Part 80

CARRIAGES, in military affairs, are of various kinds, viz.

Garrison-CARRIAGES, are those on which all sorts of garrison-pieces are mounted. They are made much shorter than field-carriages, and have generally iron trucks instead of wheels.

As the trucks of garrison-carriages are generally made of cast-iron, their axle-trees should have copper-clouts underneath, to diminish the friction of the iron against the wood. Travelling-carriages are in many respects very unfit for garrison service, though they are frequently used.

Travelling-CARRIAGES are such as guns are mounted on for sieges, and for the field; they are much longer, and differently constructed from garrison-carriages; having 4 wheels, 2 for the carriage, and 2 for the limber, which last are only used on marches.

Field-CARRIAGES are both shorter and lighter than those before-mentioned, bearing a proportion to the pieces mounted upon them.

Limbers are two-wheel carriages, sometimes made with shafts, and sometimes with beams for drawing double; they serve to support the trail of field carriages, by means of the pintle or iron bolt, when artillery is transported from one place to another, and are taken off again when the pieces are to be fired, unless upon a march, when harrassed by the enemy, &c.

Galloper-CARRIAGES serve for 1¹⁄₂ pounders. These carriages are made with shafts, so as to be drawn without a limber. In the war of 1756, the King of Prussia, mounted light 3-pounders on these carriages, which answered very well. The horse-artillery is an improvement of this method of the Prussian.

Howitz-CARRIAGES are for transporting howitzers; and those for the 6 and 5-8 inch howitzers, are made with screws to elevate them, in the same manner as the light 6 pounders; for which reason they are made without a bed, and the centre-transom must be 9 inches broad to fix the screw, instead of 4 for those made without: in the centre, between the trail and centre-transom, there is a transom-bolt, which is not in others, because the centre-transom must be made to be taken out; after which, the howitzer can be elevated to any angle under ninety degrees.

Tumbrel-CARRIAGE. See TUMBREL.

Block-CARRIAGE, a carriage which is made from a solid piece of timber, hollowed out so as to receive the gun or howitzer into the cap-squares. The lower part of the cap-square is let into the solid wood, and the gun or howitzer is either elevated or depressed by a screw, as in other carriages. The limber for this carriage carries two large chests for ammunition, and takes four men. The pintle of the limber is so constructed as to receive the gudgeon of the carriage; by which means a greater relief is afforded when the carriage passes over rough ground.

Block-CARRIAGES are also used by the horse-artillery as curricles. They are particularly useful on mountain service. The original inventor of them, is the British Colonel Congreve, author of many other important military inventions.

Truck-CARRIAGES are to carry timber and other heavy burthens from one place to another, at no great distance: they serve also to convey guns or mortars upon a battery, whither their own carriages cannot go, and are drawn by men as well as horses.

Ponton-CARRIAGE. Carriages of this kind are solely for transporting the pontons; they had formerly but two wheels, but are generally now made with four. The making use of two-wheel carriages for travelling a great way, is contrary to sense and reason; because the whole weight lying upon the two wheels, must make them sink deeper into the ground, than those of a four-wheel carriage.

CARRIAGE.--Weight of Field Carriages at present in use.

Horse Artillery Carriages

cwts. qrs. lbs. 12 Prs. gun and carriage complete for service, with two men, and their appointments on the limber, and 16 rounds of ammunition. 45 0 14 Ammunition caisson for do. complete, with two men on the limber, and 1 spare wheel, 2 spare shafts, with 78 rounds of ammunition. 33 3 0 6 Prs. equipped as above with 42 rounds 34 1 21 Ammunition caisson as above, 108 rounds 39 0 21 5¹⁄₂ Inch howitzer, equipped as above, with 20 rounds 35 3 0 Ammunition caisson for do. as above, with 52 rounds 39 2 0 Forge waggon, complete for travelling 19 2 14 Large tilted baggage waggon, empty 18 3 0 Equipage to be carried 12 0 0

Park Carriages.

cwts. qr. lb. cwts. qr. lb. 12 Prs. Med. gun carriage, without box. 16 1 21} Limber to do. 7 2 14} 42 0 7 Gun 18 0 --} 12 Pr. light gun 12 0 -- } Carriage complete 12 3 7 }36 2 21 Limber, with em. box. 12 3 14 } 6 Prs. Desaguliers 12 0 --} Carriage complete 11 0 14} 34 1 13 Limb. to do. em. box. 11 0 27} 6 Prs. light batt. gun 6 0 -- } Carriage without box. iron axletrees 9 2 -- }24 1 21 Limber, with em. box. 8 3 21 } 5¹⁄₂ Inch howit. light 4 3 7 } Carriage, without box. 10 0 7} 24 0 14 Limber, with em. box. 9 1 --} 24 Prs. platform travelling carriage 22 3 -- } Standing carriage for do. iron trucks, }84 2 16 and tackles of the carr. 13 3 16 } Iron gun 48 0 -- } Ball cartridge waggon, Duke of } Richmond’s pattern, with spare pole and } 36 1 17 swingle trees 16 1 17} Charge of musquet ammunition 20 0 --} Common pattern ammunition caisson, } altered 16 2 -- }36 2 -- Charge of ammunition 20 0 -- } New infantry ammunition cart 9 1 14} 21 1 14 Charge of ammunition 12 0 --} Common sling cart, complete 17 1 14 Common truck carriage 12 2 21 Common hand cart 4 1 -- Forge waggon, complete 13 2 14

Dimensions of certain parts of carriages, the knowlege of which may prevent many mistakes in arranging the different pieces for disembarkation, or in other similar situations.

Axletrees.--Most of the field carriages are now made with iron axletrees; the dimensions of which are as follows:

---------------------------------+-------------+------------------- | Dia. of | Len. of | the arm. | arm. ---------------------------------+------+------+-----+------+------ | | | | | Total | | | Box,| |length |At the| | or | | to |shoul-|At the| nave|Washer|linch- Iron Axletrees. | der. |point.|part.| part.| pin. ---------------------------------+------+------+-----+------+------ | in. | in. | in. | in. | inch 6 Pr. Light }| | | | | 3 Pr. Heavy }| | | | | 5¹⁄₂ in. Howitz. }| | | | | Ammu. caisson }| 2³⁄₄ | 1³⁄₄ | 13 | ⁵⁄₈ | 13⁵⁄₈ Ball cartridge do. whether horse}| | | | | artillery or the park, whether }| | | | | limber or carriage }| | | | | Light 12 Pounder and limber | 3¹⁄₄ | 2¹⁄₄ | 16 | ³⁄₄ | 16³⁄₄ Medium 12 Pr. | 3¹⁄₂ | 2¹⁄₂ | 16 | ³⁄₄ | 16³⁄₄ Limber to do. | 2³⁄₄ | 2 | 13 | ⁵⁄₈ | 13⁵⁄₈ ---------------------------------+------+------+-----+------+------

-----------------------+--------------------++-------------------- | Carriage. || Limber. +-------------+------++-------------+------ | Di. of Arm. | || Di. of Arm. | +------+------+ ++------+------+ | At | |Length|| At | |Length Wood |Shoul-| At | of ||Shoul-| At | of Axletrees. | der. |Point.| Nave.|| der. |Point.| Nave. -----------------------+------+------+------++------+------+------ | In. | In. | In. || In. | In. | In. 24 Prs. Heavy | 7 | 4.9 | 18 || 6 | 3.3 | 16 12 Prs. Med | 6 | 4 | 16 || 6 | 4 | 12 6 Prs Des’rs. | 5¹⁄₂ | 3¹⁄₂ | 13¹⁄₂|| 5¹⁄₂ | 3¹⁄₂ | 13¹⁄₂ 6 Prs. Light | 5 | 3 | 13 || 5 | 3 | 13 3 Prs. Des’rs. | 2- | 1¹⁄₄ | || 2- | 1¹⁄₄ | 3 Prs. Light | | | || | | How’r. 8 In. | 6- | | 17 || 5- | | 15 How’r. 5¹⁄₂ in. | 5- | | 13 || 4¹⁄₄ | | 11- How’r. 4²⁄₅ in. | 4- | | 12 || 4 | | 10 | ----fore---- || ----hind---- Ammunition waggon, with| | | || | | folding sides | 5 | 2.9 | 14 || 5 | 2.9 | 13 Close bodied Ammunition| | | || | | caisson | 5 | 3.3 | 14 || 5 | 2.9 | 14 -----------------------+------+------+------++------+------+------

Dimensions and Weight of Standing Gun Carriages.

+--------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ | Kinds. | 32 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 6 | +--------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ | |Ft. in.|Ft. in.|Ft. in.|Ft. in.|Ft. in.|Ft. in.| |Axletrees, length | 4 9 | 4 7 | 4 3 |3 9¹⁄₂|3 6¹⁄₂| 3 4 | |Side pieces, length | 6 4 | 6 0 | 5 9 | 5 6 |5 3 | 5 0 | |Whole height to | | | | | | | |trunnion beds | 2 9 | 2 7 | 2 6 | 2 3 | 2 1 | 2 0 | |Weight of carriage,}|ct. qr.|ct. qr.|ct. qr.|ct. qr.|ct. qr.|ct. qr.| |bed & coins }| 9 0 | 8 0 | 7 0 | 6 0 | 3 3 | 2 3 | +--------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

Carriages on a march. See MARCHING.

The carriages for horse artillery guns, as 12, 9, and 4 pounders, are constructed lighter than formerly; the two first of these calibres have an additional trunnion plate; and indeed it does not appear why every travelling carriage should not have this important improvement since it eases the horses and saves the carriage; and by lessening the fatigue increases the celerity of the movements, and spares the cattle for service.

Diameter of the wheels of the Field Carriages at present in use:

Diameter. ft. in. All the horse artillery carriages, limbers, and caissons; the heavy 6 Prs. and long 3 Prs. and their limbers; the carriage of a 6 Pr. battalion gun, and a light 5¹⁄₂ inch howitzer; the hind wheels of a common ammunition caisson 5 0