Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-07-29
THE RICHMOND WING,
HISTORY OF THE RIrLEr CANNON.

| ',,a.cu w.pRSsDuRrr CAyILLl-Tag Paisrsr sYsTfM
| or THE FRsscH kIfLsD GUNS -THk fRsscH rouspfR
| --irs wsloHr ITS RANGE AND lTs kyFicr-wnAr Is
| THx DIsf INITIAL To BUILD kifLkD cAsSos WITH
| Tax ARMSTRONG AND WIN WORTH GINS
The attention lately granted by the Powers of Europe
10 fire arms designed for military ces, and the nu
merous ments Introduced In ha. branch OF the
national service clearly Indicate what We ought TO do
If No wish retain the rank occupy among
| great naiions These improvements ara 30 much tie
mere depirabr that they do not si ply imply desire OF
b.eompg warke people, but also Of Alternating the
deiul fleets of war by making II shorter, more de-
ya and less bloody than before. general belief tol
6rmed by statistical tables Of mortality is that tho de-
straeon of armies is in inverse ratio with the pro
grsss In the sceIce OF war aud that the perfect
he weapons used the soldiers the smaller the losses
Look TO- instance at the battles fought r India by the
English in Africa and Italy by the French. and compare
th,m with those fought half century ago. and you will
arrive at CONCLUSION that the number OF deaths In tho
Army has decreased with the Increase 81 range aud 40
| curacy in firearms. .1 .s
Ito thee effects, sufficiently great 10 Induce Us to
change our system Of armament We add the vast supe
riority which He'd give 10 an army the amount Of
intelligence activity aud security they communicate 10
the soldiers the intellectual development impaired 10 all
the services in eDce the rapldiy thy secure To
all military movements the prompne's aud ss.ety they
ford in small well in great MAJ caves, IL Is mpos
site that should bs lead by many important
ousid, rons a complete reform in our present sys.
ten. The study Of the questions relating 70 this III
pu,anL branch Of the military service, ought 10 be
DUTY Tor all good citizens especially at the present tim,
tor from depends In great part The life Of our soldier,
our SUCCESS in war and mi among the powers
Il the earth We beg leave, tben TO be sxcnsed H. n
Of the great ress TO be achieved III that direction,
We give bisofical sketch Of one OF the most useful
weapons In the OF modern warfare the Il cannon.
May it lead people to form an idea m IT'S Importance,
| and OF the necessity TO provide our amy with It.
ORIGIN OF INK RlrLED CANNON PRJ.crILr-
| Tux BREACH LOADING GUN.
The ried cannon is not as discovery as peo.
pe are generally inclined 10 suppose. There Is nov ole
IN Berlin bea upon its tscuche0n the date of 1864,
the year in which il built II is made with forged
iron has thrtten grooves inside, and screw at its
br, ech Models Of the kind and forged in the same
| country are 10 be at Munich and other German
cities. Studies the construction Of ed cannon were
not made In Germany Alone but also the OF Jet OF
much nttetion in England aud France Writer'S on gun.
uery sprak OF twOpounder lied gum tried for tie first
time in England in the year l77G for the purpose OF re-
ducirg to Obedience the American rebels These small
ordinances threw projectle at the distance Of about
leo ysrds with deviation OF about two feet in their
| r nge
The Invention of conical prcectles, which, combined
with the lied bore have produced such wonderful Effects
witness days IL still older han that OF firearms
The English who succeeded in making their specu
la0ns or practice ia firearms prevail but who always
made great noise about their improvements used the
conca bullet for the first time lii the year 1921 at the
-ege OF La Rochelle, Protestant stronghold beseged
and taken by chelou As 10 the breechioadDg gun u
dates far back the di-covery OF the ITSELF
and fourteen guns OF that description used by tee
Engsh army the seigs of Orleans in the year 1923
However, all these experiments, which msnit, sted
marked tendency concerning tho Improvements in fire.
atS did produce any practical results, aud were
hlally given up. Tie time when this idea took per-
mani Il; bod Of the mind OF special men, aud was sue
cessuly carried through within the space Of half CEN
fury, may be fixed al The year 1905 when Gnitton de
| T.. ola gsa1 To suka nfa
the bule: c,lndr.c pr jeetile OF iron, semi
spSsrc at OF its ends, covered over With had
30 as TO expel the wind from the Ech. TIE great
wars N which Napoleon l. was Engaged prevented that
dcovety TO be received with the degree Of attention 1t
deserved IL not however, lost sight Of aud in the
year 1913 of our officers applied to our cAnhons
eIO gated pr, scnes, which gave more accuracy aud
rangr 10 tian Co tl,at oi ~. EDsh Taeso re-
cults caused the Eugtish and Hanoveria Government 10
make Ger researches upon tne improvements 20 be
Introduced the shape Of pfo les out whatever
have been Their success, 90 not mad "a all their
tmpt any of experiment in Nhch the conicGl ball
aud the rled bore cunLiued Ii is ia this comhi-
.stion that lies the wonderful ehcs produced by the
Minnie rid, and tho rh'd cannon.
| ORIGINAL DISCOVERY or TIE RirLED CANNON.
| These experiments though contributing, each for it,
part To the stock of gent knowledge had not yet
duced auy material change in the system OF fire arms,
when RechenbAch, osptnn Of artillery in Bavaria,
constructed, in the year 1916, ried troEz, cannon,
With seven groovCs, aud loaded IL with couical ball.
Though the deviation was very great nj h7 tue fesut
- aea, is Ii"fs,,a,.,
.,u 40, "n.n;o'. e., H." ,ro.eo,,on q,
s ..' "' - - ;, n,s,aI,, Ton orc n
hS u u'' -, - w." - 49, 49,. %. "a 49, .
lnc D,Do'es' aIa w., 80 ~, o.,
gnHsu ~ a., oS ,m.lo nm. ;nna e", ,s,;, -,
t.eon. u"ao. .l ~ 'J - - H. 80 -, -" ~
'his , I ~" S,.nyr;os r
=, to 80; on. ho;n Tho s;a;ny If IosS
49, 80 80 he tho uuzze aftcr N certain iumbsr M
lnS 'e p"Se - sue ~ aa', a. ,' or 49,
rouh"s' anu l"o " " ~ apnoaa VI W., &c
Dnafn .'1 - ny IT, y, d'o
'h' war VIZ" ~ NJ " 80. ." ~ - ~ S
tieue MS auu " v ia'' u
ing hs "oik' in l.us' uo "oS's', ue'ei w. iron nc
knoN' uS'hg .a. inc oi-ina' 'Se VI to"nonns 'ne
Mill bore WIN tnS coh'e" oa oeoHss u, e,eA pa
TO hechchoseH. hs lueas "'ie p'oses"o ~ i'saho'
but reinaihed as 10 "eau1' ia S'e Vi hiefe FPe'eu
idlon
La 1913 ~. "anienuSn' tn' p'"p'"Lo' VI ,he gloat
iron Jorge AZ Asr', tow'ue"l severn
rhed guh1 o', .i' VI '"o
ole,s wl,n - oy -, VS.
uaS". ~ 'hs p;s5uon,.a. srmT ,ensrDd ,Ss
oaVs, nyo, " w R.;ohsr horn. sn, ha vac
hPcrh'.u', 'naI' ~; - -, =, - $500 - ' i -
non in'eau o' 's,ls ,oau.u a. 'no we 'o"ueu
induced the French Government, which since 1851 bad
been actively engaged ia with the ra'd
cannon combined with The conica Dali at the arsenal OF