CIVIL WAR IN THE UNITED STATES. Field Artillery.—At the beginning of the Civil War in the States, the field-artillery consisted of eight batteries. ,host of the sea-coast artillery was promptly converted into field-batteries. The armament was 3-inch muzzle-loading rifles and 12-pounder (smooth-bore) Napoleons. The Na poleon gull was used throughout the Civil War, and with great effect at the shorter ranges. The range of the Ordnance Department 3-ineh gun was 2800 yards, and that of the 12-pounder Napoleon about 1500. The objection to the Na poleon, as to all smooth-bore arms. was its inac curacy at long range. In the Eastern armies the battery contained at. first six- pieces, later four. There were four batteries to each division; and when the divisions were organized into corps, about half of the divisional batteries formed the corps reserve. In 1863, division artillery was abolished, and the batteries of each corps were formed into au 'artillery brigade.' This system obtained until the close of the war. A brigade contained from four to twelve batteries. In the Western armies, a battery of artillery was as signed to each infantry brigade, and this organ ization was retained until 1863. Subsequent changes all tended toward the concentration of batteries. In the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, the artillery was formed into battalions of four batteries each, and a battalion assigned to each infantry division. To each army corps was assigned two battalions of 'corps artillery.' This organization of11 till ..e.(.-ar....ery, with minor changes, has since been adopted by most of the powers. "The War of Secession gave the tactics of artillery a long stride forward. It developed the use of masses of guns to an extent unknown since the days of Napoleon. It infused into the handling, of that arm a degree of audacity fore shadowing the tactics of 1870; and if its offen sive use in masses had not been all that could lie wished, it was due to causes beyond the control of the arm itself." (Wagner, Organization and Tactics, New York, I895). Siege and Sea-Coast Artillowy. 1'p to about I590, the United
States had fur sea-coast defense and siege trains only the guns left over from the Civil War. These were principally Rodman smooth bores and Parrot rifles, both cast-iron and muzzle-loaders. They were supplemented in 1572 by the addition of 8-inch muzzle-loading con verted rifles. the old 10-inch Rodman being util ized for this purpose. The leading position of American artillery in IS61 was largely due to Lieutenant Rodman, of the United States Army. His principle consisted essentially in casting guns by cooling from the interior. The system of artillery in the United States at the beginning of the Civil War embraced the following: "Field: Wrought-iron 3-ineh rifle, bronze 6- and 12-pounder guns, 12-pounder Napoleon, 12 pounder mountain, and 12-, 24, and 32-pounder howitzers. Siege and garrison: Cast-iron 4n inch rifle, 12-. 18-. and 24-pounder guns. pounder and S-inch howitzers, and S-ineh and 10-ineh mortars; Coeho•n mortars (bronze). Sea-coast: 32-pounder gun, 10-, and 15-ineh Columbiads, 10- and 13-inch mortars. The total embraced seven different calibres of guns, three of Columbiads, four of howitzers, and four of mortars, or eighteen altogether—the same as in 1850. In 1561 the smooth-bore system of the United States was certainly excellent. In quality of cast-iron used, and its manipulation during manufacture, it has been claimed, and with good reason, that the ordnance department of the United States Army led all others. if not the first upon the ground. the department was among the pioneers in heavy modern armaments, as was shown by the casting, sucoessfully in that year, of what at the time was the most powerful weapon known — a 15 - inch Rodman gnu, fol lowed, in 1564, by a similar but 20-inch smooth bore, throwing a shot weighing 1080 pounds. This was a grand stride. and placed the Ameri can artillery in no secondary position in the array of national armaments at that time de veloping,." (Iiirkhimer, Historical Sketch of the Artillery, United States Army, Washington, 1884).