The bombardier, and pocket gunner

by Ralph Willett Adye

The following is the Distribution of the Depth of a Camp of Infantry or Cavalry, when the Ground permits.

Distribution of the Depth of a Camp.		Infantry.	Cavalry.
		Yards	Yards
From the quarter-guard parade to the			line of parade of battalion
line of parade of battalion		62
From this first line of parade to the
front of the -	Serjeant’s tents	16
	quarter master’s	—	24
N. B. These tents open to the front.
To the first picket of horses		—	5
Infantry: for every tent in depth
”  old pattern, 9 feet
”  new pattern, 15 feet
Cavalry: for every horse, 3 feet
The soldiers tents for the infantry open
to the streets. The cavalry tents front
to the horses heads.
Suppose infantry 12 tents deep	o. pat.	36	60
”  cavalry, 60 horses
From the last tent of infantry, or the
last horse of the cavalry, to the front
of the subalterns’ tents		15	12
These tents open to the rear.
To the front of the line of captains		15	15
These open to the front. The captains, and
subalterns in the rear of their troops
or companies.
To the front of the field officers		10	15
Open to the front, opposite the outside
street of the battalion.
To the colonel’s		10	10
Opens to the front, opposite the main
street of the battalion.
To the staff officers			14
Open up the streets next the main street		10
To the first row of batmen’s tents		10
The batmen’s tents front their horses.
To the first row of pickets for bat horses		2	15
To the second row of ditto		10
To the second row of batmen		2
To the front of the grand sutler’s tent		10
The grand sutler is in the rear of the colonel.
To the center of the kitchens		15	20
The kitchens are 16 feet in diameter.
To the front of the petty sutlers		15	15
Directly in the rear of the kitchens: there are
allowed 6 yards in front by 8 deep.
To the rear guard		15	15
Opens to the rear.
Total depth required Yards		253	220

If the ground on which the camp is to be formed will not, from a swamp in the rear, or any other circumstance, admit of each troop or company being formed in one row perpendicular to the front; the distribution of the front of a battalion or squadron must be more contracted than the above, and laid out as follows: Find how many perpendicular rows will be required, by dividing the number of men in the battalion or squadron by the number the ground will admit of in one row; then the number of rows being multiplied by the breadth of one in front, will give that part of the front to be occupied by the rows; and the difference between it and the whole front allowed for the battalion or squadron, will be left for the streets; which, if the streets are to be equal, must be divided by their number, to find the breadth of each; or is otherwise easily divided into streets of unequal breadths. When two guns are attached to a battalion, they are posted on the right in the following order: from the right of battalion to the center of the first gun, four yards—from this to the second gun, 6 yards.—The muzzles of the guns in a line with the serjeants’ tents.

The subaltern of artillery, if any, in a line with the subalterns of infantry.—The rear of the gunner’s tents in a line with the rear of the battalion tents.

For the proper positions for camps, see the word [Reconnoitering]; and for the encampment of a park of artillery, see the word [Park].

CARCASSES.—Composition.

Saltpetre	50	parts.
Sulphur	25
Antimony	5
Rosin	8
Pitch	5

Valencienne’s composition, so called, from its having been used by the Austrians at the siege of that place, has the effect of making shells answer the purpose of carcasses after they burst:

Saltpetre	50	parts.
Sulphur	28
Antimony	18
Rosin, or Swedish pitch	6

This composition is cast in copper cylindric moulds of 6 inches long, and of different diameters according to the shell in which it is to be used. It must be put in along with the bursting powder in pieces as large as the shell will admit, without preventing the fuze being driven down.