Suggested Organization of a 3-inch Hotchkiss Mountain-battery.
The organization is made on the same principles as those of the 1.65-inch mountain-battery.
The section, consisting of one piece, requires for its service and transport ten men and nine pack-animals. Of the men, gunner and Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 as cannoneers; 7, 8, 9, attend animals. The pack-animals are distributed as follows:
1 gun-mule.
1 carriage-mule.
1 wheel, shafts, and accessory mule.
6 ammunition-mules.
The proportion of each kind of ammunition carried will depend upon the nature of the campaign, but in general each ammunition-chest should contain five shrapnel, two common shell, and one canister, making a total allowance per gun:
60 shrapnel with combination fuzes.
24 common shell with percussion-fuzes.
12 canister.
A full battery should consist of six pieces, and should comprise, in addition to the equipment of six sections:
1 pioneer outfit, with mule and driver.
1 mountain-forge, with mule and driver.
2 artificer's chests, containing farrier's, wheelwright's, and saddler's tools, with mule and driver.
2 chests with farrier's, wheelwright's, and saddler's supplies, one spare wheel, with mule and driver.
1 spare carriage complete, with two mules and one driver.
3 ammunition-chests, with small-arms ammunition and small stores, with mule.
Equipments.—Gunner's pouch; No. 1, primer-pouch; Nos. 2, 3 and 4 cartridge-pouches. Duties.—Gunner commands; limbers and unlimbers; sets the sight; points, and superintends service of ammunition.
Duties.—Gunner commands; limbers and unlimbers; sets the sight; points, and superintends service of ammunition.
No. 1 mans the right wheel; controls brake-rope; opens and closes breech; fires piece.
No. 2 mans the left wheel; controls brake-rope; introduces the ammunition into the bore; assists in pointing.
No. 3 keeps No. 2 supplied with ammunition (first setting time-fuze and removing safety-pin) and assists the gunner in limbering and unlimbering.
No. 4 keeps No. 2 supplied with ammunition (first setting time-fuze and removing safety-pin).
No. 5 receives ammunition from No. 6; removes plugs from shrapnel; fuzes same; loosens cap of time-fuze, and issues prepared ammunition to Nos. 3 and 4.
No. 6 passes ammunition to No. 5; opens time-fuze cylinders, and brings up ammunition-mules as required.
At the command "Cease firing," Nos. 5 and 6 equalize ammunition in boxes.
Nos. 7, 8, and 9 attend animals.
TO PACK.
The mules are brought up at a trot, and stationed:
Gun-mule three yards in rear of trail and facing to rear.
Carriage-mule three yards in front of muzzle, facing to front.
Wheel-mule three yards to left of gun, facing to front.
To Pack the Gun ([Fig. 20]).—No. 4 takes the lifting-bars from wheel-pack and passes them to the gunner and No. 2; No. 3 procures breech and muzzle covers from gun-pack, hands muzzle-cover to No. 1 and straps on breech-cover; No. 1 throws open cap-squares and adjusts muzzle-cover; the gunner and No. 2 pass ends of lifting-bars to Nos. 3 and 1. All numbers facing to the rear, the gunner commands, "Lift." The gun is placed on the pack and secured by Nos. 1 and 2.
Fig. 20.
Fig. 21.
To Pack the Carriage ([Fig. 21]).—The gunner and No. 3 remove the linchpins; Nos. 1 and 2 lift the axle; the gunner and No. 3 remove the wheels and replace the linchpins; Nos. 1 and 2 grasping the axle-arms, the gunner and No. 3 pass a lifting-bar through the trail-handles. All numbers facing to the front, the gunner commands, "Lift," and the carriage is placed on the pack and secured by Nos. 1 and 2.
Fig. 22.
AMMUNITION MULE.
Fig. 23.
To Pack the Wheels ([Fig. 22]).—The gunner and No. 3 lift the wheels and place them separately on the pack, where they are secured by No. 4; No. 4 places and secures the lifting-bars; Nos. 3 and 5 take off their haversacks and secure them on the wheel-pack.
Unpacking is performed in the reverse order to packing.
WEIGHT CARRIED BY EACH MULE.
| Gun-mule. | Carriage-mule. | ||
| Saddle | 69 lbs. | Saddle | 69 lbs. |
| Gun | 218 " | Carriage | 205 " |
| 287 " | 274 " | ||
| Wheel-mule. | Ammunition-mule. | ||
| Saddle | 60 lbs. | Saddle | 58 lbs. |
| Wheels | 123 " | Two chests with 8 rounds each | 280 " |
| Shafts, etc. | 22 " | ||
| 205 " | 338 " | ||
CHAPTER II.
The Pack-train. How Packed.