ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF ARTILLERY IN CUBA. 551 
in a convenient position so that the direction of the wind may be 
known. Fire should be by salvos. 
Rockets could be employed against masses of infantry in the open, 
against the insurgents when lightly entrenched, using in this case high 
angle fire and, finally, they would have. (as has been observed on many 
previous occasions) a good moral and material effect against cavalry. 
The author fully recognizes the difficulties which present themselves 
with regard to the adoption and employment of war rockets in the 
Cuba campaign, viz.:— 
(1.) The campaign is now actually in operation. 
(2.) Not being able to provide at short notice either the rockets 
or all the necessary material for their service. 
(3.) Having to improvise the manufacture. 
(4.) The need to experiment with them and draw up fire-tables. 
(5.) To train the personnel in the manipulation of the rockets. 
The difficulties are no doubt great, but if it is not wished to manu- 
facture rockets in Spain they might be bought in England. 
The author then considers how they could proceed to manufacture 
them in Spain and does not apprehend any difficulty in training the 
personnel. But, he goes on to say, let us suppose that the Spanish 
government actually decline to consider the question of rockets for the 
Cuba war; there still remains the question whether the Spanish troops 
in Cuba ought not to have the advantage of the great moral and 
material support which artillery supplies, and he therefore propounds 
a second suggestion, viz.: to employ light batteries of the 9™ (3°5”) 
field mortar. They would be more mobile than mountain batteries ; 
their high angle fire would be most efficacious against the enemy under 
cover of the thicket (manigua), and they could fire common and 
shrapnel shell both with time fuzes. It is necessary to discard the per- 
cussion fuze in order to avoid the premature bursts of shell owing to 
impact with intervening trees, branches, &c. The following are the 
relative weights of the 9™ mortar and 8™ Plasencia mountain gun :— 
gem Mortar. 8cm Plasencia. 
WISTRIE, OE JOISTS. con ao coo 00 SS Nos, 225°1 Ibs. 
* carriage with wheels sno OOM! 5 BSH 5 
otaliwershtrolgsys teu ares my rms emnnnC TONE 582°6 ,, 
With an angle of elevation of 45° and a charge of about 13 ozs. we 
obtain with the 9™ mortar a range of 3094 yards. 
With the first line of ammunition there would be 48 common and 
24 shrapnel shell, with 72 charges of various weights (from 7 oz. to 
2 oz.) and 80 tubes. 
The advantage of the mortar over the gun consists in being able to 
carry the former on its bed by hand, which cannot be done in the case 
of the gun. Three men are sufficient for this work. In general all 
the material for the 9™ mortar would be carried on mule back, but 
when the country presents difficulties it can be carried by hand. 
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