What is a battery box?

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: What is a battery box?

http://books.google.com/books?id=OIssAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA785&dq=%22battery+wagon%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1840&as_maxm_is=1&as_maxy_is=1870&as_brr=1&as_pt=ALLTYPES

FIELD TELEGRAPH TRAIN.
[Organization for an army corps.]
A train consists of one (1) battery wagon, four (4) wire wagons and four (4) lance trucks.
It will be subdivided into four (4) sections, each consisting of one wire wagon and one (1) lance truck.
The train will be commanded by a captain, and each section by a lieutenant.
The battery wagon will be fitted up as an office, from which four (4) lines may be worked, and will contain the necessary batteries, instruments, stationery, &c.
Each wire wagon will be provided with ten (10) or twelve (12) miles of wire, (some insulated and some plain,) and a reel for reeling out and reeling up the wire, and will be arranged with instrument, stationery, &c., for an office.
Each lance truck will carry from three hundred (300) to five hundred (500) lances, fifteen (15) feet long, on which the line is to be erected, a supply of insulators and insulator spikes, and the equipments, consisting of crowbars, climbers, and marking pins.
The force required for the battery wagon will be one (1) driver, four (4) operators and one (1) battery man. The duty of the latter is to take charge of the batteries and other material contained in the battery wagon.
Each section requires one (1) lieutenant and thirty-two (32) enlisted uen, distributed as follows :
One (1) lieutenant, in charge of section; one (1) director and two (2) markers, whose duty is to indicate the route of the line of wire to be erected; one (1) surveyor, who follows along the line indicated by the markers and points out the places where the lances are to be erected; three (3) pin men; the 1st and 2d of whom accompany the surveyor and place marking pins at the points indicated by him. The 3d pin man gathers the pins as the line is erected; thirteen (13) bar men (one being a non-commissioned officer and in charge) who, armed with crowbars, make holes large enough to receive the lances at the places marked by the pins; two (2) wire men who have charge of the handling of the wire when reeling out and reeling up; one (1) operator, who accompanies the wire wagon; seven (7) lance men, (one a non-commissioned officer, in charge,) two (2) of whom ride on the lance truck, and attaching spikes and insulators to the lances pass out a lance at each point indicated by a marking pin. The remaining five (5) follow the wire wagon and erect the line on the lances; one (1) driver for the lance truck; one (1) driver for the wire wagon.
The force required to work the whole train is five (5) commissioned officers and one hundred and thirty-four (134) men.
The capacity of the train is to erect fifty (50) miles or more of portable telegraph line, four separate lines as connecting with corps headquarters from headquarters of divisions of an army corps, being extended at the same time. (See Plate A, p. 790.)
A full train is parked as shown in Plate B, p. 791.

[mehrsam]

Re: What is a battery box?

Alex, what is:

The box a telegraph operator would carry, to give power to his key?

Behold - Daniell's Battery Box:




"John Frederic Daniell (1790-1845), British chemist and meteorologist, invented the Daniell Cell in 1836—the first battery that was a reliable and lasting source of direct-current electricity. A major problem with the voltaic pile, the first electric battery invented by Volta, was that it could not provide currents for a sustained period of time. Daniell's experiments led to the insertion of a barrier between copper and zinc plates in the cell, which, by stopping hydrogen from forming, solved the problem of polarization and created the first battery to produce a constant electrical current over a long period of time. Among Daniell's other inventions was a new type of dew-point hygrometer to measure humidity, and a pyrometer to measure the heat in a furnace."

That's our answer and we're sticking with it.

[john duffer]

Re: What is a battery box?

"Let's respect the mod's request not to revive those artillerist /small arms threads here."


At last, a voice of reason :)

[GrumpyDave]

Re: What is a battery box?

Alex, what is:

The box a telegraph operator would carry, to give power to his key?

[Danny]

Re: What is a battery box?

Small Arms Thread Revival Content Deleted.

Let's respect the mod's request not to revive those artillerist /small arms threads here.

Dan Wykes

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: What is a battery box?

Here's the Gibbon:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZaEtAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA9&dq=artillerists+manual

Page 170

"One of these battery wagons accompanies each field-battery, for the purpose of transporting carriage-makers' and saddlers' tools, spare parts of carriages, harness, and equipments, and rough materials for replacing different parts."

And here's the Roberts:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Pb5JAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA11-IA2&dq=handbook+of+artillery+%2Broberts#PPA7,M1

Page 153

"It consists, besides the limber, of a long-bodied cart with a round top, which is connected with the limber in the same way as all other field carriages. The lid opens on hinges placed at the side ; and in rear is fixed a movable forage rack for carrying long forage. One of these wagons accompanies each field-battery, for the purpose of transporting carriage-maker's and saddler's tools, spare parts of carriages, harness and equipments, and rough materials for replacing different parts."

[Danny]

Re: What is a battery box?

I have a couple of thoughts and questions on this discussion. The term battery box has been use a couple of times, what exactly are you talking about. I have an idea but want to be clear... Next the term battery wagon keeps getting used. Again I want to make sure what we are talking about...Bill Thomas Driver Lazarus Battery

Bill - Good thing to clarify. Let's use the terms from the 1859 Gibbon's Artillerist's Manualor the 1863 Roberts Handbook of Artillery . PM me if you want a link to download the pdf's of those books that I have (offer to Bill only for now, please).

Dan Wykes

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: What is a battery box?

I split this question off from the thread I just closed. Seemed to be a legit question. Let's not make this thread "round three" of the small arms topic.

[Lazarus Driver]

I have a couple of thoughts and questions on this discussion. The term battery box has been use a couple of times, what exactly are you talking about. I have an idea but want to be clear. Next the term battery wagon keeps getting used. Again I want to make sure what we are talking about. Do you mean the battery's wagon as in army baggage wagon attached to the battery or the Battery Wagon. If you mean the weapons were in the Battery Wagon, I am not to sure that I would agree with that. For all that don't know please take a look at a manual and read the list of ALL of the stuff that is in one. This is a rolling repair shop for the battery. Lots of tools packed into that wagon and its limber chest. The limber chest for the wagon and field forge do not have the same interior as for a gun, both are full of tools. I have seen one Battery Wagon that was loaded with most of the tools and gear that the manual states should be there and it did not have much free space left over.

Bill Thomas
Driver
Lazarus Battery