From: spf@hoqaa.att.com (Steven P Frysinger)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: 18th C Artillery trivia
Date: 20 Aug 92 21:41:14 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

(Someone emailed me some artillery trivia questions, and after I composed
the answer it seemed it might be of general interest.  The following
pertains to artillery of the American Revolutionary period.)

# Knowing next to nothing about the subject, I've never heard the term "#2
# mattrosse" before, is it French?  Do you know what it means?  I assume there
# is a #1 also?  How about a #3?  What are the jobs on a gun crew?

Our gun is a 3-pound battalion gun, and had a crew of 15 (but can be and often
is and was served by as few 4).  In order of increasing rank:
	(8) mattrosses (unnumbered) on the drag ropes, 4 per rope
		These were typically recruited from the infantry, and
		were used to move the gun on the field of battle (there
		were almost never any horses/mules/oxen used to move
		artillery in battle, as these livestock were owned by
		the civilian teamsters who had no desire to get their
		source of livelihood shot up).
	(1) #2 mattrosse: ram/sponge (stands on right side of muzzle)
		1. sponges out bore with wetted lamb's wool sponge (puts
		out sparks by pulling vacuum in tube more than by wetting
		them)
		2. rams cartridge down bore
		This man was least experienced man on actual firing crew
		(excluding the 8 human mules), since he stood a good chance
		of losing at least his right arm if the gun went off while
		he was ramming the charge home.  This happens even today!
	(1) #1 mattrosse: searcher/loader (stands on left side of muzzle)
		1. Uses searcher (in Civil War called a worm or wadhook)
		to pull remnants of old powder bag
		2. Places cartridge in muzzle to be rammed by #2 mattrosse
	(2) gunners: (stand on either side of breech)
		(I forget which is #1 and #2)
		Gunner on right side:
		1. Place thumb on vent (wearing leather thumb stall to
		protect against heat) while #2 mattrosse sponges so that
		a vacuum will be formed when sponge is withdrawn.
		2. Pricks powder bag open with brass wire down vent hole 
		and places quill (goose quill lined with powder or sometimes
		tin tube - if tin, would be sharpened so that it would open
		the bag itself, saving the brass wire step)
		3. If necessary, spikes the gun by driving spike into
		vent hole with hammer - bent spike can only be removed
		by an artificer (mechanic), so the gun cannot be immediately
		turned and used against the retreating gun crew.
		Gunner on left side:
		1. Fires gun by training portfire (basically equivalent
		to a road flare) on quill; keeps portfires lit using
		linstock (burning "slowmatch" - treated rope) in a holder.
	(1) powder monkey: (stands to rear of gun with ammo box)
		runs cartridge (powder bag and sabot with projectile)
		up to #1 mattrosse, using leather pouch to prevent
		detonation by sparks
	(1) bombardier: (stands to rear of gun with ammo box)
		selects proper charge for desired range.  If this were
		a howitzer, he'd also be the one setting the fuse length
		as described previously
	(1) gun commander: (stands between gun and ammo box)
		gives orders to crew, performs actually aiming operations
		(would be a sgt, warrant officer, or possible a junior
		officer (subaltern)).  A LT or CAPT would command a section
		consisting of 2 battalion guns, 2 sections being a company

Standard firing rate was 4 rounds per minute.  But best recorded rate
(a competition between Burgoyne's best Hessian and best Brit gun crews)
was 16 rounds per minute!  Even doing double search/sponge for extra
safety, our crew has fired 10 rounds per minute (on a very good day!).
There's evidence that 18th C crews in battle only bothered searching and
sponging when the powder bag scraps built up enough to block the touchhole.
VERY dangerous, but then, so were the guys shooting at you!
 
# How do the powder bags ignite, especially the lead foil one?  When you ram it
# home, is the idea to burst the bag?

Pricked open by gunner, as described above.
English used flannel bags, French used lead foil (we use a variant of
lead foil made by Alcoa :-).
 
# Is the purpose of the sponge to extinguish any remaining "embers" from the
# previous round so that the new charge doesn't explode in your face (not a
# pleasaant thought)?

Yes, but as I mentioned, the vacuum is as important as the wetness.
The water forms a seal around the sponge so that vacuum is formed when the
sponge is withdrawn quickly, yielding a "pop" sound.
 
# Thanks a lot for your time, it really is interesting.
# Rog

My Pleasure!

Steve Frysinger
CAPT John Lamb's Artillery Company, New York Continental Line (1775)