Handbook for Light Artillery

by A. B. Dyer

MARCHES.

The "general," sounded one hour before the time designated for marching, is the signal to strike tents, load wagons, pack animals, and send them to the place of assembly.

The execution of marching orders must not be delayed. If the commander is not with the troops when they are to march, the next in rank puts the column in motion.

When a march is in prospect, it is well to go out daily, for a week or ten days previously, for a couple of hours' march. This will harden the horses' shoulders and discover what corrections are to be made. The average march for field-artillery on good roads is from 15 to 20 miles a day; horse-artillery, 25 miles.

A single battery, when the march is a long one, will do well to trot occasionally; so doing shortens the road and greatly relieves man and horse. If the country is undulating, the platoons should march with considerable distance between them, and the trot should be taken up by each in succession on arrival at the level ground where the preceding platoon began to increase its pace. The walk should be resumed in the same manner.

When marching with other troops, these liberties cannot be taken, and the walk is, with rare exceptions, the gait used. In rapid marches the slow trot alternates with the walk.

When the services of artillery are urgently needed, it may be required to trot four or five miles without breaking the gait.

Long marches or expeditions should be begun moderately, particularly with new horses. Ten or twelve miles a day is enough for the first marches, which, on good roads, may be increased to 20 or 25 miles when necessary, after the horses are inured to their work. Should the march be continued for a long period, at least one day in seven should be devoted to rest. It is also important that the horses and equipments be thoroughly inspected at least once a week. On ordinary roads horse-artillery with cavalry marches usually at the rate of 4 or 5 miles an hour. Field-batteries, by themselves, can march 3½ to 4 miles an hour on a good road, but on heavy or hilly roads, or when the battery forms part of a column, the rate of progress will depend entirely upon circumstances. Should a long march be made, the horses should be fed on the road; ordinarily watering will be sufficient. In very hot weather frequent watering will be advisable. To keep horses in condition, it is essential that they should be in no wise stinted of water. No matter how warm a horse is six to ten swallows of water will not hurt him.

Always march with a feed of grain; if not used on the road, it enables the horses to be fed as soon after arriving in camp as desirable. Horses should be arranged in teams, as far as possible, so as to be of uniform pace in walking, and of similar disposition.

On long marches it may be advisable to change the near and off horses days about. Drivers should be required to ride off horses during part of each day's march; and, unless the entire battery be dismounted by order of the captain, all mounted men and cannoneers will ordinarily be permitted to mount and dismount at will when the battery is moving at a walk on level ground.

Cannoneers of field-batteries should always walk up and down hill.

The care of horses on the march is one of the most important duties of an artillery officer; by constant attention on the part of the captain, chiefs of platoon, and chiefs of section many horses that would otherwise be disabled for months may be kept in serviceable condition.

The men must not be allowed to lounge in their saddles, which leads to galls, and the drivers should be made to pay continual attention to their driving, and see that every horse does his fair share of work.

The lead-drivers of each team must keep their distance from the team in their front; swing-drivers must keep the traces to their front stretched, and the wheel-drivers those to their front.

Have the wheels greased daily, and oil the bearing of the lunette on the pintle-hook.

Grease on the soles of horses' hoofs prevents snow from balling.

On starting from camp the first two miles should be made at an easy walk; a halt of from 10 to 15 minutes should then be made to allow the men to relieve themselves and to rearrange harness, after which a halt of from 5 to 10 minutes is made at the end of every hour for the purpose of adjusting harness, tightening girths, etc. When troops march for the greater part of the day, a halt of about an hour is usually made about noon. At each halt pole-props will be let down; collars unlocked and thrown back on the saddle or withers, and cleaned if necessary; saddles replaced if they have moved; cinchas tightened if necessary, and horses' feet examined.

The march is usually in column of sections; when practicable, it will be in column of platoons at close intervals; but the front of the column must not be frequently diminished or increased, as this unavoidably adds to the fatigue of the horses, particularly of those in rear. The column of platoons should not be used when it fills the road from side to side so as to prevent the passage of carriages, staff-orderlies, etc.

A non-commissioned officer may be sent forward to reconnoitre the road or ground that the battery is to pass over.

The distance of two yards between carriages is maintained, except in bad or difficult ground, when it may be increased to four or more yards. The strictest attention should be paid by the chiefs of platoon and of section to the preservation of distances, which should not be increased more than is absolutely necessary. The leading guide should maintain a slow and steady walk, and under no circumstances is a carriage to move at a trot without the orders of the battery commander; when necessary to close up, it should be done at a quick walk; no practice is more fatiguing to horses and injurious to their shoulders than the alternate trotting and walking so often seen at the rear of a column.

If the leading carriage is temporarily stopped for any cause, the rear carriages should, if practicable, draw up alongside each other, in order to avoid or diminish as much as possible any check to the column.

Chiefs of platoons must never be permitted to leave their platoons to march at the head of the column; when not marching at the rear of their platoons, they will halt frequently to see that their carriages are well up and marching properly.

Chiefs of platoon and of section, without waiting for express instructions, give such orders as may be necessary for helping horses out of difficulty, for the passage of obstacles, etc.; the cannoneers assist at the piece or caisson as may be required.

A small bunch of bale-wire, in lengths of from one to two feet, if carried by each chief of section in his saddle-pouch, is very useful for temporary repairs of harness.

If the ruts be very deep, the carriages quarter the road, unless it be very narrow and sunken; in this case the horses will be left to themselves and not hurried; a skilful driver can help his horses greatly, particularly the wheelers.

When water-call is sounded, the chiefs of section, under the supervision of the chiefs of platoon or of the first sergeant, have the watering-buckets taken off the carriages, and their horses watered without confusion. When water is very scarce, the nostrils may be sponged, which gives great relief, particularly in hot weather, when it is not possible to let the horses drink.

Toward the close of the march an officer or non-commissioned officer may be sent forward to select a camp-ground. The last two miles or more should be made at a walk, and the horses brought into camp without excitement.

Upon the arrival of the battery in camp damages must be repaired without delay, horses shod, wheels and pintles greased, etc. On the march artificers and cooks should always ride, or be mounted on the chests; if fatigued from marching, they cannot be expected to work efficiently after getting into camp.

The march of larger bodies of artillery is conducted on the same principles. A long column cannot move as rapidly as a small one, and at the same time preserve equal order; an allowance is therefore made for every column proportionate to its length.

When the roads are good, or even tolerable, the artillery is always obliged to wait for the infantry, which is attended with much additional fatigue to the horses, from having the harness so much longer on them. Likewise, when the roads are at all bad, artillery can only keep up with cavalry, when the latter are marching at the ordinary rate, by forcing their horses too much and wearing them out very rapidly. When, therefore, there is no danger, the artillery should be allowed to march by itself so as to regulate its own rate of march.

Chiefs of section should carry nippers in their saddle-pouches to cut wire fences if necessary.

ACCIDENTS TO CARRIAGES.

When an accident happens to a carriage, it is pulled out of the column, if possible, so as not to interrupt the march; otherwise the carriages in rear pass it by the most convenient flank, and close to proper distance. The disabled carriage resumes its place as soon as the damage is repaired. If the road be narrow, it must fall into the first interval it finds, and regain its proper place as soon as the ground permits. If a field-piece is disabled, the cannoneers left to repair it, who cannot be carried on the limber-chest, mount on the axle-seats and off horses whenever the piece takes the trot to regain its place. If a caisson is disabled, the caisson corporal and the men necessary to repair it are left with it.

When a piece and its carriage are overturned, it is better to disengage the piece by letting the breech rest on the ground, or on a block of wood, and then raise the muzzle with a handspike while the cap-squares are taken off; the carriage is then righted and the piece mounted.

To right the carriage without disengaging the piece, detach the limber, secure the cap-squares, and lash the breech to the stock; place the middle of a rope over the nave of one wheel, pass the ends of it downward between the lower spokes of that wheel, then under the carriage, through the corresponding spokes of the other wheel, and then upward over the wheel and across the top of the carriage to the side where it was first attached. The ends of the rope and the wheel to be raised are then manned and the carriage pulled over, two men being required to steady the trail. If necessary, the ends of the rope may be fastened to the limber, and horses used to assist in righting the carriage.

Light carriages may be righted by hand without using a rope.

To Remove a Gun and Carriage; Carriage Disabled.—Dismount the gun; remove the horses and run the limber over the gun, so that the breech may be towards the pole and the trunnions under the pintle-hook; place a handspike in the bore and raise it; sling gun with prolonge; carry prolonge in rear of one trunnion, and in front of the other, round the pintle-hook, and pass the end forward; take a half-hitch round the breech and secure firmly around the fork, bearing down on the muzzle until the breech is secured. Replace cap-squares; remove wheels; turn over carriage and place it on the limber-chest. This is done by having trail, pointing towards the limber, lifted up from the front. Place wheels, dish down, on top of carriage, and lash all firmly together, the trail being lashed to a handspike in the bore of the gun.

If the caisson be present, place the carriage on it, removing the spare wheel and raising the carriage, trail first, from the rear.

To Disable a Field-gun.—Open the breech-block and then break it with a heavy hammer; or load the piece, close the breech without locking it, and fire the piece; or place two or three blank cartridges in the gun, close and lock the breech-block, ram in from the muzzle a ball of clay or sod; then unlock the breech-block and fire; or fire a shotted gun with its muzzle against the chase of another.

Guns of the Krupp system may be temporarily disabled by carrying off the breech-block, or breaking off its handle.

ASCENTS.

After pulling up a short, steep hill the horses should be halted to recover their wind. When this cannot be done, they will move very slowly.

In going up a difficult hill the carriages may be halted to rest the horses by bringing them across the declivity and locking the limbers or chocking the wheels, or by putting on the brake to the rear; for this purpose it may be expedient to start the sections or platoons from the bottom in succession, leaving a distance of 20 or 30 yards between the different portions of the column.

If the draught be so difficult that the teams are liable to stall, the carriages in rear are halted, and the lead-and swing-horses of the rear half of the carriages can be taken out and hitched to the leading half; when these have been taken through, all the horses, except the wheel, will be taken back, and the rear carriages brought up. As it is very hard to make the horses pull together, not more than five pairs can be hitched with effect to a single carriage.

DESCENTS.

The drivers never dismount going down hill; the wheel-driver holds his near horse well in hand, and his off horse very short. Two cannoneers may be mounted on each gun-carriage and caisson to apply the brakes. In the absence of instructions from higher authority the chief of carriage directs whether the brakes are to be applied to a particular wheel or to both. The brakes are easily applied and removed, and a judicious use of them will save the horse much fatigue and prevent sore necks and shoulders. If the descent be very steep, the sectional picket-line may be used by the cannoneers to hold back; in this case the wheel-horses only remain hitched to the carriage, the others being led in rear.

MOVING ALONG DECLIVITIES.

If a carriage have to move along a declivity so steep that a slight jolt may overturn it, the wheels are locked, the sectional picket-line fastened to the top of the upper wheel and held by two or three cannoneers, who march on the upper side of the slope.

DITCHES.

If the ditch be wide and deep, the prolonge is fixed and the handspike turned over on the flask and secured, the team is halted on the edge, and the piece run by hand close to the limber, which then moves slowly until the piece reaches the bottom of the ditch, when it moves quickly until the piece is out. If the ditch be deep and narrow, it may be necessary to cut down the edges and hold back with the sectional picket-line; should the trail sink into the ground in passing over, it is disengaged with a handspike or by fastening a prolonge to it.

In passing shallow ditches, drains, or deep furrows the carriages must cross them obliquely.

MOVING OVER MARSHY GROUND.

Each carriage moves at a distance of 10 to 12 yards from the one preceding it to avoid having to halt; officers or non-commissioned officers are posted at the worst places to instruct the drivers how to conduct their teams. The horses must pull freely and quicken the gait; if the ground be very miry, it may be necessary to assist with sectional picket-lines, or even to use them alone, the teams crossing separately.

CROSSING FORDS AND STREAMS.

If the ford be not well known, it must be examined and the dangerous places marked before the carriages attempt to cross.

If the water be deep and the current strong, great care is necessary. The men are instructed to keep their eyes fixed on some object on the opposite bank which marks the place of exit; they must not look at the stream, and they move rather against the current, so as to better resist its power.

If the ford have a bad bottom and the banks be difficult, the teams are strengthened by adding pairs; an officer or non-commissioned officer is posted at the entrance to regulate the distance between carriages and to instruct the drivers how to proceed; a second officer or non-commissioned officer is posted at the exit to direct the drivers how to leave the ford.

The management of the team is the same as in crossing marshy ground; the horses must not be allowed to halt or trot either in passing the ford or leaving it, unless the stream be neither deep nor very rapid; in this case the carriages may be halted to let the horses drink, or at least to give them a mouthful of water.

Upon reaching the opposite bank the leading carriages are halted after they have moved far enough forward to leave room for the carriages in rear.

If the chests be not water-tight and are at the usual height of two feet and ten inches above the ground, a ford deeper than two feet four inches cannot be crossed without danger of wetting the ammunition.

If the chests be water-tight or means have been taken to raise them high enough, a depth of 3⅓ feet may be safely attempted.

When the ford is deeper than this, the cannoneers must carry over the cartridges, fuzes, and primers in the pouches, which they hold above the water. The chests are sometimes removed and taken over in boats. In crossing streams that cannot be forded, when there are no bridges, the horses are swum, and the carriages and harness crossed on rafts, etc.

PASSAGE OF MILITARY BRIDGES.

At the entrance of the bridge the lead-and swing-drivers dismount and lead their pairs. A distance of 12 yards is taken between the carriages, and the gait is free and decided; the drivers keep the carriages as near the middle of the floor as possible. If the flooring be wet, battens should be nailed across it to keep the horses from falling. If the bridge begins to rock, the passage of the column is suspended.

In passing over a flying bridge all the drivers dismount and hold their horses; the lead-and swing-horses should be taken out and led onto the bridge or boat; the brakes should be applied to the rear, so that the carriage cannot be run back.

PASSAGE ON ICE.

Ice 3 or 4 inches thick will bear infantry.

Ice 4½ inches thick will bear light guns or cavalry.

Ice 6 inches thick will bear heavy field-guns.

FACING A BATTERY TO THE REAR ON A NARROW ROAD.

All the carriages are moved close to one side of the road, and the pieces and caissons unlimbered and brought about; the limbers then take their places in front of their carriages by an about, and the carriages are limbered up; if there be not room for the limbers to execute an about, the horses are taken out.

If the road be so narrow that the limbers cannot pass the carriages, the trails of the pieces and the stocks of the caissons are carried around until perpendicular to the road, and are then placed against the bank, the wheels being run close to it; on an embankment, or a road with ditches on each side, the carriages are run as close to the edge as possible, the wheels chocked or locked, and the trails and stocks held up while the limbers pass.

THE ODOMETER.

The odometer registers the number of revolutions of the wheel to which it is attached. The distance measured by the odometer is not exact, owing to the slip of the wheel.

To Read the Odometer.—Lift the reading-circle from its box and note the number on the inner wheel to the left of the zero; this will be the first two figures of the reading, and the number on the outer wheel to the left of the pointer will be the next two.

To Measure a Distance with the Odometer.—Tie the case by its straps to a spoke close to the hub of a hind wheel of any vehicle attached to the command. Upon starting read the odometer and record the reading. At the end of the course again record the odometer-reading. The difference between the two readings multiplied by the circumference of the wheel will give the distance passed over. And in general, the difference between any two readings, multiplied by the circumference of the wheel which bears it will give the development of the path traversed by the wheel between the points at which the readings were taken.