Artillery

The projectile machines of the ancients, as catapultæ, ballistæ, etc., for throwing heavy stones, shafts, bolts, and other mi iles, had reached great perfection before gunpowder was used in cannon. This discovery, attributed to Schwartz in 1320, marks the epoch separating ancient from modern artillery. Mi iles were first projected by gunpowder from cannon at the siege of Quesnoy, France, 1340; from that time on, the development of artillery was progre ive. From the 14th to the 17th century the tendency was toward the making of great guns; e.g., that used by Mahomet II. at the siege of Constantinople in 1453, which weighed 184 tons, caliber 25 inches, and the wrought-iron "Mons Meg," firing a granite projectile of 330 lbs., used in the siege of Dumb art on Castle 1489, and last fired 1683. During the 17th and 18th centuries, more attention being paid to ease of handling, accuracy and range, the size of guns and projectiles was correspondingly diminished. Starting with these monster guns of the 15th century, cannon were first made of wrought-iron staves hooped with iron rings; but, as the art of casting developed, bronze and cast-iron guns began to appear ab. 1550, and held their ground for near 300 years; then, owing to improved powders and the increasing demand for greater range and accuracy, cast-iron guns, rifled, and hooped with wrought-iron or steel, came into use 1856-1880; finally all new guns since 1880 have been made of steel. IMG:content-0326.png:[graphic] The The development in artillery construction which the finished coast-defense gun of to-day exhibits, in comparison with its original type, is due to many mutually a isting causes. most important of these are, the establishment of artillery schools, where the principles of the art could be formulated and scientifically studied; the nece ity arising for better mounting and pointing, and quicker manipulation; the invention by Robins of the ballistic pendulum, leading afterward to other more perfect ballistic machines, whereby the initial velocities of shot and characteristics of gunpowders could be ascertained and bettered; the invention of scientific apparatus for the inspection and proof of guns; the improvements and development of slow-burning powders and of high explosives, from which have resulted the determination of safe strains in gun construction; the improvements in the methods of igniting the charge with greater certainty and celerity; the establishment and arrangement of sights for cannon; and the chambering, rifling and breech mechanism. The early cannon were nothing more than metal tubes closed at one end; the modern sea-coast gun is built up from a central steel tube, over which succe ive steel jackets are shrunk so as to bring a previously computed initial pre ure on each one within. In this way the gun is enabled to withstand the enormous energy of each discharge and perform the function required of it. The sea-coast guns in the U. S. Service are the 8, 10, 12 and 16-inch B. L. (breech-loading) Rifles, whose weights are 14, 30, 50, and 100 tons, and the 12-inch B. L. Mortar. The immediate supporting carriage for a coast defense gun is designed to combine facility in maneuvering with extreme accuracy in pointing, and, in addition, to protect it from the enemy's fire. The latter desideratum is effected by the use of the hydraulic gun-lift, hydraulic gun-lift, or the Gordon, Crozier, or other disap pearing gun-carriage. Corresponding improvements have taken place in siege artillery, the resulting armament in the U. S. Service being the 5-inch B. L. Steel Rifle, the 7-inch B. L. Howitzer, and the 7-inch B. L. Mortar. The efficiency of field artillery depends on the accuracy, power and rapidity of its fire, on the destructive capacity of its projectiles, and on the mobility of its equipment. The field artillery has kept pace in the march of improvement with the great guns. The field batteries of four or six guns can now move with infantry, and the horse batteries can keep up with cavalry. The guns used in the U. S. Service for field artillery are the 3.2 and the 3.6-inch B. L. Rifles and the 3.6-inch Mortars.