SHOUT NOTES ON PROFESSIONAL SUBJECTS. 
71 
It is no object of the writer of these notes to follow the progress of this use of 
field artillery from the time when mobility was first given to it, it is possible to 
arrive at one conclusion only from an examination of the varied instances when 
artillery has thus been employed on a large scale—how vast is the power of such 
batteries at every period of the progress of an action.* * * § 
The altered nature of the country gave to the artillery arm a vastly increased 
import in deciding the day at Solferino. 
The French rifled guns are said to have played on the village of Solferino from 
a range of 2500 yards; it is probable that this range is a maximum, for there can 
be no utility in opening fire at distances beyond that which will permit of every 
projectile doing its work. The charge against artillery of opening fire too soon 
has been oft repeated, and the introduction of rifled guns caused very extravagant 
ideas to prevail as to the utility of the long ranges obtainable. The instructions of 
the Great Frederick are still applicable,—That it is at all times reprehensible and 
prejudicial for artillery to open fire so soon as the enemy can first be seen; excep¬ 
tional cases may perhaps demand exceptional ranges, yet " all reports of the late 
war in Germany combine to prove practice at long ranges to be very doubtful in 
effect ”f 
1866. The Prussian army is composed of nine corps; the organization aims at 
producing from each corps a complete little army in itself. Each corps is com¬ 
posed of two divisions infantry, one division cavalry, and one regiment, equal 
sixteen batteries, equal ninety-six guns field artillery, with reserve artillery. 
In peace there are only four guns per battery, and pole draught is adopted. 
Total amount Prussian field artillery—162 batteries, 864 guns, rifled 4 and 6-prs. 
and smooth-bore 12-prs.£ The guns are steelbreech-loaders, the 6-pr.(Wahrendorff) 
is a position gun. The carriages are of wood. This light gun ranged further than 
the Austrian gun. 
The reserve ammunition wagons in the field were kept quite separate from the 
batteries, the officers of which were able to attend to their proper duties free from 
the care of the distribution of ammunition to other arms. 
The Austrian field artillery was muzzle-loading, 4-prs. and 8-prs., the guns and 
carriages lighter than those of the Prussians; the latter service carry a man on 
each axletree arm, a practice which though inconvenient enables them with the 
assistance of three men on the limbers to bring a gun quickly into action. § The 
Austrians convey their extra men on a kind of saddle on the trail, two on the 
saddle of an 8-pr., one on that of a 4-pr. 
The Austrian heavy field batteries then were composed of 8-pr. muzzle-loading 
rifled guns, their light batteries of 4-pr. muzzle-loading rifled guns. 
The Austrian battery is of eight guns (280 rounds per gun), four 4-pr. batteries 
accompanied a corps d’armee of four infantry brigades and four squadrons cavalry. 
There were 108 batteries with the nine brigades of artillery. 
Bavarian artillery.. 96 guns, rifled and smooth bore. 
Saxon do .. 70 guns, rifled 6-prs. and 12-prs. 
Hesse Darmstadt do . 24 guns, rifled and smooth-bore 6-prs. and 12-prs, 
Nassau do..... 16 guns, eight rifled. 
T .„i ( 480 guns, rifled 8-prs. and 10-prs., in five regiments 
^ . I of 16 batteries, and 2 depot batteries. 
June 26. The first army met and defeated Austrians at Liebenau; here smart 
cannonading occurred, but the Austrian guns were silenced. Their practice was very 
poor, the shells often penetrating into the earth without bursting. || A regiment of 
red hussars being exposed to a heavy fire, some fifty shells struck the ground around 
them, yet not a man of them was injured. 
* See Taubert, Maxwell's Translation, p, 200. 
f Brackenbury, European Armaments, p. 52. 
j I believe that now all the Prussian field guns are rifled. 
§ Col. Keilly’s Memo., p. 79. || Hozier, Yol. I. p. 219. 
