The shades of John Paul Jones, Decatur, and Bainbridge lurk in the background of the musty and yellowed pages of The Practical Sea-Gunner’s Companion, written by William Mountaine, F.R.S., and published in 1783. Fighting was more romantic in those days—if not so complicated as now. As one sits in the Congressional Library and ponders over this epitome of knowledge of olden gunnery, visions of ships lashed together fighting yardarm to yardarm, boarders with flashing cutlasses, red-hot shells, hand grenades, powder chests, and musketry from the tops, all relics of bygone days, are brought to mind. Nearly a century and a half ago this book was the last word on a gunner’s duties.
We cannot help but wonder if gunnery textbooks of today will seem as odd to our descendants a century and a half hence as do the problems and answers propounded in this old book. Yet with all that seems strange, there is much which still has a modem note.
For example in the preface appears this statement which is as true today as it was then.
It is not possible (in the Nature of Things) for any one Kingdom to continue long in a State of Peace and Tranquility; and even during the Time of (what we call) Peace, there is a Necessity for military or naval Dispositions, or both, in order to bear some Sway, and prevent surprize.
Further in the preface appears a paragraph advocating the necessity for “judgement duly regulated by practice and experience.” Most of the reasons given still have a bearing upon modern gunnery.
And Judgement (duly regulated by Practice and Experience) is peculiarly necessary in this Business, as there are so many Uncertainties incident thereto; as for instance, if a Gun is too long, the Ball is retarded by too much Friction; if too short, part of the Powder is discharged without Firing, and this is often the Case in duly proportioned Artillery, especially if the Powder has received any Damp; and this is one Reason perhaps, why the Proportion of Powder must be diminished, when Guns are heated by frequent Firing, for the Warmth of the Metal exsiccates and dries it, so that the Whole is more easily ascended; the Air’s Resistance has also great Effect, and is different at different Times and Places; the Situation of the Vent Hole, which (I believe) has never yet been truly determined; besides, the Differences that arise by the unequal Strength of Powder, the Unevenness of the Chase (notwithstanding the greatest Care taken in casting and boring) the fitness of the Shot, inequality in Ramming, or bruising the Powder, and the different Motions of the Ships engaged; all which in their Turns, are so many Impediments to Perfection.
Among the duties laid down for a gunner, armorer and gunsmith in this ancient tome, are many that have a familiar ring, while others have no counterpart in this age.
He is not to go or send any one into the Powder Rooms, but by Leave of the Captain, and to take Care that they have nothing about them that will strike Fire in clashing or falling.
In time of Action, he is to reduce the Allowance of Powder by degrees, until the same is lessened to One-third of the Weight of the Shot: He is not to swab a Gun when it grows hot, for fear of splitting.
He is to observe upon the Guns, the Notches or Sights on the Base or Muzzle Rings, for the better taking Aim.
He is not to load the Guns with unfit Mixtures, which greatly endanger their splitting.
The gunner is told how to solve a number of practical problems. The nature of these in contrast with those of today shows how great has been the advance since the time these instructions were written.
Problem: To find the Flaws and Cracks in a Piece of Ordnance. Take a large Piece of dry Touchwood, and set in on Fire in several places at once; when near half its Superficies smokes, put it into the Chase, and stop the Muzzle and Touch-hole both together: If the Gun be without Cracks, the Touch-wood will be extinguished for want of Air, otherwise it will burn out, and perhaps you may see the Smoke come from the cracks.
Problem: To find if a Piece of Ordnance be Honey-comb’d. Take a Looking-glass, and reflect the Beams of the Sun into the Chase, which will illuminate and render visible the Pores in the Concave Superficies: But if the Sun does not shine, put a Candle upon the End of an Half-Pike and thrust into the Chase, and that will shew the Pores: This Method is chiefly used in examining the Mortars.
Defects are still found in pieces of ordnance, but the technique of finding them has advanced somewhat, as the most casual reader can surmise.
Evidently the regularity and strength of powder was not all that it should be.
Problem: To find how much Powder is sufficient for any Piece of Ordnance, true bored or not. A Gun having its just Allowance of Powder is free from the Danger of splitting, and the Shot capable of the greatest Execution; but to do this exactly, is one of the greatest Mysteries in Gunnery. First, from the uncertain Quantity of the Metal, and secondly, from the Strength of the Powder: However, various Rules are prescribed for this Purpose, some of which are as follow, viz.
It must be taken for granted, that some certain Charge is sufficient for some certain Piece; they say, as the Cube of the Chases diameter you know, is to the Cube of that you know not; so is the given Quantity of Powder, to that required.
The effect of different types of powder was impressed upon the gunner.
The young Gunner must take great Care, that he do not give his Ordnance Pistol Powder Instead of Cannon; for if he do, and the same Quantity, she is in danger of splitting, the Difference of their Strength is so great: It has been observed, that the Quantity of the same Strength has done it, because taking up less Room, it possesses less Metal than Cannon Powder.
The hot-gun effect, which has been periodically rediscovered from time to time and is still with us, was known in those days.
But the young Gunner is to observe, that in five or six successive Firings the Gun grows hot, and the Charges of Powder must be gradually diminished, until it be reduced to One-Third of the Weight of the Shot.
Rough and ready methods were used in fitting “Grenades” to the bore of the “Mortar.”
A Grenade is a concave Sphere of Iron, filled with Corn-Powder, with a Fuze to set Fire to the Contents, and thereby break the Shell when it arrives at the designed Object. If the Grenade be too small for the Chase of the Mortar or Co-horn, marle it with slack twisted Thread, brush it all over with hot Pitch, throwing Brick-Dust thereon, ’till it is fit for the Bore.
For close work, an effective means was provided to prevent a return of the compliment.
If you fear the Enemies tossing them back again, take grey Paper and dip it in Water where Salt-petre has been dissolved; cut this into Quarters as they do Leather for a Foot-Ball, and paste them upon the Shell with the following composition, viz. Take a Quarter of a Pint of Oil of Turpentine, a Quarter of a Pound of Brimstone, two Ounces of Pitch, and the same Quantity of Candle-Tallow, melt all these together, and mix them up with beaten Gun-Powder ’till it is like Paste, and lay it pretty thick upon the Shell, with Cotton prim’d, over this put your paper; and because this will not keep the Quarters on, let them be cut to wrap over and so glewed; opposite to the Fuze put a piece of Cotton, that has been dip’d in the Composition, and when you fire the Shell, touch this with your Match, and it will set the Paper on Fire, which will burn so fiercely, that the most daring will not venture to return it; or small Threads of Twists of Cotton may be made to branch from little Holes near the great End of the Spigot all over the Shell, to carry the Fire to every Quarter.
When boarders were expected, a warm welcome was provided by “powder chests” prepared according to instructions.
How to fix Powder Chests: Nail two Boards together like the Ridge of an House, put under it a Cartridge of Powder, and close up both Ends; then make a Cover like a Sea-Chest without a Bottom, of a convenient Bigness, to put over it, fill the Vacancy with Pebble Stones, Nails, Stubbs of old Iron, etc.
Of interest is the maximum range obtained as well as the maximum velocity.
The greatest Distance to which a Bomb of 5 or 6 hundred Weight can be thrown with the strongest Charge, is between 2 and 3 Miles.
An iron Bullet of 24 lb. Weight, which is the heaviest in common Use for Land Service, such a Bullet fired from a Piece of the customary Size, with its greatest Allotment of Powder (2/3 of its Weight, viz. 16 lb.) has a velocity of 1650 Feet in 1 Second of Time and its horizontal Range by Experiment is something less than 3 Miles; generally about 2-3/4.
Will the reading of the Ordnance Instructions of today 140 years hence seem as antiquated to the reader?