Loading your reading…

Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America — John Shaqi

Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in AmericaManucy, Albert C.

History

Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America

Name: Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America
Author: Manucy, Albert C.

Manucy, Albert C.

Artillery -- History; United States. Army -- Ordnance and ordnance stores

[Illustration: Figure 28--EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SPANISH GARRISON GUN.]

Before the Castillo was completed, guns were mounted only in the
bastions or projecting corners of the fort. A 1683 inventory clearly
shows that heaviest guns were in the San Agustin, or southeastern
bastion, commanding not only the harbor and its entrance but the town
of St. Augustine as well San Pablo, the northwestern bastion,
overlooked the land approach to the Castillo and the town gate; and,
though its armament was lighter, it was almost as numerous as that in
San Agustin. Bastion San Pedro to the southwest was within the town
limits, and its few light guns were a reserve for San Pablo. The
watchtower bastion of San Carlos overlooked the northern marshland and
the harbor; its armament was likewise small. The following list
details the variety and location of the ordnance:

_Cannon mounted at Castillo de San Marcos in 1683_

  Location   No.   Caliber   Class   Metal   Remarks

  In the bastion
    of San Agustin
     1   40-pounder   Cannon   Bronze   Carriage battered.
     1   18-pounder      do      do          New carriage.
     2   16-pounder      do    Iron         Old carriages,
                                               wheels bad.
     1   12-pounder      do    Bronze        New carriage.
     1   12-pounder      do    Iron                    do.
     1    8-pounder      do    Bronze        Old carriage.
     1    7-pounder      do    Iron          Carriage bad.
     1    4-pounder      do      do          New carriage.
     1    3-pounder      do    Bronze                  do.

  In the bastion
    of San Pablo
     1   16-pounder   Demicannon      Iron       Old carriage.
     1   10-pounder   Demiculverin    Bronze               do.
     2    9-pounder   Cannon          Iron                 do.
     1    7-pounder   Demiculverin    Bronze               do.
     1    7-pounder   Cannon          Iron       Carriage bad.
     1    5-pounder      do             do       New carriage.

  In the bastion
    of San Pedro
     1    9-pounder   Cannon         Iron        Old carriage.
     2    7-pounder      do            do        Carriage bad.
     2    5-pounder      do            do                  do.
     1    4-pounder      do          Bronze      Old carriage.

  In the bastion
    of San Carlos
     1   10-pounder   Cannon    Iron      Old carriage.
     1    5-pounder      do         do      New carriage.
     1    5-pounder      do       Bronze   Good carriage.
     1    2-pounder      do       Iron      New carriage.

The total number of Castillo guns in service at this date was 27, but
there were close to a dozen unmounted pieces on hand, including a pair
of pedreros. The armament was gradually increased to 70-odd guns as
construction work on the fort made additional space available, and as
other factors warranted more ordnance. Below is a summary of Castillo
armament through the years:

_Armament of Castillo de San Marcos, 1683-1834_

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America

No reviews yet