Handbook for Light ArtilleryDyer, A. B. (Alexander Brydie)
History
Handbook for Light Artillery
Dyer, A. B. (Alexander Brydie)
Artillery, Field and mountain
When a march is in prospect, it is well to go out daily, for a week or
ten days previously, for a couple of hours' march. This will harden the
horses' shoulders and discover what corrections are to be made. The
average march for field-artillery on good roads is from 15 to 20 miles
a day; horse-artillery, 25 miles.
A single battery, when the march is a long one, will do well to trot
occasionally; so doing shortens the road and greatly relieves man and
horse. If the country is undulating, the platoons should march with
considerable distance between them, and the trot should be taken up by
each in succession on arrival at the level ground where the preceding
platoon began to increase its pace. The walk should be resumed in the
same manner.
When marching with other troops, these liberties cannot be taken, and
the walk is, with rare exceptions, the gait used. In rapid marches the
slow trot alternates with the walk.
When the services of artillery are urgently needed, it may be required
to trot four or five miles without breaking the gait.
Long marches or expeditions should be begun moderately, particularly
with new horses. Ten or twelve miles a day is enough for the first
marches, which, on good roads, may be increased to 20 or 25 miles
when necessary, after the horses are inured to their work. Should
the march be continued for a long period, at least one day in seven
should be devoted to rest. It is also important that the horses and
equipments be thoroughly inspected at least once a week. On ordinary
roads horse-artillery with cavalry marches usually at the rate of 4 or
5 miles an hour. Field-batteries, by themselves, can march 3½ to 4
miles an hour on a good road, but on heavy or hilly roads, or when
the battery forms part of a column, the rate of progress will depend
entirely upon circumstances. Should a long march be made, the horses
should be fed on the road; ordinarily watering will be sufficient. In
very hot weather frequent watering will be advisable. To keep horses in
condition, it is essential that they should be in no wise stinted of
water. No matter how warm a horse is six to ten swallows of water will
not hurt him.
Always march with a feed of grain; if not used on the road, it enables
the horses to be fed as soon after arriving in camp as desirable.
Horses should be arranged in teams, as far as possible, so as to be of
uniform pace in walking, and of similar disposition.
On long marches it may be advisable to change the near and off horses
days about. Drivers should be required to ride off horses during part
of each day's march; and, unless the entire battery be dismounted by
order of the captain, all mounted men and cannoneers will ordinarily be
permitted to mount and dismount at will when the battery is moving at a
walk on level ground.
Cannoneers of field-batteries should always walk up and down hill.
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