THE KOYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
269 
At Eontenoy we had a number of guns (forty-seven it is said 1 ), but again 
little is known of their services. Mr Gleig states 2 that in the returns 
of the Duke of Cumberland's force may be found six galloper guns, 
drawn by one horse, or two horses tandem, and adds that they were 
quite useless,—“ a mere pateraro." The conduct of the allied artillery in 
general was bad. “ Elle commenca par une cannonade eparpillee sur tout 
le front, qui peut bien inquieter un peu les troupes placees derriere les 
ouvrage.'' 3 
The want of a corps of efficient drivers was severely felt at this time both 
in the English and in continental armies. The drivers of the English guns 
at Eontenoy deserted them early, and the march of the infantry was so 
delayed by their having to drag the guns, that these pieces were worse than 
useless. 4 Again at Ealkirk, 1747, the drivers deserted the guns which had 
stuck fast in some heavy ground, and a number in consequence were lost. 5 
And the flight of the drivers of a battery at Zorndorf caused even a greater 
disaster. “Une batterie Prussienne, attaquee par la cavalerie Eusse, fut 
prise, et les charretiers, en se sauvant, traverserent 1' infanterie dans laquelle 
ils mirent le desordre." 6 
At Minden five brigades, 12-prs. and 6-prs., of the Eoyal Artillery were 
present, 7 and their conduct drew from the Duke of Brunswick a letter of 
thanks; and the batteries at Warbourg the next year appear to have behaved 
equally well, Captain Philips bringing up his guns at a gallop. 8 How this 
could have been done with effect while the gunners were dismounted is not 
clear, unless these guns were the gallopers mentioned by Mr Gleig. 
Of the services of the Eoyal Eield Artillery in the American wars which 
followed these campaigns it is difficult to give any detailed account, owing 
to the absence of mention of this arm in the dispatches of the Generals 
engaged, and the accounts written by reliable authorities. 
Among the improvers of artillery between the Seven Years' War and the 
Erench Eevolution, Gribeauval was by far the ablest. He completely 
separated field from garrison artillery, convinced by the results of the 
campaign of 1757, in countries difficult of access and abounding in bad 
roads, that a heavy field artillery is the bane of an army. 9 Yet even after his 
improvements Napoleon said, “ Gribeauval has made great reforms, he has 
simplified much; but the artillery is yet too heavy, too complicated; it 
1 “England’s Artilleryman,” p. 12. 
2 “ Military History,” p. 186. 
3 Eave, p. 128. 
4 Ibid. Drivers were not regularly enlisted in either the Erench or English services till the 
beginning of the present century. As late as the year 1800 General Lespinasse was compelled to 
write of the Erench artillery ; “ Les equipages d’Artillerie ne pouvaient etre plus mal entretenus 
que par les compagnids qui s’en etaient chargees dans les. differentes armees, puisque partout les 
charretiers etaient continuellement sans pain, sans solde, sans habits, et leurs chevaux sans fourrage, 
sans fers, et sans harnais.”—“ Essai sur l’organisation de 1’arme de l’Artillerie.” 
5 “ England’s Artillerymen,” p. 13. 
6 Fave, p. 140. 
i Aide-Memoire to Mily. Sciences. Art. “ Ordnance.” 
8 “England’s Artillerymen,” p. 22. 
9 From an old Erench work called the “ Manuel de 1’Artilleur.” 
[vol. v.] 36* 
