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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
It is startling to find that, in the majority of cases, the loss in horses was double the loss in men. 
It is probable that the great losses in horses experienced by the Prussians, was to some extent due 
to their offensive tactics. At Gravelotte, a horse artillery battery of the 9th Corps lost 120 horses— 
a loss which rivals that of “ G” Troop, R.H.A. at Waterloo. (See the “ Militair-Wochenblatt ” of 
the 30th Nov. 1872, p. 912.) 
These statistics unfortunately give us no clue to the relative proportion of common and shrapnel 
shell required in modern war. The Prussians had no shrapnel at the outbreak of the war, and 
were compelled to use common shell throughout the whole of it. The shrapnel used belonged to 
the Saxons, Bavarians, Hessians, and Magdeburgers. 
Too much reliance must not be placed on the number of rounds fired per gun; since in many 
instances the number of rounds fired was much less, and in others considerably more, than the 
average. For instance, the artillery of the 12th Corps at Gravelotte fired 151 rounds per gun; 
while the artillery of the Guard, at the same battle, fired 100 rounds per gun. It is certain that 
other batteries fired as much as 200 rounds per gun. At Artenay, 2nd Dec. 1870, the 36 guns of 
the 22nd Division fired 5000 rounds in 5 hours giving an average of 139 rounds per gun, and 
1 shot per gun every 2 minutes. (“ Militair-Wochenblatt,” 30th Oct. 1870, p. 826). 
The guns of 9 and 8 centimetres are respectively the 6 and 4-pr. German field guns. 
Glasgow, 
January, 1873. 
H. W. L. H. 
