The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1861-06-14
WAR TERMS MADE UNDERSTAND.
ABLE

WAR TERMS MADE UNDERSTAND
ABLE
AS war and war material are now en-
crossing public attention, to the exclusion
of both politics and business, some iafor-
nation relative to new terms occurring SO
frequently in connection with these SUBJ
iects, will be interesting to those who see
them used without fully understanding
them. All the ordnance for the United
States service is made at private founder
les, and afterward inspected and proved
| by office IS of the ordance detailed for that
purpose. The founderies where most of
our cannon are made, are the following:
I'll Q West Point Foundery, near Cold
Spring. N, Y; Folt Pitt, near Pitusburg,
Tredegar, near Richmond, Va; Algers,
Chicopee, NJ ass. The last two furnish
the bronz cannon, and the others the
IRON.
By the term artillery, is meant all fire.
arms of large caliber, together with the
machines and I'm plenents used with them.
In the United States service the artillery
corps is fntrusted with the use Of arms
and munitions and the ordnance corps
with their construction and preservation
The term ordnance is applied to the guns
III, nd ~, h, Il
nance is divided inlo guns, howitzers,
and mor!afs.
A mortar is short cannon, bell shap-
ed and is used principally for throwing
shells filed with explosive materials, for
crushing and destroying buildings in sieg-
es. They were used in Europe four CEN
turies ago, but their destructive powers
have acquired such terrific energy from
modern improvements that the lombard
ment Of a citys OF shelling it, is tie most
horrible fate to which it can be subjected
The bursting OF single shell spreads hav
oc and death among all near wbers il
may explode.
J. 1t was these terrible misives which wrou'
1t the complete destruction of the quarters
in Fort Sumpter. Col. Anderson's ex
extreme care of his men on that occasion
alone saved them from death, by keep
ing lookouts to give warning of the ap
pyoach of shot OF shell, and requiring hi
f,t- S.,1t u,
bomb-proof portioas OF the fort.
Shells were rained down upon Sevasto
! pol in such awful showers that the Rus
sian commander wrote to the Empero
hat it was the fire Of he'll ITSELF" Th
: shell is supplied with a fuse, which take
fire when tie mortar is exploded, ant
!, reaches tie powder within the shell yer,
! often at the very moment of its striking
= Long practice has enabled gunners t
+ know exactly the length tf fuse necessa
rr to the distance which II she'll is t,
traverse. Many mortars in our se,vc,
p will throw shell l3 inches in diane ter
Shells were formerly called bombs, an
hence the word bombardment.
: A Lowitzer is gun with chamber i
it and is used generally to throw shell
and other hollow projectiles, which ac
as well by their explosion as by their fore
;. of percussion, setting FIRE to towns, ship
and other quarters of an enemy. Th
ti,ld-howitzer is of course a much light
er gun than the siege or garrisoa>howit
N ger, and is used in light batteries. Tn
re mountain-howitzef is very light IL
pounder, and is used for service in coun
tries SO rough as not to admit the passa
of wheeled vehicles. The howitzer an
" its carriage, when taken to pieces, al
e, carried on the backs of mules, whicl
It when the roads are favorable, may /
he used TO draw the common two-whee(e
g, carriage, with the mounted piece. III
~ ~ howitzer is lighter and shorter, in propo
ton to its -projectile, than the ordinal
cannon; the charges used are smaller, ar
10. the accuracy of fire much less. But II
is compensated for by the greatest exec
"' ton Of the shell when it bursts. III
system of shell~guns was f,st brought
Oil to practical use by the French Gcner
elk, Paixan, in 1929, soon after which it W
adopted by the United States.
What is known among US as coium
!. ads is in reality a modification of t
Paixan gun. There are two sizes, C;
rying balls and la inches n diamet
and and either hollow or solid. This gun, the
fore combines the essential qualities Of
wig ordinary cannon, the howilzer and I
mortar. 1t discharges shot or she'll W