A military dictionary - William Duane

CHARGE, Fr. The French technically use this term in two different senses, viz. charge precipitée and charge à volonté. Charge precipitée is given when the four times are expressly marked, as chargez vos armes, un, deux, trois, quatre; and applies chiefly to the drill. Charge à volonté is executed in the same manner as the charge precipitée, with this difference, that the soldiers do not wait for the specific words.

Charges for field guns.

		lbs.
42 Prs. med and heavy for Rnd. Shot		4
	Case	3	¹⁄₂
12 Prs. Light	Round Shot	3
12 Prs. Light	Case	3
6 Prs. Desaguliers	Round Shot	2	¹⁄₄
6 Prs. Desaguliers	Case	2
6 Prs. Medium	Round Shot	2
6 Prs. Medium	Case
6 Prs. light	Round Shot	1	¹⁄₂
6 Prs. light	Case	1	¹⁄₄
3 Prs. Heavy	Round Shot	1
3 Prs. Heavy	Case
3 Prs. Light	Round	12	oz.

The charge for battering guns is one third the weight of the round shot, for round shot, and one fourth of it for case shot.

The charge for carronades is usually one twelfth the weight of the shot. The highest is one eighth, and the lowest one sixteenth.

By the experiments made at Woolwich in March 1801, it is recommended, that when cylinder powder is used on service, the charges of field ordnance with round shot, shall be reduced to the usual quantities for case shot. The same experiments recommend, that the thickness or length of the wood bottom be varied, in order to change the position of the shot, and thereby save the bore; and that the paper cap which is usually thrown away on service, shall be put over the shot before it is introduced into the piece.

For charges for small arms see the word [Cartridges].

Charges of French guns in French weights.

		lbs.
24	Prs.	8		-	Siege
16	Prs.	5	¹⁄₂	-	Siege

12	Prs.	4		-	Field
8	Prs.	2	¹⁄₂			-	¹⁄₄ less for Case Shot.
4	Prs.	1	¹⁄₂			-	¹⁄₄ less for Case Shot.

Charge de mine, Fr. the disposition of a certain quantity of powder, which is used for the explosion of a mine.