"Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

[TheGrayGhost]

How was this done during the American Civil War?

***

Here is an item possibly used for that purpose during WW1-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3819761837

________

Tom Chance

[K Bartsch]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

How was this done during the American Civil War?

***

Here is an item possibly used for that purpose during WW1-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3819761837

________

Tom Chance

With very rare exception, there was no such thing as "indirect fire" during the WBTS. You had to see the target to put fire on it. Put another way, one aimed the gun tube at the target, using rudimentary sighting mechanisms (usually a blade front sight and some form of fixed or detachable rear sight on field artillery) making allowances for elevation/range, any unique projectile ballistics and windage. Fire could be and was adjusted based on observed effects, but again, within the limits of the gunner's visual range.

Cordially,

[1stMaine]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

Comrade,

Yup....direct fire was all that was actually practicable, given the level of technology at the time. Interestingly, the Navy used a sensible system of painting a white line down the centerline of the gun, so that it was more observable below decks, or in darkness, fog, etc.

Respects,

[James Brenner]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

I assume you're referring to tube artillery and not mortars. Mortars did use a type of indirect fire that involved center lines, plum bobs, etc., but, because of the high trajectories of the projectiles and the relatively large size of the target, accuracy wasn't always a great concern. Plus they had no way of effectively using any type of forward observation to adjust the rounds. For regular tube artillery, I seem to recall an instance when a regular battery (2d U.S.?) sited their guns to cover the United States Ford in Virginia during the daytime and then used wheel chocks and alignment aids nailed onto gun platforms to make sure that they could bring the guns back into battery after firing at night.

Also, take a look at Gibbons' Artillerists Manual for more specific information on estimating distances. That was truly the hallmark of a good gunner.

[TheGrayGhost]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

Did they ever make use of Transits/Theodolites to range the position of the enemy?

__________

Tom Chance

[Tom Ezell]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

How was this done during the American Civil War?

Indirect fire with field artillery was essentailly a child of the First World War when the rifle and machine gun drove us redlegs behind cover. A crude method was used for siege mortars where someone observed the fall of shot and signalled back to the gun crew, "over" or "short," and left or right of the target, but even this was limited to visual range of the gunners to the observers, and keeping the observer-target line very close to the gun-target line. For mortars, anyway, the tube is set at a fixed elevation and the range (over/short) is adjusted by varying the powder charge; deflection (left/right) is adjusted by shifting the axis of the tube left or right with a handspike.

There were a few instances where CW artillery could be said to have been conducting "indirect fire" (e.g. Osterhaus's guns in Obersons's Field at Pea Ridge; some of Alexander's harassing fire at Chancellorsville), but in each case this was simply pointing the guns and firing blind over the treetops. The rounds will come down somewhere on the bad guys' side of the lines...

Hope this helps...

Tom
Major, Field Artillery (USAR)

[marine05]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

In modern artillery the reason we use survey devices is to emplace the gun so that you know where the piece in on the face of the earth. With indirect fire you have to know that in order to hit the target.

In CW artillery as they were direct fire weapons there was no need to survey the piece in. However, the more accurately the piece was emplaced, i.e. level or knowing 0 degrees elevation and 0 degrees deflection was essential. A pendulum hausse was used for these purposes, as were engineers. However, as the necessity of emplacing batteries in a field expedient manner became more important most of those devices were not used. They even had borescopes.

Now if you're asking about directing the fire of the piece, section or battery it depended on who was in charge of the firing. If the BC or section Lt gave control to the gunners, then they directed the fire of the piece. They would indicate targets, ranges and type round. Most CW reenactors don't do this because the average artillery reenactor is not an artilleryman, they are just sound effect makers. Our battery does practice this as it is more authentic and the 5s, 6s, 7s or 8s, depending on our current manning level, will call out the appropriate elevation and fuze setting.

s/f

DJM

Member Order of St Barbara and former instructor USAFAS

[1stMaine]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

Comrade,

It's too bad that Ordnance Park Corporation isn't around anymore. They used to make a lovely airburst round for 6lb guns, and were developing a 12lb version. It was designed to be loaded and fired as an actual shell, but was made entirely of paper and cardboard, and would burst with a small charge enhanced with soda and fuller's earth at a prescribed distance.
All in all, it was, at least to me, an entirely satisfactory item, one that, when used against entrenched or massed infantry made them comprehend fully why the arm is referred to as the "king of battle".
It added an entirely new dimension to the reenactor, one of actually being shelled, and in some small measure illuminated them as to the morale impact that artillery has. Being unable to return fire due to the range and the open nature of a battery was enfuriating and frustrating to those PBI. It's understandable why so many redlegs weren't captured when their batteries were over-run.
Respects,

[marine05]

Re: "Gun Directing" (for Artillery) during the Civil War....????

It would be nice to use those rounds now. The average infantry reenactor has no concept of how devastating artillery fire could be, for that matter most artillery reenactors have no concept either. Whether it was solid round shot rolling through a rank or case bursting overhead didn't just kill soldiers it dismembered them and maimed many others. Remember you don't have to kill a soldier to make one combat ineffective.

The infantry would do well to remember that historically infantry fire is high, but artillery fire is usually right on target or if they are not, the fire usually produces some effect on the opposing force.

I'd still like to have those rounds!!

s/f

DJM