Artillery

Napoleon began his military career as an artillery cadet and artillery played a fundamental part in all his great battles. Until the Napoleonic Wars artillery had been seen merely as a supporting arm to the infantry, but Napoleon changed everything. He massed his guns in huge batteries to blast holes in his opponent’s line. He even used the artillery to charge the enemy, the gunners galloping up to the enemy to open fire at pointblank range.

Following on from the first volume covering British Napoleonic Artillery, this volume concentrates on the heavy weapons of siege and coastal defences. This book covers the main equipments used; the 24 pounder siege gun and a variety of mortars. Mortars varied from 4 or 5 inch versions up to a 13 inch calibre and were considered to be extremely effective because they used an exploding shell to destroy fortifications or personnel. Also covered in detail is the specialist bomb vessel, which was used to attack fortifications in a similar fashion; siege techniques; and the tactical use of siege and coastal artillery.