121 
A RETROSPECT 
OF THE 
EQUIPMENT, SERVICES, &C„ OF THE 1ST AND 2ND RUSSIAN 
MOUNTAIN BATTERIES IN THE LAST WAR. 
BY 
MAJOR H. C. 0. D. SIMPSON, R.A. 
The part played by the Russian Field Artillery in the War of 1877-8 
has everywhere received so much hostile criticism that the excellent 
services performed by the small force of Russian Mountain Artillery 
engaged have been passed over in silence by the majority of military 
writers of the war. Although, owing to a printer's error in a paper 
written three years ago for these “Proceedings," by the omission of 
the words “ except perhaps in Bulgaria," I was reported as stating 
as my belief that Mountain Artillery was never likely to be required 
for service in Europe, such is not the case. No military writer would 
presume to state that the Balkans is an unlikely theatre of war for us 
in the future, so I venture to hope that the subject of this paper may 
not be an uninteresting one to officers whether of Mountain Artillery 
or otherwise. 
Prior to the mobilisation of the six Russian Army Corps in the 
autumn of 1876, there were but four Mountain Batteries on the estab- 
ment, belonging to the Caucasian Army Corps destined to operate in 
Armenia. In December, 1876, however, -two batteries (the 1st and 
2nd) were formed at Kischinev for service with the Army of the South, 
and 10 additional batteries were afterwards ordered to be raised for the 
operations of the coming spring. 
Turkey was able to place 20 Mountain Batteries in the field accord¬ 
ing to report. The fighting establishment of a Russian Mountain 
Battery at this time is laid down as :—1 Lieut.-Colonel, 1 Captain, 4 
Lieutenants and 2nd Lieutenants, 1 Sergt.-Major, 27 N.-C.O.'s, 145 
gunners, 80 drivers, 4 trumpeters, 30 laboratory men, 8 riding and 
120 pack horses, 8 guns, and 112 ammunition boxes each containing 
7 rounds. The gun was the 3-pr. R.B.L., 1867 pattern, firing a 12 oz. 
charge, M.Y. 697 f.s. Weight of projectiles—common shell, 10 lbs., 
shrapnel, 8 lbs. One horse was required for the transport of each of 
the gun, carriage, and wheels, and seven horses per sub-division for 
the ammunition. The weight of the gun was 2 cwt., carriage 198 lbs., 
wheels, 120 lbs. The establishment of a Turkish battery was on a 
very much smaller scale, consisting of:—1 Captain, 2 Lieutenants and 
2nd Lieutenants, 1 Sergt.-Major, 1 Qr.Mr.-Sergeant, 20 N.-C.O.'s, 
36 gunners, and 1 ordnance artificer and 5 battery artificers, 18 
ordnance and 48 ammunition drivers, 3 trumpeters, 5 saddle horses, 18 
gun and 48 ammunition and 6 store mules, 6 guns and 96 ammunition 
boxes. The guns were of two patterns, the Whitworth 3-pr. and 
Krupp's 5i cm B.L. gun of 2 cwt, 
3, VOL. xix. 
