Rights for this book: Public domain in the USA. This edition is published by Project Gutenberg. Originally issued by Project Gutenberg on 2020-03-24. To support the work of Project Gutenberg, visit their Donation Page. This free ebook has been produced by GITenberg, a program of the Free Ebook Foundation. If you have corrections or improvements to make to this ebook, or you want to use the source files for this ebook, visit the book's github repository. You can support the work of the Free Ebook Foundation at their Contributors Page. Project Gutenberg's Handbook for Light Artillery, by Alexander Brydie Dyer This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. Title: Handbook for Light Artillery Author: Alexander Brydie Dyer Release Date: March 24, 2020 [EBook #61672] Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HANDBOOK FOR LIGHT ARTILLERY *** Produced by Brian Coe, Karin Spence and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) HANDBOOK FOR LIGHT ARTILLERY. BY A. B. DYER, First Lieutenant, Fourth Artillery, U. S. A. FIRST EDITION. FIRST THOUSAND. NEW YORK: JOHN WILEY & SONS. London: CHAPMAN & HALL, Limited. 1896. Copyright, 1896, BY A. B. DYER. ROBERT DRUMMOND, ELECTROTYPER AND PRINTER, NEW YORK. PREFACE. In preparing this work it has been my endeavor to place in compact form all the data I could obtain that might prove of service to those persons interested in the subject of light artillery, both in the Regular Army and in the National Guard. I have held strictly to the lines laid down in Army Regulations, Drill Regulations, Official Reports, etc., as regards the matter extracted from such sources; and such as has not been so obtained has been carefully selected from the best authorities I have been able to consult. I make no claim to originality in this work. It is drawn on the lines of similar handbooks in foreign services; and a great deal of the matter has been copied verbatim from the works consulted. To the writers and compilers of those works I hereby express my thanks. While I do not consider that machine-guns are proper weapons for the light artillerist, I feel that occasions may arise when knowledge regarding them may prove of service; hence the chapter pertaining to them. I express, with pleasure, my thanks to Lieut.-Colonel E. B. Williston, 3d U. S. Artillery, for his assistance. I am particularly obliged to Captain L. L. Bruff, Ordnance Department, for having permitted me to copy from the manuscript of his work on Ordnance and Gunnery (now being published), and also for the use of many of his cuts. His friendly consideration in so doing is fully appreciated. I also express my appreciation of the assistance given me by Colonel A. R. Buffington, Ordnance Department; Captain V. McNally, Ordnance Department; Captain J. L. Lusk, Corps of Engineers; Captain James Parker, 4th Cavalry; Captain L. A. Craig, 6th Cavalry; Captain S. W. Taylor, 4th Artillery; Lieut. E. B. Babbitt, Ordnance Department; Lieut. M. M. Patrick, Corps of Engineers; Lieut. E. Russel, 5th Artillery; Mr. J. E. Trautwine, Jr.; Mr. Charles W. Parker; and Mr. L. V. Benet of the Hotchkiss Ordnance Company. The following is a partial list of the works consulted: U. S. Army Regulations; U. S. Drill Regulations for Light Artillery; U. S. Drill Regulations for Cavalry; U. S. Drill Regulations for Hospital Corps; Soldier's Handbook, U. S. A.; Reports of the Chief of Ordnance, U. S. A.; Ordnance Notes; Manual of Heavy Artillery Service, United States Army, Tidball; Manual of Guard Duty; Ordnance and Gunnery, Metcalfe; Gunnery for Non- commissioned Officers, Cronkhite; Description and Service of Machine-guns, Mills; Lectures on Explosives, Walke; Modern Explosives, Eissler; Interior and Exterior Ballistics, Ingalls; Preliminary Tactics, Baker; Handbook for Field- artillery, R. A. Service Institution; The Soldier's Pocket-book, Wolseley; Manual of Military Engineering; Aide-mémoire de Campagne; Aide-mémoire, R. E.; Artillerist's Manual and Soldier's Compendium; the handbooks of Trautwine, Haswell, and Kidder; The Future Training and Employment of Mounted Infantry, Parr; The Soldiers' First Aid Handbook, Dietz; Nystrom's Mechanics; Horses and Stables, Fitzwygram; The Veterinarian's Vade Mecum, Gamgee; The Book of the Horse, Sydney; The Mule, Reilly; Special Report on the Diseases of the Horse, U. S. Department of Agriculture; the pamphlets of Hotchkiss, Gatling, Maxim, Driggs-Schroeder, etc. etc. A. B. Dyer, 1st Lieut., 4th Artillery. West Point, N. Y., March 1, 1896. CONTENTS. PART I. MOUNTAIN-ARTILLERY. Chapter I. Description of 1.65 inch and 3.0 inch Guns—Carriages—Ammunition — Packing-outfit—Range Tables—Organization of Mountain-batteries Chapter II. The Pack-train—How Packed Chapter III. The Mule—Description—Diseases—Treatment Chapter IV. General Instructions for Mountain Artillery—Supply of Ammunition— Care and Preservation of Harness—Instructions for Drivers—Marches— Camps—Weights and Dimensions of Foreign Mountain-artillery PART II. FIELD-ARTILLERY. Chapter I. Detailed Construction of Field-guns Chapter II. 3.2 inch Guns—Sights—Ammunition—Fuzes—Range Table Chapter III. 3.6 inch Gun—Sights—Ammunition—Fuzes—Carriages—Range Table 3.6 inch Mortar—Sights—Ammunition—Fuzes—Range Table—Weights and Dimensions of Foreign Field-artillery Chapter IV. Wheel—Carriage—Limber—Caisson—Battery-wagon and Forge— Artillery-wagon—Harness—Water-cart—Revolver —Hunting-knife Chapter V. Care and Fitting of Harness—Care of Carriages—Care of Guns—Care of Ammunition—Guard Orders Chapter VI. The Horse—How Obtained—Description of—Inspection of—Power of Teams—Weight behind Artillery Teams—Gaits of Artillery—Dentition— Plate of Diseases—Health and Disease—Veterinary Medicines—Drugs and Doses, and How to Administer Them—Mashes—Poultices, etc.— Veterinary Notes, with Symptoms and Treatment of Various Diseases— Stables and Stable Management—Grooming—Feeding—Kinds of Food— Watering—Training Horses—Rules for Treatment and Care of Horses— Destruction of Horses Chapter VII. Organization of Artillery—Composition of Light Batteries—Equipment— Equipment and Clothing for Marches—Marches—Selection of Camps— Making Camp—Breaking Camp—Allowance of Wagons Chapter VIII. Transportation by Rail; by Sea—Embarkation—Care of Animals— Diseases of Animals at Sea—Disembarkation Chapter IX. Machine-guns—The Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon—The Gatling Gun— The Gardner Gun—The Maxim Gun—The Metallic Carriage for Machine- guns Chapter X. Theoretical Gunnery—Definitions—General Principles—Probability of Fire—Burst of Shell—Burst of Shrapnel Chapter XI. The Causes of Bad Shooting—Estimating Distances—Range-finding— Rule for Sighting—General Duties of Artillery Commanders—Target Practice, How Conducted—Projectiles Used—Kinds of Targets—Night- firing Chapter XII. Cordage, How Preserved—Strength—Blocks and Tackle—Knots, Hitches, etc.—Lashings Bridges—Trestles, Piers, etc.—Single-sling and Double-sling Bridges— Stringer Bridges—Fords—Flying and Floating Bridges—Rafts and Casks Chapter XIII. Hasty Demolition—Gunpowder—Dynamite—How Used in Blasting— Guncotton—Rack-a-Rock—Handling, Transportation, and Storage of High Explosives—Charges for Hasty Demolition—Where and How to Place Charges Chapter XIV. Battery Books and Records—Rolls, Reports, and Returns—The Ration— Salt and Vinegar for Public Animals—The Travel-ration—Present Organization of U. S. Light Field-battery—Cost of a Battery of Four 3.2" Guns, in Detail—Price-list of Artillery-harness—Price-list of Harness for 1.65" Mountain-gun—Price-list of Artillery Accoutrements, etc.—Price-list of Horse Equipments—Price-list of Stencil and Marking Outfits—Supply Table of Ordnance Stores for a Battery of Light Artillery for Six Months— Allowance of Ammunition for Target Practice—Standard Supply Table of Veterinary Medicines—Tableware and Kitchen Utensils—Allowance of Clothing, Equipage, Fuel, Lights, etc.—Weights of Certain Articles of Clothing and Equipage—Pay Table of Enlisted Men—Summary Court, and List of Punishments—U. S. Signal and Telegraph Code—Penetration of Projectiles—Cover for Field-artillery—Treatment of Sick Men—Tables of Weights, Measures, etc.—Tables for Converting Customary and Metric Weights and Measures—Salutes—Camp Furniture and Mess Outfits for Officers A HANDBOOK FOR LIGHT ARTILLERY. PART I. MOUNTAIN-ARTILLERY. CHAPTER I. Guns. Carriages. Ammunition. Packing Outfit. Range Tables. Organization of Mountain-batteries. THE 1.65-INCH HOTCHKISS MOUNTAIN-GUN. Fig. 1. DESCRIPTION. Material steel Total length 3.83 feet Length of bore 3.43 feet Travel of projectile 3.10 feet Calibre 1.65 inches Weight 121 pounds Grooves 10 Twist of rifling, uniform 1 in 29.83 cals. Muzzle-velocity 1298 ft.-sec. Maximum range 3500 yards The gun (Fig. 2) consists of the body and the breech mechanism. Fig. 2. The body of the gun is made from a single forging of oil-tempered and annealed steel. The trunnion-ring is screwed on the gun-body just forward of the reinforce, and provides a support for the front sight. The bore is rifled with a uniform right- hand twist. The lands are very narrow in proportion to the grooves, and are ten in number. The Breech-block is a solid prismatic block of steel with rounded corners, having a horizontal movement in a mortise cut completely through the breech of the gun. The front face of the block is perpendicular to the axis of the bore, whilst the rear face is slightly inclined. The left end of the block is bored to form a prolongation of the chamber when the breech is open, and its front upper corner is cut away to allow free movement of the extractor. The horizontal movement of the breech-block is limited by the stop-bolt, which, passing through the breech of the gun, engages in a guide in the upper part of the block. In the right end of the breech-block is mounted a shaft on which is secured the locking-screw, and which terminates in a handle for manœuvring. The thread of the locking-screw is cut away for about 100°, in such a manner that the breech- block may be locked or unlocked by a half-turn of the handle. The Extractor is a single piece of steel working in a longitudinal groove in the top of the breech-mortise. Its forward end is formed into a claw to grasp the head of the cartridge. On the same side as the claw is a stud which, following a groove in the top of the breech-block, imparts motion to the extractor. The Vent is a cylindrical channel passing diagonally through the breech and breech-block, and changing direction in the block so as to follow the axis of the bore. The friction-primer cannot be inserted until the two parts of the vent are in prolongation from the complete closing and locking of the breech-block. The ordinary friction-primer is used. NOMENCLATURE. The Mechanism. —( b ) breech-block; loading-hole; ( s ) stop-bolt; spring washer; ( r ) stop-bolt guide; ( e ) extractor; ( h ) extractor-hook; ( a k ) extractor-guide; ( c ) locking-screw; locking-screw shaft; locking-screw pin; ( l ) handle; stop; stop keep-screw. Fig. 3. ACTION OF THE MECHANISM. The gun having been fired, the handle is turned to the rear, unlocking the block and starting it in the mortise. Drawing the handle smartly to the right, the breech is opened, the extractor, actuated by the movement of the block, commences to move very slowly back with a powerful leverage, starting the cartridge-case from its seat. When the breech-block has moved sufficiently to unmask the bore, the change of direction in the extractor-guide causes the extractor to make a quick movement to the rear, throwing the cartridge clear of the gun. A new charge being inserted, it is pushed home until the head of the cartridge brings up against the extractor. The breech is now closed by pushing it smartly to the left, and is locked by turning the handle to the front. A primer may now be inserted in the vent, and the gun is ready for firing. DIRECTIONS FOR DISMOUNTING THE MECHANISM. Unscrew the stop-bolt about four turns, or remove completely. Withdraw breech-block. Remove extractor, which is now free. In general nothing further need be dismounted for cleaning and inspection. To dismount completely continue as follows: Remove locking-screw pin with screw-driver. Remove stop keep-screw. Drive out stop with the drift, interposing a bit of wood or leather to avoid bruising the stop. Withdraw handle and locking-screw shaft. Remove locking-screw. To mount, proceed in reverse order. CARE AND PRESERVATION. The gun requires no special care beyond that of being kept clean, free from rust and undefaced. Brick-dust or gritty substances must never be used on any part of the gun. The parts of the mechanism must never be scraped with knives or metal, or be defaced or roughened in any way. All parts of the gun must be kept lightly oiled as a protection from rust. After firing, the gun should invariably be thoroughly cleaned. To do this, dismount the mechanism completely and wash every part thoroughly with warm fresh-water soapsuds; mechanism, breech-block, mortise, and barrel should all be treated alike. After thoroughly scrubbing all parts, dry them carefully and let all stand for a short time to air and dry off the moisture. After drying, rub all parts over with a well-oiled rag. Mount the mechanism. On the march the breech and muzzle should always be protected by the covers supplied for the purpose. When parked, guns and carriages should be covered with paulins. SIGHTS. The Front Sight is a plain roughened steel point-sight, and is permanently fixed to the right rim-base. Fig. 4. The Bar Tangent Sight (Fig. 4) is a plain vertical bar-sight carrying a sliding leaf conveniently graduated. Both the bar and the leaf have clamp-screws to fix them in position. The tangent sight is only mounted on the gun when in action, being at other times removed to avoid injuring it. The bar is graduated to 15°, each being subdivided into six parts. It may be graduated in yards or metres. It is compensated for natural drift. A vernier-mark on the head of the sight and graduations on the sliding leaf correct ordinary deviations. The Gunner's Quadrant , for mountain-guns, is a small pocket-quadrant with a spirit-level limb pivoted. On the arc are inscribed both the degrees of elevation and ranges corresponding to the gun for which it is used. It is thoroughly reliable both for direct and curved fire, and to a very great extent supplants the sight-bar. The recoil is checked by rope-brakes, hooked to the trail-handles and passed around the felloes of the wheels. No limber is used, but a pole which is readily attached to the trail is provided for hauling the carriage. AMMUNITION. The ammunition is fixed, and consists of common shell and canister. Weight of round (common shell) 2.62 pounds Weight of shell, filled 1.95 pounds Weight of round (canister) complete 3.47 pounds Weight of canister 2.8 pounds Number of balls in canister 30 Powder-charge 5½ oz. mortar Bursting-charge of shell 1.8 oz. Weight of cartridge case empty 5.3 oz. Weight of fuze 1.9 oz. The drawn metallic cartridge-case (Fig. 5) is of brass, and is drawn from the solid metal to shape. It is reinforced at the base by inside ( c ) and outside ( b ) cups of the same metal. The head ( d ) is fastened to the base by brass rivets which clamp the body, cups, and head solidly together. A vent ( v ) is pierced through the head of the cartridge, and five eccentric flash-holes ( a ) through the reinforcing-cups. The jet of flame from the primer, entering the vent, lifts the reinforcing-cups and forces its way through the flash-holes to the charge. The charge being ignited, the pressure of the gas immediately forces back the reinforcing-cups and seals the vent. The charge, consisting of 5½ oz. of black powder, is well shaken down and separated from the base of the projectile by a felt wad. When smokeless powder is employed, an igniter containing about 40 grains (3 grammes) of musket-powder is placed in the bottom of the cartridge- case. The vent is sealed with a thin coating of wax. Fig. 5. Fig. 6. Fig. 7. The Common Shell (Fig. 6) is of the cylindro-ogival pattern with a brass band, and is fitted with a base percussion-fuze. It contains a bursting-charge of about 1¾ oz. (950 grammes) of musket-powder. The Canister (Fig. 7) consists of a thin envelope of drawn brass, containing thirty hardened 1-oz. lead balls packed in sulphur. On the body is an annular stop to prevent inserting too far into the cartridge-case. The cartridge-case can be recharged on an average about eight times. The Carriage. Weight complete 241 pounds Height of axis of trunnions above ground 27.55 inches Diameter of the wheel 37.4 inches Track of wheel 2.46 feet Fig. 8. Nomenclature (see Fig. 8).—( a ) trail; ( b ) axle; ( c ) wheel; ( d ) cap-squares; ( e ) breast-transom; ( f ) elevating-screw; ( g ) lunette; ( h ) hook. DESCRIPTION. The carriage-body consists of two steel brackets forming cheeks and trail. They are reinforced by angle-steel and connected by transoms. The axle is secured in beds riveted to the brackets, and is arranged to be readily dismounted when required. The elevating-gear consists of a simple screw working in a stout steel transom, and supports the breech of the gun; the preponderance is sufficient to insure stability. The sponge and rod are secured to the right side of the trail by suitable attachments. A pole is provided for draught when easy country is encountered, and provision is made for attaching it to the lunette. The following articles are carried in the gunner's haversack: 1 tangent-sight; 1 lanyard; 1 spare-extractor; 1 spare stop-bolt; 1 dismounting-pin; 1 oil-can; 2 cleaning-brushes; 1 screw-driver; 1 pair cutting-pliers; 1 vent-cleaner; friction- primers. Leather covers are provided for the breech and muzzle of the gun. Two bricoles are provided for use in moving by hand. The band of the bricole is of stout canvas, having a short length of rope at its lower end, provided with a stout hook for hooking into the swivels on the ends of the axles. Hotchkiss Point Percussion-fuze. The Hotchkiss Point Fuze (Fig. 9) consists of four main parts: the body A , the plunger B , the head C , and the safety-plug D The Body is cylindrical and of brass, with a screw-thread and stout shoulder at the upper end for securing in the shell. The outside of the shoulder is shaped to the ogive. A chamber is fashioned in the body, whose base has a conical hole bored for the safety-plug. The Plunger is a hollow brass cylinder with a lead lining to give it weight, and containing a chamber in which is a small charge of powder with a fulminate cap over it, the whole being covered with foil as a preservative against moisture. A small brass wire is inserted in the lower part of the plunger, bent up so that the ends project through the safety-plug hole. The Safety-plug is a lead stopper forced tightly into the hole in the bottom, and by pinching the ends of the brass wire holds the plunger steady. The Head is of gun-metal, the outside following the ogival contour and being provided with a screw-thread for securing it in the body. In the centre of the lower surface is fixed a small point forming a striker for the fulminate. RANGE TABLE FOR 1.65-INCH HOTCHKISS MOUNTAIN- GUN. Kind of powder, Dupont H. N Weight of charge, 5½ oz Weight of shell, 1 lb. 15 oz Initial velocity, 1,298 ft.-sec Angle of jump, + 22 minutes Length of line of sight, 17.93 inches Range. Elevation. Angle of Fall. Sight- marks. Drift. Drift- marks. Time of Flight. Remaining Velocity. Dangerous Space for Infantry. Yards. ° ′ ° ′ Inches. Yards. Inches. Sec. Feet. Yards. 100 -0 12 0 12 0.000 0.1 0.008 0.1 1,243 100 200 0 00 0 23 0.000 0.1 0.009 0.4 1,191 200 300 +0 11 0 35 0.057 0.2 0.012 0.7 1,125 180 400 0 23 0 48 0.120 0.3 0.014 1.0 1,099 131 500 0 35 1 02 0.183 0.4 0.014 1.3 1,066 102 600 0 49 1 16 0.255 0.5 0.015 1.6 1,037 83 700 1 03 1 31 0.328 0.7 0.018 1.9 1,007 69 800 1 17 1 53 0.401 0.9 0.020 2.2 984 56 900 1 32 2 16 0.479 1.2 0.024 2.5 961 46 1,000 1 48 2 39 0.562 1.5 0.026 2.8 942 40 1,100 2 04 3 02 0.646 2.0 0.033 3.1 922 34 1,200 2 21 3 27 0.735 2.5 0.037 3.4 902 30 1,300 2 39 3 53 0.829 3.2 0.044 3.8 886 27 1,400 2 57 4 22 0.923 3.9 0.050 4.1 869 24 1,500 3 16 4 48 1.022 4.6 0.055 4.5 853 22 1,600 3 36 5 19 1.127 5.5 0.062 4.9 837 20 1,600 3 36 5 19 1.127 5.5 0.062 4.9 837 20 1,700 3 57 5 50 1.237 6.1 0.065 5.3 823 18 1,800 4 18 6 22 1.347 7.0 0.070 5.7 810 16 1,900 4 39 6 55 1.457 8.0 0.076 6.1 797 15 2,000 5 01 7 28 1.572 9.0 0.081 6.5 784 14 2,100 5 23 8 02 1.688 10.0 0.086 6.9 771 13 2,200 5 47 8 36 1.814 11.0 0.090 7.3 758 12 2,300 6 11 9 14 1.941 13.0 0.102 7.7 748 11 2,400 6 36 9 57 2.073 15.0 0.113 8.1 735 10 2,500 7 01 10 36 2.205 17.0 0.123 8.5 722 10 2,600 7 27 11 18 2.342 20.0 0.139 8.9 712 9 2,700 7 53 12 00 2.480 22.0 0.151 9.3 702 9 2,800 8 20 12 42 2.624 24.0 0.155 9.8 689 8 2,900 8 48 13 26 2.773 26.0 0.163 10.2 679 8 3,000 9 17 14 10 2.928 28.0 0.170 10.6 669 7 3,200 10 15 15 39 3.239 35.0 0.199 11.6 650 6 3,400 11 16 17 11 3.569 41.0 0.221 12.6 630 6 3,600 12 20 18 45 3.917 48.0 0.245 13.5 610 5 3,800 13 27 20 20 4.284 57.0 0.277 14.5 591 5 4,000 14 35 22 00 4.996 70.0 0.325 15.5 571 4 If the axle of the carriage be not horizontal, multiply the difference of level of the wheels in inches (or the inclination of the trunnions in degrees) by the elevation in degrees for the given range; the result will be the deflection in minutes to be applied on the side of the higher wheel. Fig. 9. When the shell is fired, the plunger is forced to the rear, driving the safety-plug into the shell. The small wires being free to let the plunger drive forward, hold it steadily with the rotation of the shell, and keep it from dropping forward on the descending arc of a high trajectory. On impact the plunger drives forward, and the little magazine is exploded by contact with the point. A Frankford Arsenal point percussion-fuze, small (model 1894), weight 2¼ oz.,