preview

Evolution Of Field Artillery

Decent Essays

The Evolution of Field Artillery through the United States Army The early causes of the American Revolution war can be rooted to 1763. Through series of acts to include the Stamp and Sugar act, Americans were imposed to pay unjust taxes to the British government. During the American Revolutionary war, Artillery was an essential factor that contributed into the defeat of the British. The American Artillery during that time consisted of a large variety of different pieces, range, method of mobility and shell. The pieces are mainly divided into: Light weight field guns: field guns were the main battlefield artillery weapons. It shot from a flat surface to bounce the shell cross the battlefield toward the enemy formations sustaining a great casualty rate. Field guns are characterized by the projectile it …show more content…

The biggest advantage of the field guns was the mobility. The large wheels played an important rule into maneuvering through rough terrain. Siege guns: utilized to destroy enforced positions, siege guns fired at a low angle with short or long ranges. They were commonly used to target enemy’s cannon due to the high its high level of accuracy. Siege guns mostly fired superheated balls that can set building and ships on fire, solid shot, bombs, canisters and grapeshot. The large size of the siege guns and the heavy weight was big disadvantage through the war. Upon Washington’s assumption of command in 1775, he appointed Henry Knox as the chief of the continental artillery. In November 1775, General Washington decided to initiate an attack against the German mercenaries at Trenton. In January, the American columns to include 18 artillery guns placed in Trenton before the Hessians even noticed, as the Hessians attempted to counter the aggressive attack they were faced with a devastating artillery barrage until they gave up and escaped to an orchard to surrender after being sounded completely by the American. The result of the battle 4

Get Access