EARLY ARTILLERY :MACHINES. Before the in vention of gunpowder, the word 'artillery' re ferred to machines for throwing heavy missiles, in which the projecting force was obtained by a spring or weight suddenly released. These in cluded catapults, bows, crossbows, slings, hal lista, the onager, the springal, etc. The ballista and onager projected their missiles, usually stones, from a bag or bucket, using the spring as a source of energy. The catapult and springal were large crossbows projecting their missiles from a trough or platform. It is reported in some ancient accounts that stones weighing sev eral hundred pounds were thrown over half a mile. The projectiles used included urge beams or logs, heavy arrows and stones, and also in flammable material, which was projected over the walls of a town, castle, or other fortified place, to set fire to the interior. The machines above mentioned, having little mobility, were re stricted almost entirely to use in the attack and defense of fortified places during the progress of a siege. In modern use the word 'artillery' is
applied, first, to all projectile arms which are supported by carriages, in contradistinction to arms which are discharged from the hand or shoulder: second, to the troops serving such arms: third, to the science which treats of the service of the guns and the organization and administration of the personnel. In general the term 'artillery' is used to designate the guns and other materiel of projectile machines using gases as the projectile force, the personnel which serves the materiel, and the science or art deal ing with the service of the former and with the organization of both to form a system for use in offensive and defensive warfare.