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Soon after he found he could hurl a rock with his good right arm, man learned about trajectory—the curved path taken by a missile through the air. A baseball describes a "flat" trajectory every time the pitcher throws a hard, fast one. Youngsters tossing the ball to each other over a tall fence use "curved" or "high" trajectory. In artillery, where trajectory is equally important, there are three main types of cannon: (1) the flat trajectory gun, throwing shot at the target in relatively level flight; (2) the high trajectory mortar, whose shell will clear high obstacles and descend upon the target from above; and (3) the howitzer, an in-between piece of medium-high trajectory, combining the mobility of the fieldpiece with the large caliber of the mortar.The Spaniard, Luis Collado, mathematician, historian, native of Lebrija in Andalusia, and, in 1592, royal engineer of His Catholic Majesty's Army in Lombardy and Piedmont, defined artillery broadly as "a machine of infinite importance." Ordnance he divided into three classes, admittedly following the rules of the "German masters, who were admired above any other nation for their founding and handling of artillery." Culverins and sakers (Fig. 23a) were guns of the first class, designed to strike the enemy from long range. The battering cannon (fig. 23b) were second class pieces; they were to destroy forts and walls and dismount the enemy's machines. Third class guns fired stone balls to break and sink ships and defend batteries from assault; such guns included the pedrero, mortar, and bombard (fig. 23c,d).Collado's explanation of how the various guns were invented is perhaps naive, but nevertheless interesting: "Although the main intent of the inventors of this machine [artillery] was to fire and offend the enemy from both near and afar, since this offense must be in diverse ways it so happened that they formed various classes in this manner: they came to realize that men were not satisfied with the espingardas [small Moorish cannon], and for this reason the musket was made; and likewise the esmeril and the falconet. And although these fired longer shots, they made the demisaker. To remedy a defect of that, the sakers were made, and the demiculverins and culverins. While they were deemed sufficient for making a long shot and striking the enemy from afar, they were of little use as battering guns because they fire a small ball. So they determined to found a second kind of piece, wherewith, firing balls of much greater weight, they might realize their intention. But discovering like-wise that this second kind of piece was too powerful, heavy and costly for batteries and for defense against assaults or ships and galleys, they made a third class of piece, lighter in metal and taking less powder, to fire balls of stone. These are the commonly called cañones de pedreros. All the classes of pieces are different in range, manufacture and design. Even the method of charging them is different."
|
Name of gun | Weight of ball (pounds) |
Length of gun (in calibers) |
Range in yards | Popular caliber | |
Point- blank |
Maximum | ||||
Esmeril | 1/2 | 208 | 750 | 1/2-pounder esmeril. | |
Falconete | 1 to 2 | 1-pounder falconet. | |||
Falcon | 3 to 4 | 417 | 2,500 | 3-pounder falcon. | |
Pasavolante | 1 to 15 | 40 to 44 | 500 | 4,166 | 6-pounder pasavolante. |
Media sacre | 5 to 7 | 417 | 3,750 | 6-pounder demisaker. | |
Sacre | 7 to 10 | 9-pounder saker. | |||
Moyana | 8 to 10 | shorter than saker | 9-pounder moyenne. | ||
Media culebrina | 10 to 18 | 833 | 5,000 | 12-pounder demiculverin. | |
Tercio de culebrina | 14 to 22 | 18-pounder third-culverin. | |||
Culebrina | 20, 24, 25, 30, 40, 50 | 30 to 32 | 1,742 | 6,666 | 24-pounder culverin. |
Culebrina real | 24 to 40 | 30 to 32 | 32-pounder culverin royal. | ||
Doble culebrina | 40 and up | 30 to 32 | 48-pounder double culverin. |
Spanish name | Weight of ball (pounds) |
Translation |
Quarto canon | 9 to 12 | Quarter-cannon. |
Tercio canon | 16 | Third-cannon. |
Medio canon | 24 | Demicannon. |
Canon de abatir | 32 | Siege cannon. |
Doble canon | 48 | Double cannon. |
Canon de bateria | 60 | Battering cannon. |
Serpentino | Serpentine. | |
Quebrantamuro or lonbarda | 70 to 90 | Wallbreaker or lombard. |
Basilisco | 80 and up | Basilisk. |
Wall thickness in 8ths of caliber | |||
Vent | Trunnion | Chase | |
Bastard culverin | 7 | 5 | 3 |
Legitimate culverin | 8 | 5-1/2 | 3-1/2 |
Double-fortified culverin | 6-1/2 | 9 | 4 |
Wall thickness in 8ths of caliber | |||
Vent | Trunnion | Chase | |
Cañon sencillo (light cannon) | 6 | 4-1/2 | 2-1/2 |
Cañon común (common cannon) | 5 | 7 | 3-1/2 |
Canon reforzado (reinforced cannon) | 5-1/2 | 8 | 3-1/2 |
Spanish guns | Thickness of bore wall in 8ths of the caliber |
English guns | ||
Vent | Trunnions | Chase | ||
Light cannon; bell-chambered cannon | 6 | 4-1/2 | 2-1/2 | Bastard cannon. |
Demicannon | 6 | 5 | 3 | |
Common cannon; common siege cannon | 7 | 5 | 3-1/2 | |
Light culverin; common battering cannon | 7 | 5 | 3 | Bastard culverin; legitimate cannon. |
Common culverin; reinforced cannon | 8 | 5-1/2 | 3-1/2 | Legitimate culverin; double-fortified cannon. |
Legitimate culverin | 9 | 6-1/2 | 4 | Double-fortified culverin. |
Cast-iron cannon | 10 | 8 | 5 | |
Pasavolante | 11-1/2 | 8-1/2 | 5-1/2 |
Tags:
From the guns of Queen Elizabeth's time came the 6-, 9-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 32-, and 42-pounder classifications adopted by Cromwell's government and used by the English well through the eighteenth century. On the Continent, during much of this period, the French were acknowledged leaders. Louis XIV (1643-1715) brought several foreign guns into his ordnance, standardizing a set of calibers (4-, 8-, 12-, 16-, 24-, 32-, and 48-pounders) quite different from Henry II's in the previous century.The cannon of the late 1600's was an ornate masterpiece of the foundryman's art, covered with escutcheons, floral relief, scrolls, and heavy moldings, the most characteristic of which was perhaps the banded muzzle (figs. 23b-c, 25, 26a-b), that bulbous bit of ornamentation which had been popular with designers since the days of the bombards. The flared or bell-shaped muzzle (figs. 23a, 26c, 27) did not supplant the banded muzzle until the eighteenth century, and, while the flaring bell is a usual characteristic of ordnance founded between 1730 and 1830, some banded-muzzle guns were made as late as 1746 (fig. 26a).By 1750, however, design and construction were fairly well standardized in a gun of much cleaner line than the cannon of 1650. Although as yet there had been no sharp break with the older traditions, the shape and weight of the cannon in relation to the stresses of firing were becoming increasingly important to the men who did the designing.
|
Vent | 16 | parts |
End of 1st reinforce | 14-1/2 | do |
Beginning of second reinforce | 13-1/2 | do |
End of second reinforce | 12-1/2 | do |
Beginning of chase | 11-1/2 | do |
End of chase | 8 | do |
Caliber | Field | Ship | Siege | Garrison | ||||||
Iron | Bronze | Iron | Bronze | Iron | Bronze | Iron | Bronze | Iron | Bronze | |
1-1/2 pounder | 6'0" | |||||||||
3-pounder | 3'6" | 3'3" | 3'6" | 4'6" | 3'6" | 7'0" | 4'6" | 4'2" | ||
4-pounder | 6'0" | |||||||||
6-pounder | 4'6" | 4'1" | 8'0" | 4'4" | 7'0" | 4'4" | 8'0" | 6'6" | 5'3" | |
9-pounder | 4'8" | 5'0" | 7'0" | 5'0" | 9'0" | 7'0" | 6'0" | |||
12-pounder | 5'0" | 5'1" | 9'0" | 5'6" | 9'0" | 5'6" | 9'0" | 6'7" | 8'0" | 6'7" |
18-pounder | 5'10" | 6'4" | 9'0" | 6'4" | 9'6" | 7'6" | 9'0" | 7'6" | ||
24-pounder | 5'6" | 6'5" | 9'6" | 7'0" | 9'0" | 7'0" | 9'6" | 8'4" | 9'0" | 8'4" |
32-pounder | 7'6" | 9'6" | 7'6" | 10'0" | 9'2" | 9'6" | 9'2" | |||
36-pounder | 7'10" | 9'6" | ||||||||
42-pounder | 9'6" | 8'4" | 10'0" | 8'4" | 9'6" | 10'0" | 10'0" | |||
48-pounder | 8'6" | 8'6" | 10'6" |
Cannon for permanent fortifications were of various sizes and calibers, depending upon the terrain that had to be defended. At Castillo de San Marcos, for instance, the strongest armament was on the water front; lighter guns were on the land sector, an area naturally protected by the difficult terrain existing in the colonial period.
|
Location |
No. |
Caliber |
Class |
Metal |
Remarks |
In the bastion of San Agustín |
1
|
40-pounder
|
Cannon
|
Bronze
|
Carriage battered.
|
In the bastion of San Pablo |
1
|
16-pounder
|
Demicannon.
|
Iron
|
Old carriage.
|
In the bastion of San Pedro |
1
|
9-pounder
|
Cannon
|
Iron do
|
Old carriage.
|
In the bastion of San Carlos |
1
|
10-pounder
|
Cannon
|
Iron
|
Old carriage.
|
Kind of gun |
1765 |
1812 |
1834 |
|||
Iron |
Bronze |
Iron |
Bronze |
Iron |
Bronze |
|
2-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
3-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
4-pounder |
.. |
.. |
1 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
5-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
6-pounder |
.. |
1 |
.. |
.. |
3 |
.. |
7-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
8-pounder |
.. |
.. |
1 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
3-1/2-in. carronade |
.. |
.. |
4 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
9-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
10-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
12-pounder |
7 |
.. |
2 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
15-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
16-pounder |
.. |
.. |
8 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
18-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
4 |
.. |
24-pounder |
32 |
.. |
10 |
.. |
5 |
.. |
33-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
36-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
40-pounder |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
24-pounder field howitzer |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
2 |
2 |
6-in. howitzer |
.. |
.. |
.. |
2 |
.. |
2 |
8-in. howitzer |
.. |
2 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
Small mortar |
.. |
20 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
6-in. mortar |
.. |
.. |
.. |
1 |
.. |
1 |
9-in. mortar |
.. |
.. |
.. |
1 |
.. |
.. |
10-in. mortar |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
1 |
Large mortar |
.. |
1 |
.. |
.. |
.. |
.. |
Stone mortar |
.. |
.. |
.. |
3 |
.. |
.. |
Total |
39 |
24 |
26 |
8 |
14 |
6 |
Grand total |
63 |
34 |
20 |
*26 guns from 4- to 10- pounders.
+8 guns from 2- to 16-pounders.
Caliber | Elevation | Range in yards |
18-pounder siege and garrison | 5° 0" | 1,592 |
24-pounder siege and garrison | 5° 0" | 1,901 |
32-pounder seacoast | 5° 0" | 1,922 |
42-pounder seacoast | 5° 0" | 1,955 |
8-inch Columbiad | 27° 30" | 4,812 |
10-inch Columbiad | 39° 15" | 5,654 |
12-inch Columbiad | 39° 0" | 5,506 |
Caliber | Point-blank range in yards |
Elevation | Range in yards |
32-pounder of 42 cwt | 313 | 5° | 1,756 |
8-inch of 63 cwt | 330 | 5° | 1,770 |
IX-inch shell gun | 350 | 15° | 3,450 |
X-inch shell gun | 340 | 11° | 3,000 |
XI-inch shell gun | 295 | 15° | 2,650 |
XV-inch shell gun | 300 | 7° | 2,100 |
Caliber | Elevation | Range in yards |
20-pounder Parrott | 15° | 4,400 |
30-pounder Parrott | 25° | 6,700 |
100-pounder Parrott | 25° | 7,180 |
Cannons of the Seventeenth Century
|
Type |
Bore Size |
Gun Weight |
Shot Weight |
|
2 Pounder |
2.5 Inch |
600 lbs |
2 pounds |
3.5 pounds |
6 Pounder |
3.0 Inch |
1,000-1,500 |
6 pounds |
6 pounds |
24 Pounder |
4.5 Inch |
3,000-4,000 |
24 pounds |
14 pounds |
32 Pounder |
5.0 Inch |
4,000-5,000 |
32 pounds |
18 pounds |
A swivel gun is a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Such weapons were used principally aboard sailing ships during the age of sail, serving as short-range anti-personnel ordnance. They were not ship-sinking weapons, due to their small caliber and short range, but could do considerable damage to anyone caught in their line of fire.Swivel guns are among the smallest types of cannon, typically measuring less than 1 m (3 ft) in length and with a bore diameter of up to 3.5 cm (1¼ in). They can fire a variety of ammunition but were generally used to fire grapeshot and similar types of small-diameter shot, though they could also fire small caliber round shot. As with other types of cannon, swivel guns are muzzleloaders. They were aimed through the use of a wooden handle, somewhat similar to a baseball bat, attached to the breech of the weapon.In operational use, swivel guns were highly portable and could be moved around the deck of a ship quite easily (and certainly much more easily than other types of cannon). They could be mounted on the deck railings of a ship, which provided the gunner with a reasonably steady platform from which to fire. Their portability enabled them to be installed wherever they were most needed; whereas larger cannon were useless if they were on the wrong side of the ship, swivel guns could be carried across the deck to face the enemy.
|
Field counterpart of the garrison cannon was the siege gun—the "battering cannon" of the old days, mounted upon a two-wheeled siege or "traveling" carriage that could be moved about in field terrain. Whereas the purpose of the garrison cannon was to destroy the attacker and his materiel, the siege cannon was intended to destroy the fort. Calibers ranged from 3- to 42-pounders in eighteenth century British tables, but the 18- and 24-pounders seem to have been the most widely used for siege operations.
|
24-pounder field carriage | 24-pounder siege carriage | |
9 feet long | Length of cheek | 13 feet. |
4.5 inches | Thickness of cheek | 5.8 inches. |
50 inches | Wheel diameter | 58 inches. |
6x8x68 inches | Axletree | 7x9x81 inches. |
The field guns were the mobile pieces that could travel with the army and be brought quickly into firing position. They were lighter in weight than any other type of flat trajectory weapon. To achieve this lightness the designers had not only shortened the guns, but thinned down the bore walls. In the eighteenth century, calibers ran from the 3- to the 24-pounder, mounted on comparatively light, two-wheeled carriages. In addition, there was the 1-1/2-pounder (and sometimes the light 3- or 6-pounder) on a "gallopers' carriage—a vehicle with its trail shaped into shafts for the horse. The elevating-screw mechanism was early developed for field guns, although the heavier pieces like the 18- and 24-pounders were still elevated by quoins as late as the early 1800's.
|
Caliber | Weight of guns (pounds) |
Type of projectile |
Projectile weighs (pounds) |
Elevation | Range (yards) |
Smoothbore of same caliber |
10-pounder | 890 | Shell ..do.. |
9.75 9.75 |
5° 20° |
2,000 5,000 |
3-pounder. |
20-pounder | 1,750 | ..do.. ..do.. |
18.75 18.75 |
5° 15° |
2,100 4,440 |
6-pounder. |
30-pounder | 4,200 | ..do.. ..do.. Long shell. ..do.. Hollow shot. ..do.. |
29.00 29.00 101.00 101.00 80.00 80.00 |
15° 25° 15° 25° 25° 35° |
4,800 6,700 4,790 6,820 7,180 8,453 |
9-pounder. |
The howitzer was invented by the Dutch in the seventeenth century to throw larger projectiles (usually bombs) than could the field pieces, in a high trajectory similar to the mortar, but from a lighter and more mobile weapon. The wide-purpose efficiency of the howitzer was appreciated al most at once, and it was soon adopted by all European armies. The weapon owed its mobility to a rugged, two-wheeled carriage like a field carriage, but with a relatively short trail that permitted the wide arc of elevation needed for this weapon.
|
Caliber | Elevation | Range in yards |
10-inch seacoast | 5° | 1,650 |
8-inch siege | 12° 30" | 2,280 |
24-pounder naval | 5° | 1,270 |
12-pounder heavy naval | 5° | 1,085 |
20-pounder Dahlgren rifled | 5° | 1,960 |
12-pounder Dahlgren rifled | 5° | 1,770 |
From earliest times the usefulness of the mortar as an arm of the artillery has been clearly recognized. Up until the 1800's the weapon was usually made of bronze, and many mortars had a fixed elevation of 45°, which in the sixteenth century was thought to be the proper elevation for maximum range of any cannon. In the 1750's Müller complained of the stupidity of British artillerists in continuing to use fixed-elevation mortars, and the Spanish made a mortero de plancha, or "plate" mortar (fig. 37), as late as 1788. Range for such a fixed-elevation weapon was varied by using more or less powder, as the case required. But the most useful mortar, of course, had trunnions and adjustable elevation by means of quoins.
|
Caliber | Projectile weight (pounds) |
Range (yards) |
8-inch siege | 45 | 1,837 |
10-inch siege | 90 | 4,625 |
12-inch seacoast | 200 | 2,100 |
13-inch seacoast | 200 | 4,325 |
"Hoist with his own petard," an ancient phrase signifying that one's carefully laid scheme has exploded, had truly graphic meaning in the old days when everybody knew what a petard was. Since the petard fired no projectile, it was hardly a gun. Roughly speaking, it was nothing but an iron bucket full of gunpowder. The petardier would hang it on a gate, something like hanging your hat on a nail, and blast the gate open by firing the charge.Small petards weighed about 50 pounds; the large ones, around 70 pounds. They had to be heavy enough to be effective, yet light enough for a couple of men to lift up handily and hang on the target. The bucket part was packed full of the powder mixture, then a 2-1/2-inch-thick board was bolted to the rim in order to keep the powder in and the air out. An iron tube fuze was screwed into a small hole in the back or side of the weapon. When all was ready, the petardiers seized the two handles of the petard and carried it to the troublesome door. Here they set a screw, hung the explosive instrument upon it, lit the fuze, and "retired."Petards were used frequently in King William's War of the 1680's to force the gates of small German towns. But on a well-barred, double gate the small petard was useless, and the great petard would break only the fore part of such a gate. Furthermore, as one would guess, hanging a petard was a hazardous occupation; it went out of style in the early 1700's. |
February 17, 2026 at 12am to February 5, 2027 at 12am – where & how you choose
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Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries had its humble beginnings as an idea of a few artisans and craftsmen who enjoy performing with live steel fighting. As well as a patchwork quilt tent canvas. Most had prior military experience hence the name.
Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries.
Vendertainers that brought many things to a show and are know for helping out where ever they can.
As well as being a place where the older hand made items could be found made by them and enjoyed by all.
We expanded over the years to become well known at what we do. Now we represent over 100 artisans and craftsman that are well known in their venues and some just starting out. Some of their works have been premiered in TV, stage and movies on a regular basis.
Specializing in Medieval, Goth , Stage Film, BDFSM and Practitioner.
Patchwork Merchant Mercenaries a Dept of, Ask For IT was started by artists and former military veterans, and sword fighters, representing over 100 artisans, one who made his living traveling from fair to festival vending medieval wares. The majority of his customers are re-enactors, SCAdians and the like, looking to build their kit with period clothing, feast gear, adornments, etc.
Likewise, it is typical for these history-lovers to peruse the tent (aka mobile store front) and, upon finding something that pleases the eye, ask "Is this period?"
A deceitful query!! This is not a yes or no question. One must have a damn good understanding of European history (at least) from the fall of Rome to the mid-1600's to properly answer. Taking into account, also, the culture in which the querent is dressed is vitally important. You see, though it may be well within medieval period, it would be strange to see a Viking wearing a Caftan...or is it?
After a festival's time of answering weighty questions such as these, I'd sleep like a log! Only a mad man could possibly remember the place and time for each piece of kitchen ware, weaponry, cloth, and chain within a span of 1,000 years!! Surely there must be an easier way, a place where he could post all this knowledge...
Traveling Within The World is meant to be such a place. A place for all of these artists to keep in touch and directly interact with their fellow geeks and re-enactment hobbyists, their clientele.
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