1. Line of March.
Numbers 7, 9, 12, and 15, on the left of the gun; 8, 10, 13, 14, and 11, on the right; numbers 7 and 8 opposite the muzzle of the gun; 9 and 10 opposite the breech; 12 and 13 opposite the trail; 14 opposite the axletree of the limber; 11 opposite the shafts; 15 leads the limber horse; the driver leads the front.
2. Position and Duties of 9 men
when prepared for Action.
Light Guns.—7 spunges, 8 loads, 9 serves the vent, 10 fires, 11 commands, 12 carries the match and water bucket, 13 serves 8 with ammunition from 14, who carries a cartouch and a pair of drag ropes; 15 holds the limber horse, and carries a cartouch.
Positions.—7 between the right wheel and the muzzle; 8 between the left wheel and the muzzle; 9 clear of the rear of the right wheel; 10 clear of the left wheel, both in a line with the vent; 11 on the left of the handspike; 12 on his right, clear of 9; 13 covers the left wheel, 5 yards in the rear; 14 covers the right wheel, 10 yards in the rear. The limber is 25 yards directly in the rear of the gun.
Heavy Guns.—This is the same as with the light guns, except that 7 and 8 stand outside the wheels, and 8 assists 7 to ram home, if necessary.
Howitzers.—Positions are the same as the heavy guns, but the duties different. 7 spunges, uncaps the fuze, and puts in the shell; 8 takes the sheepskin out of the piece, lays it on the ground, with the woolen side up, loads with cartridge, wipes the bottom of the shell, (when 7 holds it up) puts in the sheep skin again, and pulls it out with his left hand on the word Ready: He stops the muzzle with it immediately that the piece is fired; 9 serves the vent; 10 fires; 11 commands; 12 carries the match and bucket; 13 serves 8 with cartridges from a cartouch; 14 serves 7 with shells from the limber, which he lays on the sheep skin; 15 attends the limber. As from unavoidable accidents the number of men attached to a gun, may be reduced, it will be necessary if the vacancies happen amongst those doing the most essential duties, to immediately replace them by those doing the most subordinate duties.
The following method of distributing the duties amongst a smaller number of men, will be equally applicable to all natures of field ordnance.
| Nᵒ. of men. | Nature. | Numbers retained. | The vacancies, how supplied. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Gun | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | complete. |
| Howr | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | ||
| 8 | Gun | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Nᵒ. 12 being dropt, Nᵒ. 11 does his duties. | |
| Howr | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |||
| 7 | Gun | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | Nᵒ. 14’s pouch is laid on the ground; 13 carries it when moving. | ||
| Howr | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 15 | Nᵒ. 8 serves himself with cartridges | |||
| 6 | Gun | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | Nᵒ. 9 serves the vent with his left hand faces about and fires. Tube box on left side. | |||
| Howr | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | |||||
| 5 | Gun | 7 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | Nᵒ. 11 does all the duties of 9, as in the last change, his own duties, and those of 12. | ||||
| Howr | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 15 | ||||||
| 4 | Gun | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | Nᵒ. 8 fetches his own ammunition; 7 serves his own shells. | |||||
| Howr | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | |||||||
| 3 | Gun | 7 | 11 | 15 | Nᵒ. 7 serves and loads all the ammunition. —Nᵒ. 7 & 15 must change duties occasionally. | ||||||
| Howr | 7 | 11 | 15 | ||||||||