Part 87

The charge for battering guns is one third the weight of the round shot, for round shot, and one fourth of it for case shot.

The charge for carronades is usually one twelfth the weight of the shot. The highest is one eighth, and the lowest one sixteenth.

By the experiments made at Woolwich in March 1801, it is recommended, that when cylinder powder is used on service, the charges of field ordnance with round shot, shall be reduced to the usual quantities for case shot. The same experiments recommend, that the thickness or length of the wood bottom be varied, in order to change the position of the shot, and thereby save the bore; and that the paper cap which is usually thrown away on service, shall be put over the shot before it is introduced into the piece.

For charges for small arms see the word CARTRIDGES.

Charges of French guns in French weights.

lbs. 24 Prs. 8 }Siege 16 Prs. 5¹⁄₂}

12 Prs. 4 } 8 Prs. 2¹⁄₂}Field}¹⁄₄ less for Case Shot. 4 Prs. 1¹⁄₂} }

CHARGE de mine, Fr. the disposition of a certain quantity of powder, which is used for the explosion of a mine.

CHARGE, in gunnery, implies the quantity of powder, shot, ball, shells, grenades, &c. with which a gun, mortar, or howitzer, is loaded.

Charges for heavy guns from a 42-pounder to a 3 pounder, both brass and iron, in proof, service, saluting, and ricochet.

------+---------------+---------------+-------+------- | Proof. | Service. | | +-------+-------+-------+-------+ Salut-| Rico- Kinds.| Brass.| Iron. | Brass.| Iron. | ing. | chet. ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- Prs. |lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz. ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 42 |31 8 |25 0 |14 0 |12 0 |10 4 | 3 4 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 32 |26 12 |21 8 |10 10 | 9 4 | 8 0 | 2 12 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 24 |21 0 |18 0 | 8 0 | 8 0 | 6 0 | 2 0 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 18 |18 0 |15 0 | 6 0 | 8 0 | 4 8 | 1 12 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 12 |12 0 |12 0 | 4 0 | 4 0 | 3 0 | 1 6 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 9 | 9 0 | 9 0 | 3 0 | 3 0 | 2 8 | 1 4 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 6 | 6 6 | 6 0 | 2 8 | 2 8 | 2 0 | 1 0 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 3 | 3 0 | 3 0 | 1 0 | 1 0 | 0 12 | 0 6 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

Charges for Medium Guns.

------+---------------+---------------+-------+------- | Proof. | Service. | | +-------+-------+-------+-------+ Salut-| Rico- Kinds.| Brass.| Iron. | Brass.| Iron. | ing. | chet. ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- Prs. |lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz. ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 24 |18 0 |18 0 | 8 0 | 8 0 | 4 0 | 1 12 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 12 | 9 0 | 9 0 | 3 8 | 0 0 | 2 8 | 1 4 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 6 | 6 6 | 6 0 | 2 0 | 2 4 | 1 4 | 1 12 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 3 | 3 0 | 3 0 | 1 0 | 1 0 | 0 14 | 0 8 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

Charges for light Guns.

------+---------------+---------------+-------+------- | Proof. | Service. | | +-------+-------+-------+-------+ Salut-| Rico- Kinds.| Brass.| Iron. | Brass.| Iron. | ing. | chet. ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- Prs. |lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz.|lb. oz. ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 24 |10 0 | 5 0 | 5 0 | 0 0 | 4 0 | 1 12 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 12 | 6 0 | 0 0 | 3 0 | 0 0 | 2 8 | 1 4 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 6 | 3 0 | 0 0 | 1 8 | 0 0 | 1 4 | 0 12 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- 3 | 1 8 | 1 12 | 0 12 | 0 0 | 0 14 | 0 8 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

As pieces of artillery are of various denominations, and consequently made use of on several occasions, their charges must of course have many variations.

CHARGE, is also the attack of cavalry; and charge bayonet is a word of command given to infantry, to force the enemy whom they are to charge at the point of the bayonet. To sound a charge, is the sound of the trumpet as a signal for cavalry to begin the attack.

CHARGE, in military law, is the specification of any crime, or offence for which a non-commissioned officer or soldier is tried before a court martial. In all charges of this nature, the time and place, when and where the crime, or offence was committed, must be set forth with accuracy and precision.

CHARGED Cylinder, in gunnery, implies that part of the chace of a gun, which contains the powder and ball.

CHARGER, any horse belonging to an officer on which he rides in action.

CHARGERS are also either bandoliers, or little flasks that contain powder for charge or priming.

CHARIOT, a car, in which men of arms were anciently placed. These were armed with scythes, hooks, &c. The person who drove the chariot was called the charioteer.

CHARPENTIER, Fr. a carpenter.

CHART, or sea-CHART, is a hydrographical map, or a projection of some part of the earth’s superficies in plano, for the use of navigators and geographers.

Plane-CHART, is a representation of some part of the earth’s superficies of the terraqueous globe, in which the meridians are supposed parallel to each other, the parallels of latitude at equal distances, and consequently the degrees of latitude and longitude every where equal to each other.

CHART of reduction, is that where the meridians are represented by right lines, inclining towards each other; thence it appears by construction, that these charts must correct the errors of the plane ones. But since these parallels should cut the meridians at right angles, and do not, they are defective, inasmuch as they exhibit the parallels inclined to the meridians.

Mercators-CHART, is that where the meridians are straight lines parallel to each other, and equidistant: these parallels are also straight lines, and parallel to each other; but the distance between increases from the equinoctial towards each pole, in the ratio of the secant of the latitude to the radius.

Globular-CHART, a meridional projection, wherein the distance of the eye from the plane of the meridian, upon which the projection is made, is supposed to be equal to the sine of the angle of 45 degrees. This projection comes the nearest of all to the nature of the globe, because the meridians therein are placed at equal distances.