173 
HOC 
The rockets used by the cavalry are, however, now designed 
to be the 12 -pounders, armed with a 6 -pounder shell or case- 
shot ; each horse carrying four of these rockets. 
Every third man, besides his portion of ammunition, has, 
in addition, to carry the chamber from which the rockets are 
discharged. This chamber, however, weighs but six pounds, 
and is, therefore, but little additional burden; so that the 
rockets may be discharged parallel to the surface, and as near 
to it as possible. 
The weight of ammunition carried by the troop-horse, 
with the full complement going into action is such, that the 
horse is fully equal to any ordinary operations. But in long 
marches, small tumbrils are provided for carrying a part of 
the ammunition; which leaves the horse, in travelling, one 
stone four pounds of ammunition to carry, a burden of two 
stone less in line of march than that of the heavy dragoon’s 
or artillery-man’s horse: to which we may further add, that 
as the rocketeer has ho heavy duty to perform, no guns to 
sponge, nor any to limber up or unlimber, he may, upon 
an average, be a lighter man by three stone than is required 
for an artillery-man, who has constantly the above duties to 
perform; a difference amounting, within a few pounds, to 
the whole weight of the ammunition, carried by the men 
even in action. 
A subdivision of rocket cavalry consists of 24 horses and 
20 men," four of the horses being employed in carrying the 
ammunition for the subdivision. Each of these ammunition 
horses carries 18 rockets and rocket-sticks, and a proportion 
of small stores, weighing in all, including saddle, saddle¬ 
bags, &c. 19 stone; so that these 20 men will carry into 
action 152 rounds of 12-pound shell or case shot, and six 
chambers, or douches a feu ; from which, without any ex¬ 
traordinary exertion, 80 rounds of 6 -pound ammunition 
may be discharged in three minutes. 
It is obvious that the combined celerity and quantity of 
the discharge of ammunition of this description of artillery 
canndt be equalled, or even approached, taking in view 
the means and nature of the ammunition employed, by any 
other system. The universality, also, of the operation, 
not being encumbered with wheel-carriages, must be duly 
appreciated; as, in fact, it can proceed not only wherever 
cavalry can act, but even wherever infantry can get into ac¬ 
tion, as has been already stated. 
The heavier species of rockets, as the 32-pounder or 
24-pounder, as also the 18 and 12-pounders, are sometimes 
carried in cars of a peculiar description, which not only 
convey the ammunition, but are contrived also to discharge 
each two rockets in a volley, from a double iron-plate 
trough, which is of the same length as the boxes for the 
sticks, and travels between them 5 but which, being move- 
able, may, when the car is unlimbered, be shifted into its 
fighting position at any angle from the ground ranges, or 
point-blank, up to 45°, without being detached from the 
carriage. The limbers are always supposed to be in the 
rear. The rockets are fired with a port-fire and long stick: 
two men will fight the light car, and four men the heavy 
one. 
At present we have confined our remarks to rocket ca¬ 
valry : it is obvious, however, that they may, with equal 
facility, be accommodated to the use s of infantry. In this 
case, one man in ten, or any greater proportion, carries a 
frame of very simple construction, standing on three legs, 
like a theodolite, when spread; and which closes similarly, 
for the convenience of carrying. It is mounted at top with 
an open cradle, from which the rockets are discharged, 
either for ground ranges, or at any required elevation. 
The rest of the men carry each three rounds of ammunition, 
which for this service is proposed to be either 12 -pounder 
shell-rockets, or the 12 -pounder rocket case-shot; each 
round equal to the 6 -pound case, and ranging 2500 yards; 
so that 100 men will bring into action, in any situation 
where musquetry can be used, nearly 300 rounds of this 
description of artillery, which ranges at 45 °, nearly double 
those of light field ordnance. 
. Vol. XXII. No. 1492. 
K E T. 
When the rockets are employed in bombardments, they 
are discharged from frames of a different construction; the 
rockets employed in this service being larger than those used 
for the field: they are, however, equally simple, and the 
discharges may be made with great rapidity. In many 
cases, however, the frames are dispensed with, and the 
rockets are thrown from a battery erected for that purpose. 
The great advantage of this system is, that as it dispenses 
with apparatus, where there is time for forming a work of 
this sort, of considerable length, the quantity of .fire that 
may be thrown in a given time is limited only by the length 
of the work; one of 200 feet in length being sufficient for 
firing 100 rockets in a volley, and so on for any greater 
length ; or an incessant and heavy fire may, by such a bat¬ 
tery, be kept up from one flank to the other, by replacing 
the rockets as fast as they are fired in succession. 
Another use is for the defence of a pass, or for covering 
the retreat of an army, by placing any number, hundreds 
or thousands, of 32 or 24-pounder shell rockets, or 32- 
pounders armed with 18-pounder shot, limited as to quan¬ 
tity only by the importance of the object which is to be 
obtained; as, by this means, the most extensive destruction, 
even amounting to annihilation, may be carried amongst the 
ranks of an advancing enemy, and that with the exposure 
of scarcely an individual. For this purpose, the rockets 
are laid in batteries of 100 or 500 in a row, according to 
the extent of ground to be protected; so that one man is 
in fact alone sufficient to fire the whole in succession, be¬ 
ginning with that nearest to the enemy, as. soon as he 
shall perceive him near enough to warrant his firing. 
Where the batteries are very extensive, each battery may be 
subdivided into smaller ones; so that the whole, or auy 
part, or particular division, may be fired, according to the 
number and position of the enemy advancing. 
A similar application of the rocket artillery is as follows: 
a low work is thrown up for the defence of a post, or of a 
chain of posts, consisting merely of as much earth and turf 
as is sufficient for forming the sides of shallow embrasures, 
for large rockets, placed from two to three feet apart, or 
nearer; from which the rockets are supposed to be dis¬ 
charged independently by a certain number of artillery-men, 
employed to keep up the fire according to the necessity of 
the case. In this manner, such an incessant fire may be 
maintained as would be next to impossible for an ad¬ 
vancing enemy to pass through, not only from the quantity, 
weight, and destructive nature of the ammunition, but from 
the closeness of its lines and its contiguity to- the ground. 
The larger kind of these rockets are also equally applicable 
to the attack and defence of fortified places. They may 
also be employed by infantry against an attack from cavalry: 
they may be even carried by a storming party into the place, 
by which the parapet may be scoured of the enemy, any 
street or passage enfiladed; or thrown occasionally into the 
town, as well to distract the attention of the garrison, as 
to serve as an index to each of the storming divisions, as to 
the situation and progress of each party. In fact, there is* 
no limit to their application, being as general and extensive 
as that of gunpowder itself. 
In naval warfare the rocket-system likewise possesses 
peculiar advantages; for inconsequence of there being no 
re-action in these projectiles on the point of discharge, 
rockets, carrying such a quantity of combustible matter, as, by 
the ordinary system, would require to be thrown from the 
largest mortars, and from ships of very heavy tonnage, may 
be used in the smallest boats of the navy ; and the 12 - 
pounder, and 18-pounder, have been frequently fired from 
four-oared gigs; and it should also be remarked, that rockets 
of the above weight will ricochet in the water remarkably 
well at low angles; they may also be employed to facilitate 
the capture of a ship by boarding, by being thrown, by hand, 
into the ports, &c. by the boarding party, as soon as they 
get along-side, as the confusion and destruction which will 
thence inevitably ensue, cannot but facilitate the perform- 
ance of this dangerous duty. These rockets are also pecu- 
2 Y liarly 
