NAPOLEONIC ARTILLERY

Firepower Comes of Age

by Jim Burbeck

During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars which swept Europe between 1792 and 1815, the small professional armies of the eighteenth century quickly gave way to large national armies composed of draftees. This same period saw artillery transformed from a specialized profession overseen by "mechanics" to a major service branch capable of dominating battlefields. In 1796, the French Army of Italy had 60 artillery pieces to its credit. Sixteen years later, at the battle of Borodino, the artillery for both sides totaled nearly 1,200 guns, which fired an average of 15,000 rounds per HOUR during the course of the day's battle, and that was on a mere two mile front! These wars saw the rise of artillery to a preeminent battlefield position. But how was it employed? How did artillery batteries behave on the field of battle and how were they able to function during the confusion of combat?

Improvement and Changes

Artillery pieces used during the eighteenth century were large and clumsy affairs, whose great weight barely allowed their transport over European roads. An army did not even move its own artillery. The cannon were, astonishingly, towed around for the army by civilian "contractors" who avoided actual battlefields as much as possible. It was not unusual for gunners to manhandle, or "prolong" their artillery pieces onto the battlefield. The heavy guns, once in position, did not tend to be moved much during a battle. However, despite these awkward arrangements, most European nations gradually instituted technological improvements in the artillery.

Beginning in the late 1760's, France's artillery park was overhauled by Jean Baptiste Grimbeaval, who standardized all construction and design, resulting in lighter, more manageable cannon and better quality barrels and ammunition. The Russians also designed new artillery at this time, creating the Licorn artillery howitzers, which were ancestors to today's dual purpose field pieces. In 1805 they standardized their main gun calibers to just two sizes, a notable departure from that army's otherwise archaic methods. In 1792, Sir William Congreve introduced the block trail to Britain's Royal Artillery. The block trail was another breakthrough for artillery, further lightening the pieces themselves and improving their handling through the efficient design. Most nations at this time also began constructing gun/limber designs which allowed gunners to ride with the guns. Amidst all ...