There are three distinct organization for field batteries:

1. The peace organization, or that FOR INSTRUCTION simply.

2. That for the march, or of PREPARATION FOR SERVICE.

3. That of WAR.

    The first organization - that for instruction - requires that the battery of maneuver only, consisting of four pieces, with their caissons, should be horsed.  As the movements are executed with empty ammunition chests, the number of horses, and especially in the 6-pounder batteries, may be limited to four for each carriage.  The battery wagon and forge, although not horsed, should be at all times with the battery, and provided with the stores and tools for service.
    The additional guns and caissons, with their equipments and harness, to complete the battery to the war establishment, should be kept with it, on in store ready for issue.
    The second organization - that of preparation for service - requires that the battery of maneuver, and also the forge and battery wagon, should be kept fully horsed, manned, and equipped.  As the ammunition and stores must be transported, the carriages require six horses each, and the artificers, as well as the chiefs of the pieces and buglers, should be mounted.  On the inland frontiers, or at interior stations, where batteries, when put in motion, must take the road, they should be kept on this organization.
    The third organization requires that the full battery or six or eight pieces should be equipped in all respects for war.  When there is no reserve park with the troops, the additional battery wagon, forge, and other carriages which usually accompany it, with their stores and supplies, and the full campaign allowance of ammunition, should accompany the battery, under charge of its commanders.

    In batteries of horse artillery, two men and twelve horses per piece (one horse spare) are required in addition to the numbers given in the table.  [Webmaster's note: These horses are for the seven cannoneers and two corporals on each crew that walk in field/light batteries.  The two additional men hold these horses while the crews are firing.  This would bring the total to 221 horses, plus the five horses owned by the officers.  The total battery complement would then be five officers and 159 enlisted men.]
    When batteries are ordered on service on the plains, the number of spare draught horses should be increased to one pair for each carriage.

    The BATTERY is supposed to consist of six pieces.   In batteries of eight pieces there are two additional guns, with the material required for their service.

    The number of friction primers is 50% greater than the number of rounds furnished to the battery.  To provide for contingencies, a small supply of port-fires and slow-match is also furnished with the ammunition.
    The campaign allowance of ammunition is double what has been here prescribed, or about 400 rounds per piece, of which about 200 rounds per piece accompany the battery, the remainder being with the reserve parks.

    The pieces are cast in bronze or gun-metal, and are much less liable to burst than those made of iron.
    BRONZE for cannon (commonly called BRASS) consists of 90 parts of copper and 10 of tin, allowing a variation of 1 part of tin, more or less.  It is more fusible than copper - much less so than tin; is harder, less susceptible of oxidation, and much less ductile than either of its components.  The specific gravity of bronze is about 8.70, being greater than the mean of the specific gravities of copper and tin; that of iron is about 7.25.  The TENACITY of bronze is also greater than that of iron.
    The external forms of the pieces, and their nomenclature, are shown in plates 6 and 7.  The howitzers only are chambered: the 6-pounder gun and 12- pounder howitzer have no handles.

    The PREPONDERANCE is the excess of the weight of the piece in the rear of the trunnions over that in front; it is measured by lifting power, in pounds, which must be applied at the rear of the base ring, to balance the gun when suspended freely on the trunnions.
    The TRUE WINDAGE is the difference between the diameters of the bore and of the ball.

    Gunpowder is composed of niter (saltpeter), charcoal, and sulfur, the proportion of the ingredients and the size of the grain varying with the uses for which it is destined.
    Powder for the military service is composed of 75 or 76 parts, by weight, of niter, to 15 or 14 parts of charcoal, and 10 of sulfur.  It is blazed, in order to enable it to resist the effects of shaking in transportation, and of exposure to the moisture of the air.  For sporting purposes there are two parts more of niter and two parts less of charcoal.
    Gunpowder burns at a temperature from 575° to 600° Fahrenheit.  If made of pure materials, well glazed, and kept in proper casks in a dry magazine, it absorbs less than 1% of moisture in 10 to 15 years.  If freely exposed to air saturated with moisture, it will absorb 2% or more in 24 hours.

    The PROJECTILE FORCE of gunpowder is ascertained by means of the cannon pendulum and the musket pendulum.  The apparatus shows the initial velocity of a ball fired from a cannon of a musket with the ordinary service charges.
    In PROVING CANNON POWDER, the initial velocity of a ball of medium weight and windage, with a charge of one-fourth its weight of powder, should be:

• From a 24-pounder garrison gun, not less than 1,600 feet.

• From a 12-pounder field gun, not less than 1,550 feet.

• From a 6-pounder field gun, not less than 1,500 feet.

    In PROVING SMALL-ARM POWER, the initial velocity of a musket ball, with a charge of 120 grains, should be:

• With musket powder, not less than 1,500 feet.

• With rifle powder, not less than 1,600 feet.

• With fine sporting powder, not less than 1,800 feet.

    The charges are contained in CARTRIDGE BAGS, made of woolen material free from any mixture of cotton, and of sufficiently close texture as to prevent the powder from sifting through.

    (Plate 1.)  There are four kinds of projectiles used in field service, vis: the SOLID SHOT, the CANISTER, the SHELL, and the CASE SHOT.

    The projectiles is attached to a block of wood called a SABOT.  For the guns and the 12-pounder howitzer, the cartridge and the projectile are attached to the same sabot, making together a round of fixed ammunition.   For 32-pounder and 24-pounder howitzers, the projectile is separate from the charge, and the cartridge is attached to a block of wood called a cartridge block.³
    The SOLID SHOT is spherical, and its weight in pounds is used to designate the caliber of the gun to which it belongs.
    The CANISTER consists of a tin cylinder, attached to a sabot and filled with cast-iron shot.  These shot vary in diameter, and of course in weight, with the caliber and description of the piece.  Canisters for guns contain 27 shots each; those for howitzers contain 48 shots each.  They are packed in sawdust in four tiers; the lower tier rests on a rolled iron plate, which is placed on the sabot, and the canister is closed with a sheet-iron cover.  The canister takes this designation from that of the piece for which it is prepared.
    The SHELL is a hollow shot, with such thickness of metal as enables it to penetrate earthworks, wooden buildings, etc., without breaking.  For service it is charged with powder, and bursts with great force.  Fire is communicated to the charge by means of a FUSE, inserted in the hole through which the powder is introduced, the time of the explosion being regulated by the preparation of the fuse.  The shell is designated by the weight of the solid shot of the same diameter.

    The SHRAPNEL or CASE SHOT is a hollow cast-iron shot forming a case which is filled with musket balls.  Melted sulfur or resin is poured on to fill up the interstices and secure the balls in their positions.   After this is solidified, a portion of the contents is bored out and the vacant cylindrical space filled with powder, the amount of the charge being only sufficient to rupture the case, which has less thickness of metal than the shell, and to disperse the contents.  Fire is communicated to the charge by the means employed for exploding the shell.  The shrapnel shot, so called from the name of its inventor, an officer of the British artillery, produces the same effect as the canister, and can be used for much greater distances,  It takes its designation from that of the piece.

    (Plate 1.) The BORMAUN FUSE (so called from the name of its inventor, an officer in the Belgian artillery) is the only kind at present used in the field artillery service.  This fuse is a circular metallic disc, about 1.5 inch diameter, and 1/2 an inch thick.  On the exterior are several turns of a stout thread, which enables the disc to be screwed into the shell.  The composition filling (mealed powder) is compressed into a circular groove near to and concentric with the circumference of the disc.  The end of the composition communicates by a canal with a small magazine in the center of the disk.  The magazine is filled with powder, and slightly closed on the lower side so as to yield in that direction to the explosion.   The composition is securely protected from moisture or accidental ignition by a covering of soft metal, on which is legibly marked the time graduations in seconds and parts of a second.Commencing at the entrance to the magazine, on the left end of the composition, the first mark, a short one, of for 3/4 of a second; the next, one dot, or the figure 1, is for 1 second; the next, a short mark, for 1 1/4 second; the next, a long mark, 1 1/2 second; the next a short mark, 1 3/4 second; the next, two dots, or the figure 2, is for 2 seconds, and so on in succession up to 5 1/4 seconds, which is the longest time for which these fuses are constructed.
    As the fuse exposes considerable surface to the shock of movement, it is sustained within the shell by a thick iron plate, perforated through the center so as to permit the passage of the flame from the fuse into the interior of the shell when the magazine explodes.
    This plate is screwed into an orifice prepared for its reception, and closes the lower part of the fuse-hole.  The metallic fuse is then screwed firmly into its place, and the projectile is ready for service.
    The operation of the fuse in service is as follows: the thin covering of metal above the composition is cut at the desired point so as to lay bare the upper surface and expose it to the flame of the discharge.  The combustion of the composition occupies the assigned time, and then, through the canal already mentioned, communicates fire to the magazine.  The explosion drives the flame downward through the orifice in the iron plate into the interior of the projectile, where it encounters the charge of the latter.
    The FUSE-GOUGE, a small gouge with a wooden handle, is required to cut the metallic cover and expose the composition.  Two fuse-gouges should be supplied to each piece.

    The primer is a small tube filled with rifle powder, and inserted in the vent at the moment of firing.  It is ignited by the friction produced in drawing a rough wire briskly through a friction composition, consisting of 1 part chlorate of potassa and 2 parts of sulfuret of antimony, moistened with a weak solution of gum arabic, and mixed together in a wet state.  This composition is contained in a smaller tube, which is inserted at right angles in the priming tube near the top and soldered to it.  A lanyard, with a hook attached, is used to pull out the wire.
    Ammunition is issued to batteries from the arsenals, prepared for immediate use.  It is packed in boxes made for the purpose; these are painted olive color on the outside, and the kind of ammunition contained in each is marked on both ends in white letters.  The date and place of fabrication are marked on the inside of the cover.
    When fresh ammunition is received, it should at once be gauged to the pieces, and its condition examined.  It should be frequently aired, and every care taken to keep it in good order.  The primers should be kept in a dry place, and exposed to the sun before being used.  In rainy weather, especially when long continued, and an action may be expected, they should be dries carefully, in small separate parcels, before a fire.

    All field carriages consist of two parts - the body, or main portion of the carriage, and the limber, or front part, to which the horses are attached.  These parts are so connected as to be readily detached and separated from each other.
    GUN-CARRIAGES, (Plates 8 and 9) - There are three gun-carriages for field artillery, Viz:
        One for the 6-pounder gun and the 12-pounder howitzer.⁵
        One for the 24-pounder howitzer.
        One for the 12-pounder gun and the 32-pounder howitzer.⁶
    The 12-pounder light gun is for the present mounted on the 24-pounder howitzer carriage, modified slightly for the purpose.  A special carriage will probably be adopted for it.
    The parts of these carriages are all similar, differing only in their dimensions.

    CAISSONS, (Plates 12 and 13.) - All caissons are of the same external forms and dimensions.

    BATTERY WAGONS (Plates 14 and 15) are of the same external forms and dimensions.  The one which accompanies the battery differs in its equipment from that of the field park, and also in its external arrangements and contents.

    TRAVELING FORGES, (Plates 16 and 17.) - The remarks as to the forms, dimensions, and equipments of the battery wagons, apply also to the forges for the field batteries and parks.

    LIMBERS, (Plates 10 and 11.) - The same limber is used for field carriages.  The limber chests of the gun-carriage and caisson contain ammunition and equipments for the service of the piece; those of the forge and battery wagon contain tools and stores for shoeing and repairs.

    WHEELS. - There are two number of wheels for field carriages, viz: No. 1, for the 6-pounder gun-carriage, the caisson, the forge, the battery wagon, and for the limbers of all field carriages.  No. 2, for the 12-pounder gun-carriage and the 24-pounder howitzer, or the light 12-pounder gun carriage.  These wheels are of the same form and height, and they fit on the same axletree-arm; they differ only in the dimensions of their parts, and consequently in strength and weight.
    AMMUNITION CHESTS, (Plate 2.) - The same ammunition chest is adapted to the limber and to the caisson.  The interior arrangement varies with the caliber and description of the piece and the ammunition to be used.  The principal divisions are designated as the right half and the left half to a person facing the front or lock side of the chest.  The smaller divisions in each half perpendicular to the sides are designated as the first, second, third, etc., from the principal partition each way; the divisions parallel to the sides are designated as the front, middle, and rear divisions.

    Chest for 6-pounder gun. - Eight partitions, four in each half, perpendicular to the sides of the chest, and sliding in grooves made for the purpose.  All the divisions of the right half, except the fifth, are provided with two bolsters each, for spherical case shot.  The bolsters are attached to the partitions by screws; the wooden strips which form the grooves, the linings, and the props for shells and spherical case, are secured with copper nails. One tray, for holding equipments, rests on the partitions in the left half of the chest.  Three finger holes are bored on the inside of the ends to lift by, and a hole is bored through the middle of the bottom to let the air pass when the tray is lifted out.
    Chest for light 12-pounder gun. - Six partitions, three in each half, perpendicular to the sides.  Four of the divisions are provided with bolsters for shells and spherical case shot, and one division is separate from the rest by partitions of sufficient height to suit that of the canisters.  One tray for equipments in the left half, as in the 6-pounder chest.
    Chest for 12-pounder gun. - Six partitions, three in each half, perpendicular to the sides.  Four bolsters for spherical case shot.   One division is prepared for canisters, as in the light 12-pounder gun.  One tray for equipments in the left half.
    Chest for 12-pounder howitzer. - Six partitions, three in each half, perpendicular to the sides.  Twenty-one bolsters for the lower tier of shells and spherical case shot.  They are cupped to receive the balls, and have holes bored through the bottom for the fuses to lie in.  They are placed in the bottom of the chest, three in each division, except the division prepared for the canisters.  Twenty-eight props, for the upper tier of shells and spherical case, four in each division, except that for the canisters.  Six props for canisters in the first division, right half.
    Chest for 24-pounder howitzer. - Eight linings, two in each of the front and rear divisions, fastened to the ends of the chest and to the principal partitions.  Four long partitions, two in each half, parallel to the sides of the chest.  Two short partitions for canisters in the rear division of the right half. Seven short partitions for shells and spherical case shot; two in each of the front divisions, two in the rear division of the left half, and one in the middle division of the right half.  Each of these partitions is formed of two pieces, which slip into grooves, one over the other. Thirty-three bolsters for shells and spherical case in the two front divisions - the left rear division and the right middle division; they are so placed as to support two tiers of shot and shell.
    Chest for 32-pounder howitzer. - Six long partitions, three in each half; one parallel to the ends, and two parallel to the sides of the chest.   Four short partitions, one in the front and rear divisions of each half, made in two pieces, and fastened as in the 24-pounder howitzer chest.  Twenty-one bolsters for shells and shrapnel shot in the front and rear divisions, left half; the rear division, right half; and on the right of the front division, right half.   They are arranged as in the 24-pounder howitzer chest, so as to support two tiers of shot and shells.

    In packing ammunition in the chests, care must be taken to place the rounds in their proper position, and then to secure them from movement by filling all the void spaces closely with packing tow.  The tow should be inserted in small portions, and packed down with a straight smooth stick, prepared for the purpose.  When ammunition is not firmly secured, the shaking of the carriage soon injures the powder, and renders the firing uncertain.

    One forge and one battery wagon accompany each field battery.  They are furnished with the tools and materials required for shoeing horses, and for ordinary repairs and preservation of carriages and harness.
    Other forges and battery wagons, equipped for the general service of the army, accompany the field park, which contains the general supplies of ordnance stores.
    The forge for the field battery is designated by the letter A.
    The forge for the field park is designated by the letter B.
    The battery wagon for the field battery is designated by the letter C.
    The battery wagon for the field park is designated by the letter D.

    The chest is marked: FORGE A.
    There are five boxes for tools and stores, one shoeing-box, and one can for oil.
    The boxes are marked: A Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
    They are made of white pine, .75 inch thick, with loose covers of the same thickness; the covers have three 3/4-inch holes bored in each end, to lift them by.
    Two handles of double leather are nailed on the inside of the ends of the boxes, so as not to interfere with the covers.
    The sides and ends of all the boxes for the forges and battery wagons are dovetailed together, and fastened with 8-penny nails; the covers are made with clamps on the ends.

    The oil-can is made of tin, to hold 1 quart; it is 5 inches square and 4 inches high, with a neck for a cork, 1 inch diameter and .5 inch high, near one corner.  Weight: .9 pound.  It is marked: A, SPERM OIL.
    Boxes Nos. 1, 2, and 3 are placed in the bottom of the chest: No. 1 against the left hand, No. 2 in the middle.
    No. 4 is placed on the top of Nos. 1 and 2, against the left end and the back of the chest; the division for the oil-can on the left hand.
    No. 5 is placed on top of Nos. 1, 2, and 3, against the front of the chest.
    The shoeing box is placed on No. 3, against the right end and the back of the chest.
    The tools and stores in all the boxes, and in the forges and battery wagons, are securely packed with tow.

    Box A 6, of the same dimensions as A 1, is carried in the iron-room.
    To put this box in, or take it out, loosen the thumb-nuts and raise the rear of the bellows an inch.

    To put the bellows in its place. - Remove the coal-box from the back of the bellows-house; take out the two stay-plates at the lower ends of the rabbets in the brades; put the projecting ends of the upper bellows' arm in their places; put on the stay-plates, and fasten them down with the thumbnuts.  Screw the brass elbow pipe into its place, through the hole in the sheet-iron front of the bellows-house; put in the copper pipe, and screw up the collar which connects it with the elbow pipe.

    The chest is marked: BATTERY WAGON C.
    The tools and stores are carried in four boxes, marked C Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, and in one oil-can.
    The boxes are made of white pine, .75 inch thick, with leather handles inside, and loose covers, like those of the limber chest of Forge A.
    The covers of Nos. 1 and 2 are .75 inch thick; those of Nos. 3 and 4 are .5 inch thick.

    No. 3 has a partition, at 5.25 from one end for the oil-can.
    No. 4 has two partitions perpendicular to the sides, making three division 15.8 inches, 10 inches, and 11 inches long, respectively.
    The oil-can is like that for the limber chest of Forge A, and is marked: C, SPERM OIL.
    Boxes Nos. 1 and 2 occupy the bottom of the chest; No. 1 against the left end.
    Nos. 3 and 4 are placed on top of Nos. 1 and 2; No. 3 against the rear of the chest.

    A TILL, 9 inches wide and 9.5 inches deep, is placed at the back or right side of the wagon body.
    An AXE-RACK extends along the whole length of the body, on the left side, 11 inches from the bottom; it is 2 inches deep and 1 1/2 inch wide, and is fastened to the side by the middle rivets of the side studs, and by 5 wood screws.  The rack has notches to hold three axes, a hatchet, and three handbills.
    Four boxes, for stores, marked: C, Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8.
    One box, marked: C, CANDLES.

    Seven tin cans; 2 marked: C, NEAT'S-FOOT OIL; 1 marked: C, LINSEED OIL; 1 marked: C, TURPENTINE; 2 marked: C, OLIVE PAINT; 1 marked C, BLACK PAINT.

    Box C, No. 5, is placed on the bottom of the wagon, next to the pile of harness which occupies the rear part of the body.  Box No. 6 is on the top of No. 5; No. 7 on the bottom of the wagon, in front of No. 5; No. 8 on top of No. 7.  The candle box in No. 6.

    Spare gun-carriage stocks, splinter bars, axletrees, etc., form parts of the equipments of Battery Wagon D.  When ordered on service beyond the reach of the field park, these articles, together with other square parts which may be needed and cannot be readily made from ordinary material, such, for instance, as spare hounds, forks, middle and side rails, and cross-bars for caissons, assembling bars, spare lock-chain, etc., should accompany the battery. - (See the Ordnance Manual.)
    For other than ordinary repairs, resort must generally be had to the field park.  For those occasioned by battle, which may be extensive, such resort is generally imperative, as the battery must be put in immediate order for service either in pursuit of an enemy, or to cover a retreat.  When separated from the park, it is therefore necessary that the captain should see not only that his battery is provided with these parts, but that they are ironed and fitted, so that no time will be lost in completing his repairs.

    Paint is generally furnished to batteries, mixed and ready for use.  When not supplies, and the materials can be procured, paints may be prepared as follows:
    The proportions are given for 100 parts by weight of prepared colors, etc., when not otherwise designated.

    Grind the lampblack in oil; mix it with the oil, then grind the litharge in oil and add it, stirring it well into the mixture.  The varnish and turpentine are added last.  The paint is used for the iron-work of carriages.

    Make a thick paste with the ochre and oil, in a paint-pot, and with the lampblack and oil in another; grind them together in small portions, and keep the mixture in a tin vessel.

    Stirred together in a paint-pot.

    A priming of lead color and two coats of olive color are applied to new wood-work, and one coat of lead color and one of black to the iron-work.

   A square yard takes 2 pounds for 3 coats.
 

    The number of horses required in a battery varies with the description of the battery and the nature of its service.  Under ordinary circumstances, conducted, or supplied from the depots, no greater number should be attached to the battery than experience has proved to be necessary to keep it efficient.   The carriages should be kept fully and well horsed; for when one of a team is injured or inferior in strength, additional labor is thrown in the remainder unless he is at once replaced.