702
ARTILLERY
administration was lacking in political situations of a dramatic character, but on all questions that arose his policy was sane and dignified. In 1884 he allowed his name to be presented for renomination in the Republican Convention, but he was easily defeated by the friends of Mr Blaine. At the expiration of his term he resumed his residence in Hew York City, where he died on 18th November 1886. (w. a. d.) Artillery.—Originally this word was applicable not only to missiles in general, but to the instruments or machines from which they were discharged—slings, bows and arrows, tormenta, Ac. In the following article, however, we shall confine ourselves to the introduction of modern artillery and the progress of the bodies of men attached to its service. The earliest recipe we possess for gunpowder is that of Dr John Anderne, who began to practise before 1350, and in his old age was appointed surgeon to Henry IV. It was recovered from his MSS. (now among the Sloane papers) by Mr Albert Way, and given in his edition of the Promptorium Pccrvulorum, an EnglishLatin vocabulary of the year 1440, in a note under “Gunne.” This recipe is:—Saltpetre, 66’O' parts; charcoal, 22‘S' parts; sulphur, 17’7' parts. The remarkable point about this recipe is, that it is identical with that given for rocket composition in the MS. of Marcus Graecus, who lived long before Friar Roger Bacon ; and rocket composition will not project a round shot. The difficulty is easily explained. The fizzing rocket composition prepared with the Greek’s impure ingredients became an explosive when prepared with the comparatively pure ingredients of a later age in the same proportions. If Bacon could refine nitre— a matter that hardly admits of a doubt—there may be a substratum cf truth in the legend of the destruction of his Brazen Head. He and Friar Bungey, having mixed the pure ingredients in the old proportions, lay down to sleep. Their servant, Miles, from idle curiosity, applied fire to it, and produced an unexpected explosion which broke some of the chemical apparatus and terrified all three of them. If this view of the case be accepted gunpowder was invented by accident. It is not known who invented cannon, and we must fall back on the tradition that assigns the invention to a German monk, one Bcrthold Schwartz. There is good evidence to show that the Germans used guns at the siege of Cividale in Italy, 1331, and England had guns, both of iron and brass, in her navy in 1338. She was the first nation to bring guns into the open fields (at Cressy). Froissart calls these guns in one place kanons, in another bombardiaulx; but Anderne expressly says they were called gonnes (in England), and Chaucer and Langland apply to them this word which had previously been used to denote the ancient tormenta. For some three and a half centuries after the introduction of cannon artillerymen in all countries were civilians. Matters came to such a pass in England in the middle of the 16th century, that Henry VIII. had to employ Dutch gunners to instruct the men. In the time of Elizabeth the ages of some of the Tower gunners ranged from 64 to 92 years. The first to attempt any organization of the ai’m was Gustavus Adolphus. This great man clearly saw that the fundamental principle of all artillery organization is a twofold division, the gunners who follow an army into the field, and those who do not—field artillery and garrison artillery, and he reorganized his artillery accordingly ;1 but he does not appear to have taken any step towards makino them a military body. When the Great Rebellion broke ou£ loud were the complaints about the scarcity and inefficiency of the gunners. In 1638, Wemyss, master gunner of England, reported that there were “few gunners in the kingdom . who understand the several ranges of ordnance or use of the mortar Eorton refers in 1643 to “the penury of expert gunners ; and Eldred denounces “the idle laziness of the gunners, for Avhich he had little or no power to punish them. 80 oon°A tolerable thatmilitary a warrant, dated 22nd August 1682, put the gunners under discipline. Strange to say, the master gunners were shown as part of the civil establishment as late as 24th January 1783, in the establishment warrant of the ordnance. The ordnance officials had now some power over the gunners, yet their position was still so doubtful that a clause had to be inserted in their commissions in 1694 to place it beyond all doubt. These events were fo lowed by the establishment of two permanent companies of artillery, 26th May 1716, and the formation of the (present) Royal Regiment of Artillery, 1st April 1722. Notwithstanding these improvements, Colonel Forbes Macbean, F.R.S. R.A. declaies that the English artillery did not begin to assume a militarv appearance until the Flanders campaigns of 1748-49.
The officers of the French artillery before Louis XIV.’s time were only officers in the sense that they held an office. They were without rank in the army, and had no troops under their command. Only when war broke out were these officials united and supplied with the necessary materiel. At length Vauban protested against their position as helpless civilians, and they received military rank when Valliere reorganized the artillery in 1732. “When Frederick the Great assumed the crown he found the army in a very good condition, excepting the corps of artillery and engineers, which consisted chiefly of mechanics and artisans, scarcely looked on by the rest of the army and the officers without commissions. His Majesty immediately drafted all the illiterate officers into the garrison regiments, supplying their places with gentlemen of examined capacity ; gave tlTem all commissions, rank with the officers of the guards, and an extraordinary pay. ”1 It is strange that Capt. Smith, who was inspector of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, should have made no reference to the Prussian horse artillery. In 1773 the king formed a^depot at Potsdam for the horse artillery (first formed 21st April 1/59), consisting of 1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 10 non-commissioned officers, and 60 gunners. It is almost certain His Majesty had no intention of making it a corps d'elite. Owing to the great progress made during the 18th century by those arts and sciences on which the efficiency of artillery essentially depends, it increased rapidly in numbers, and colleges were everywhere founded for the instruction of officers and others. The Royal Military Academy at Woolwich was opened in 1741. With regard to numbers, the four companies England possessed in the early years of the century were represented in Capt. Smith’s time by four battalions ; and these 3000 to 4000 men had swollen to 42,000 officers and men in 1899. Other artilleries increased in similar proportions. The organization of the artilleries of the Great Powers is described under “Armies.” A few remarks may be offered on the fundamental principles on which all these organizations are more or less based. Before the 18th century only one man can be named, the great Gustavus Adolphus, who clearly understood the first principle of all artillery organization—the separation of the personnel into two distinct bodies : (a) those who follow the army into the field, and (b) those who do not. This primary division of the artillery has long been practically acknowledged on the Continent and has been partially adopted in England. British garrison artillery consists of two branches : (a) the garrison artillery proper, or the gunners who defend a besieged fortress; and (5) the siege artillery, or the gunners who attack an enemy’s fortress. Occasionally in a battle in the field guns of the 40-pr. type are used, taking up a fixed position which they occupy during the day. Whether these guns of position should be manned by garrison or field artillery is purely an academic question. The various subdivisions of the field artillery arise naturally from the nature of the duties they have to perform; while the nature of the ordnance with which they are severally armed is determined by the axiom, that the proper gun for any duty is the heaviest gun by which it can be carried out. The main body of the field artillery, the field batteries, are intended to support the infantry ; and, in order to do so, they must be capable of moving at a trot (and occasionally a gallop), the gunners being carried on the gun-carriages and limber, or the off-horses of the gun-team. Experience shows that guns of the 15-pr. type, drawn by six horses, are the most suitable for this branch. Similarly, guns of the 7-pr. type, carried on mules, are the best adapted for mountain artillery. For years there was much difficulty in organizing a body of field artillery to support cavalry. _ At length Frederick the Great solved the question by the creation of horse artillery, so called, not because the guns are drawn by horses, but because the gunners accompanying their gun are mounted on horses of their own distinct from the gunteam. At present the British equipment consists of guns of the 12-pr. type, each drawn by six horses. For some five centuries the word “Artillery” in England meant simply garrison artillery ; the field artillery only existed in time of war. When war broke out a train of artillery was organized, consisting of a certain number of field (or siege) guns, manned by garrison gunners ; and when peace was proclaimed the train was disbanded, the materiel being returned into store, and the gunners reverting to some fort or stronghold. The first permanent body of field artillery in England were A and B troops of the royal horse artillery raised in 1793, the drivers of which (as well as the gunners) were enlisted under the military oath. In the early years of the nineteenth century a separate driver corps, under its own officers, was formed for the field batteries, but it was with good reason disbanded after Waterloo. The first permanent force of field batteries may be dated from the camp at Cobham, 1853. It is impossible to say on what principles the reorganization in 1899 of the artillery was based. This arm 1
Universal Military Dictionary. Capt. G. Smith, R.A. London, 1779.
