun commander, and a sergeant, who aimed the gun. The second was the "spongeman" who cleaned the bore with the sponge dampened with water between shots; the intention being to quench any remaining embers before a fresh charge was introduced. The third, the loader, inserted the bag of powder and then the projectile. The second then used a rammer, or the sponge reversed, to drive it in. At the same time, the fourth ("ventsman") pressed his thumb on the vent hole to prevent a draught that might fan a flame. The charge loaded, the fourth pricked the bagged charge through the vent hole and filled the vent with powder. At the first's command the fifth would fire the piece with his slowmatch.[2] Combatants Allies: Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] French Empire Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[6] Saxony[7] Denmark [8] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von Blücher Karl...


Projectiles fired from cannon

Different types of cannon balls recovered from the Vasa, sunk in 1628
Different types of cannon balls recovered from the Vasa, sunk in 1628
Essential parts of a cannon: 1. the projectile or cannonball (shot) 2. gunpowder 3. touch hole (or vent) in which the fuse or other ignition device is inserted
Essential parts of a cannon: 1. the projectile or cannonball (shot) 2. gunpowder 3. touch hole (or vent) in which the fuse or other ignition device is inserted
Round shot 
A solid projectile made, in early times, from dressed stone but, by the 17th century, from iron. The most accurate projectile that could be fired by a smooth-bore cannon, used to batter the wooden hulls of opposing ships, forts, or fixed emplacements, and as a long-range anti-personnel weapon.
Chain shot or bar shot 
Two sub-calibre round shot (a good deal smaller than the bore of the barrel) linked by a length of chain or a solid bar, and used to slash through the rigging and sails of an enemy ship so that it could no longer manoeuver. It was inaccurate and only used at close range. Two-headed bullets (angels) were similar but made of two halves of a ball rather than two balls.[1]
Canister shot 
An anti-personnel projectile which included many small iron round shot or lead musket balls in a metal can, which broke up when fired, scattering the shot throughout the enemy personnel, like a large shotgun.
Shrapnel or spherical case shot 
An iron anti-personnel projectile containing an interior cavity packed with lead or iron round balls around a small bursting charge of just enough force to break open the thin-walled iron projectile. A powder train in a thin iron sleeve led to a time fuze inserted into a holder at the outer edge or the projectile. The fuze was designed to be ignited by flame from the propellant charge. Ideally the case shot fuze would detonate the central bursting charge when the projectile was six to ten feet above the heads of enemy infantry thereby showering them with the iron balls and fragments of the casing. (Invented 1784 by Lt. Henry Shrapnel, Royal Artillery, Great Britain).
Shell 
An explosive anti-material and counter-battery projectile, of iron with a cavity packed with a high explosive bursting charge of powder used to destroy enemy wagons, breastworks, or opposing artillery. Two types of fuzes were used -- impact fuzes that detonated the bursting charge by percussion, and time fuze cut to length measured in seconds and ignited by flame from the propellant charge.[3]
Grapeshot 
An anti-personnel weapon, similar to canister shot, but with the shot being contained in a canvas bag, and generally of a larger calibre. So called because of the resemblance of the clustered shot in the bag to a cluster of grapes on the vine. In one variation of this, the shot was held together by a coiled bar, and was spread by a fused charge in the same way as a shell.
Carcass 
An incendiary/antipersonnel projectile designed to burn fiercely and produce poisonous fumes. It was constructed of an iron frame bound with sack cloth and filled with various ingredients such as pitch, antimony, sulphur, saltpeter, tallow and venetian turpentine. It was ignited by the cannon's propellant charge, bursting on impact with the target and releasing noxious fumes while setting fire to its surroundings. It was effectively an early chemical weapon as well as an incendiary and area denial weapon. The name is probably a reference to the medieval practice of hurling dead animals from trebuchet as a form of biological warfare. [4]
Heated (or hot) shot 
A process where a solid iron cannonball is heated red hot in a specially-designed coal-fired furnace and then is loaded in a muzzle-loading cannon, cushioned by a substantial thickness of wet wads, and is then fired while still red hot, at flammable targets with the intention of setting them on fire. This was a much advocated tactic (and many times a very successful one) for shore based forts defending against attacks by wooden warships. Examples of these small brick furnaces may still be seen at permanently constructed pre-1860 forts in Europe and the United States. The adoption by most navies of iron hulled ships generally made these obsolete. The shot was carried on a specially-designed iron barrow or 2-man litter and, in the era of blackpowder cannon charges contained in cloth bags, occasioned much fanfare and notice as it was conveyed to the cannon muzzle as the red-hot projectile would easily ignite any carelessly handled loose powder. Any reckless or somewhat dangerous individual who seemed to draw trouble to themselves and those around them was referred to as a "Hot Shot", giving rise to the term in common use to this day.
Spider Shot
spider shot is a chain shot, but it has many chains instead of just 1 chain. It was not often used, despite its effectiveness against small ships and morale.

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1280 KB) selection of cannon balls recovered from the Vasa, sunk in 1628. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1280 KB) selection of cannon balls recovered from the Vasa, sunk in 1628. ... Regalskeppet Vasa (also Wasa) is a Swedish 64-gun ship of the line built for King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden of the House of Vasa, between 1626 and 1628. ... This cannon diagram was created by user:Quadell. ... A projectile is any object sent through space by the application of a force. ... Smokeless powder Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a propellant in firearms. ... A touch hole is a small hole, through which the propellent charge of a cannon or muzzleloading gun is ignited. ... In an explosive device, a fuse (or fuze) is the part of the device that causes it to function. ... Different types of cannon balls recovered from the Vasa, sunk in 1628 Round shot is a type of projectile fired from guns or cannons. ... In artillery, chain-shot is a type of ammunition formed of two balls, or half-balls, chained together. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Canister shot was a kind of anti-personnel ammunition used in cannons. ... For Pb as an abbreviation, see Pb. ... Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ... Balls are objects typically used in games. ... A pump-action and two semi-automatic action Remington 1100 shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a clay trap, and three boxes of clay pigeons. ... A sectioned Shrapnel shell displayed at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa For other uses, see Shrapnel (disambiguation). ... Henry Shrapnel (1761 - March 13, 1842) was a British Army officer and inventor Henry Shrapnel was born in Wiltshire, England. ... A shell is a projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage includes large solid projectiles previously termed shot (AP, APCR, APCNR, APDS, APFSDS and Proof shot). ... Grapeshot was a kind of anti-personnel ammunition used in cannons. ... Look up Canvas in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Drawing of a carcas shell In artillery, a carcass was a kind of bomb or shell, originally oblong or oval, and later spherical in shape, consisting of an external casing filled with highly flammable matter, and having three to five holes through which the internal flames could blaze outward. ... (Great Britain)A Sack cloth coarse brown cloth made of natural fibre and used to make sacks, or constrain bales of loose produce. ... The pitch drop experiment. ... General Name, Symbol, Number antimony, Sb, 51 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous grey Atomic mass 121. ... For the chemical element see: sulfur. ... R-phrases   S-phrases   Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Tallow is rendered beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. ... For the band, see Turpentine (band). ... Dressing the wounded during a gas attack by Austin O. Spare, 1918. ... Incendiary refers to any fire that has been deliberately set. ... Area denial weapons are used to prevent an adversary from occupying or traversing an area of land. ... Trebuchet at Château des Baux, France. ... For the use of biological agents by terrorists, see bioterrorism. ... A forest fire Fire is a rapid oxidation process that creates light, heat, and smoke, and varies in intensity. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

Cannon instruments

Several instruments are used to service a medieval style cannon, as noted in the 1771 Encyclopedia Britannica.[1] 1913 advertisement for the 11th edition, with the slogan When in doubt — look it up in the Encyclopædia Britannica The Encyclopædia Britannica (properly spelled with æ, the ae-ligature) was first published in 1768–1771 as The Britannica was an important early English-language general encyclopedia and is still...

Sponge
Sponge
  • The sponge is a long staff or rammer with a piece of fleece sheep or lambskin wound about its end, to serve for scouring the cannon when discharged, before it is to be charged with fresh powder. This cleaning prevents any spark of fire from remaining in the piece, which would endanger the life of the loading crew. Sponges were the most commonly used cannon cleaning instruments.[1]
Wadscrew
Wadscrew
  • A wad-screw is two points of iron in the shape of a corkscrew, to extract the wad out of the piece. Used when the cannon has to be unloaded or dirt must be removed.[1]
Ladle or lantern
Ladle or lantern
  • The lantern or ladle serves to carry the powder into the piece. It consists of a wooden box appropriated to the caliber of the piece for which it is intended with a length of a caliber and a half with its vent, and of a piece of copper nailed to the box at the height of a half caliber. This lantern must have three calibers and a half in length, and two calibers in breadth, being rouned on the end to load the ordinary pieces.[1]
Primer
Primer
  • The primer must contain a pound of powder at least, and is used to prime the pieces.[1]
Rammer
Rammer
  • A rammer is a round piece of wood, commonly called a box, which serves to drive home the powder and ball to the breech. It is fastened to a stick twelve feet long, for the pieces from twelve to thirty-three pounders, and ten for the eight and four pounders.[1]
Botefeux
Botefeux
  • The botefeux is used to hold a winding of match with which to fire the cannon. May be a stick two or three feet long with a split to hold one end of the match.[1]
Primming iron
Primming iron
  • A priming iron is a pointed iron rod, used to clear the touch hole of the pieces of powder or dirt. Also used to pierce the cartridge, that it may sooner take fire.[1]
  • The quoin of mire are pieces of wood with a notch on the side to put the fingers on, to draw them back or push them forward, when the gunner points his pieces. They are placed on the sole of the carriage.[1]

Leaden plates are used to cover the touch-hole, when the piece is charged, to keep dirt from entering the touch-hole. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2288x242, 260 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2288x242, 260 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... This article is about wool, the fiber. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2260x170, 202 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2260x170, 202 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2244x352, 413 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2244x352, 413 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2271x159, 193 KB) Labeled in the original as a Rammer. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2271x159, 193 KB) Labeled in the original as a Rammer. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2278x204, 245 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2278x204, 245 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1496x176, 142 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1496x176, 142 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1677x100, 89 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1677x100, 89 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cannon ...


It was advised to have about twenty pounds of powder in a leather sack, to avoid making trains of powder. Accidents had been found to frequently happen when powder trains led to the magazine.


Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n (1771) "Gunnery", Encyclopedia Britannica. 
  2. ^ Holmes, Richard Redcoat British Soldier in the age of Horse and Musket
  3. ^ Ordnance & Gunnery, J.G. Benton, 1859, U.S. Military Academy
  4. ^ Illustration of trebuchet by Kolderer, c1507, as reproduced at Medeival Seige Technology and Countertechnology by Andrew Vick

 

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