108 
COMPOSITION AND STRENGTH OP A SIEGE TRAIN 
The total number op rounds per piece required por output, as :— 
H. Gun. 
M. Gun. 
F. Gun. 
H. How. 
M. How. 
L. How. 
Double shell :— 
— 
l 
475 
301 
—. 
Common shell :— 
615 
484 
16 
46 
139 
384 
Shrajmel shell :— 
42 
108 
112 
9 
18 
Case shot : —- 
3 
6 
32 
1 
o 
O 
< , 7T 4 
650 
598 
160 
531 
461 
384 
Which gives an average of 464 rounds per piece, taking all natures 
together, or 560, omitting field guns and light howitzers.* * * § 
III. CARRIAGES. 
Each piece of ordnance of the train must be provided with a carriage 
for firing from, the description of which will vary with the nature and 
purpose of the piece; and, if the Cf fighting ” carriage is not also a 
"travelling” carriage, an additional carriage must be provided for 
bringing the piece upon into battery. 
From what has already been said under the head of “ Ordnance,” the 
latter, with their carriages, nuty, as regards transport, be divided into 
four classes, namely :—■ 
1. —Pieces, which, individually, with their carriage, give a total 
weight approaching to, but not exceeding, the maximum admissible for 
transport,-}* namely 100 cwts. to which class belong the heavy guns 
and howitzers. 
2. —Pieces, which, individually, with their carriage, give a total 
weight, such as to admit of transport with moderate ease,t namely, 
80 cwts. ;|| to which class belong the medium guns and howitzers. 
3. —Pieces, which mounted upon their carriages are very mobile, as 
field guns.§ 
* 500 rounds are laid down for each piece of ordnance, of whatever nature, composing 
the unit of the British siege train. In the Russian train each piece of the pare 
d’investissement and of the pare de Vattaque is provided with 1000 rounds, except the 21 
c.m. mortar, which has only 700.—See Revue d’Artillerie, May, 1877. 
Kraft states, in reference to the quantity of ammunition necessary to commence a siege, 
that “ the necessary store of ammunition has fluctuated in practice between 300 and 500 
rounds per gun. 
f That is for a team of 12 horses, no more than which can conveniently, or usefully, be 
employed together. 
X Calculation gives us, at 120 lbs. tractive force, per horse, overground opposing what 
may be considered an average resistance, a weight of 103J cwts. (on a siege carriage), 
which 48 men, exerting each a tractive force of 27i lbs., can drag. The 8 in. S.B. of 54 
cwt. weighed with its siege carriage, packed, 94J cwt.; the 32 S.B. of 50 cwts., 88 | cwts.; 
the 64 pr. B.L.R. of 61 cwts., 102| cwts. ; w r hile the 64 pr. M.L.R. of 64 cwts. weighs 
113^ cwts. 
|| Calculation gives at 94 lbs. tractive force, per horse, a weight of 81*32 cwts., which 
weight 48 men, at 21 ^ lbs. each, can drag. The 8 in. S.B. howitzer of 21 cwts. weighed, 
on its carriage, 55| cwts ; the 40 pr. B.L.R. of 35 cwts, 81| cwts; while the 40pr. M.L.R. 
of 35 cwts. weighs 89 cwt.; the two latter carrying 5 and 6 rounds, respective! y } of 
ammunition, which for siege purposes seems unnecessary. 
§ The 16 pr. M.L.R. field gun, packed, weighs 42i cwts. which over ground opposing 
an average resistance/requires a tractive force of 536*7 lbs. or 30 men at 18 lbs. each. 
