218 
HISTORICAL NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ARTILLERY. 
A. One Non Commissioned Officer to superintend the whole, his particular Charge 
is to point the Gun to the Object fired at, by moving the screw, so as to make her 
fire higher or Lower, and in directing the Man who steers to traverse her to right 
or Left by the handspike; his post is on the left of the Gun, behind the dragropes, 
shifting his situation as occasion requires so as to be able to observe the Effects of 
the shot on the object fired at. 
B. One man or rather a Non Commissioned Officer when he can be spared, to 
direct the Gun by Steering or Traversing it, his post is on the left, at the Extremity 
of the Trail of the Carriage, with his right hand on the traversing hanspike ; when 
the word fire is given he is to stand clear of the Recoil by falling back on the left 
heel, and in advancing he is to Ease the Men as much as possible ; I.E. those who 
draw the Gun, by pushing her forward and by raising her Trail now and then from 
the Ground. 
C. A Man to fire, whose post is on the left of the Gun, he is to use a portfire; 
he is to keep his Eye fixed on the Man who rams home, with the portfire in his 
right Hand, extending it from him at Arms Length, except just at the instant he 
fires, which is done by touching the lip of the cup of the Tube, taking Care not to 
lay the portfire over the Hole of the cup. 
D. A Man to serve the Yent, his post is on the right of the Gun, opposite to 
the man who fires, he is to be furnish’d with a Tin Box, which may contain One 
hundred Tubes, tied round his Waist; as soon as the Gun is loaded he puts in the 
Tube, and is to be carefull not to do it before; after he puts the Tube into the Yent 
he covers it with his left hand, till’ the word fire is given when he steps back with 
his left foot keeping his right foot which should be always without the wheel, fast, 
as soon as the Gun is fired he is to Step up with his left foot and cover the vent 
close with his left Thumb while F is spunging and loading, which done, he intro¬ 
duces the Tube with his right hand as before, covering it with his left, he should 
always be furnished with a claw Hammer, two Pinchers and a Drill and Gimblet 
with which he may clear the Yent, when it is clog’d by a Tube remaining in it or 
otherwise. 
E. A Man to load, whose post is on the left of the Gun close up between it and 
the Wheel of the carriage with his right foot advanced; as soon as the Gun is 
spunged he introduces the Cartridge into the cliace which he receives while the Gun 
is spunging from the Man who serves with Ammunition, in firing standing he re¬ 
ceives the Cartridge over his right shoulder by making a small inclination of his 
Body to the right without moving his foot, and in firing advancing and retreating, 
he receives the Cartridge over his Left shoulder, making a half face to the left for 
that purpose. 
F. A Man to ram home the charge and to spunge, his post is on the right of 
the Gun, close up between it and the wheel of the Carriage and opposite to the 
man who loads, he carries the spunge in a perpendicular Posture at his right Side, 
touching the Hollow of his Shoulder, the rammer hand just below ; his right hand 
which is extended downwards close to his thigh, this brings the spunge a little 
above his head with his left hand across his Breast laying hold of the spunge Staff 
with it about the middle, his left foot advanced before his right foot, making a full 
face to the left, in which motion he lets the spunge fall down in a horizontal posture, 
with the spunge head close to the Muzzle of the piece : having spunged the Gun 
which is done by thrusting the Spunge head home the full Length of the Chase, 
and giving it one turn quickly, he then withdraws it and waits till the man who 
loads introduces the Charge which he rams home once, springing out the rammer 
