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Bill Cainan1
| Joined: 01 Sep 2005 |
| Posts: 107 |
| Location: Lampeter |
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 Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 5:42 pm |
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a.j.
I think you need to be a bit more specific with your question, as it would probably take a complete book to answer all your points fully !
However, I'll give some basic answers which may help.
I took about five men to fire a field gun, and they were numbered consecutively. The NCO in command was usually known as the "Number One". The ventsman and the firer stood behind the wheels of the piece, one on each side, while the spongeman and the loader stood in front of the wheels. Up to four other men prepared and supplied the loader with ammunition. Although the artillerymen in a field battery walked, the gun was pulled by a team of six horses, which required 3 outriders. A gun "crew" was therefore around twelve men.
A field battery in total had six guns, and had a staff of 5 Officers and 168 men. Within battery was a field forge, farriers, blacksmiths, etc . The standard field gun at the time of the Zulu War was the 9dr RML, but because of the lack of roads/tracks in Zululand, it was thought better to issue the batteries with a lighter gun - the 7pdr RML, a mountain type gun, which was specifically mounted for the campaign on a sturdier carriage. The actual performance of the 7pdr was considered insufficient and towards the end of the war, some of the batteries were equipped with the conventional 9pdrs.
I believe that the artillerymen were equipped with Snider Enfield Carbines, as the Martini-Henry Carbine was not available in sufficiuent quantity in early 1879. Photograps of Artillery NCOs show some equipped with Revolver holsters.
Bill
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