The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-06-03
[Fron, ,le to,geH, Mass, Courier.

considerable attention and is confident that
what he proposes is entirely practicable
We hope that his suggestions viii De tested,
and II they should meet his own expecta-
ton, there would be no necessity OF send 4
ing abroad for arms with which TO put /
down the Formidable rebellion now threa.- /
eaing the security Of our country
EDITOR OF THE COURIER II wish to /
make few suggestions through the col /
umns Of your paper, on the subject Of the
war, for the reflection of military men, and
to excite action on the part Of the State gov
eminent. Nothing new on TIE subject Of
guGEery, artillery practice, or solid OF ez-
plosive shot, IS suggested. But more et-
fect:ve and destructive combination OF we'll
tried material is respectfully suggested, ana
winch l hope may be carried Into practice
by the Northern States at once.
" Tle power of the IiHad cannon first used
by the Emperor Napoleon OF the fields Of
Magenta and SOlterino il 1859, are well
known to scientific and military men,
They consisted OF two calibres, II for siege,
and / Founders for field batteries. Their
effects upon these wcli-coutested fields are q
matter Of history, and gave to tue French
in the artillery arm decided superiority
over the Austrjdns
" Let US inquire what was the ID. French
rifed cannon, and its power. 1t was Ut
bronze, cast, loaded at the muzzle. Each
gun has six twisted rifes-the rifles being
about an inch wide aud oue-tajrd of an
inch deep. In the bottom Of the breach
there is a narrow chamber to receive the
powder, like the carbine of Delagigne. The
projectile rests on tbs bottom OF this cham
Der, is Of a cylindro spherical form, resem-
! bling the ball of the infantry ; of iron and
/ hollow and conical like the latter. The
! cylindrical base of the bullet is pierced II
six places, and into these drills are intro
+ duced as many plugs Of pewter. These six
I pieces Of pewter, thus placed, correspond to
he six rifles OF the gun, which perform the
important duty of sluggiug.' They are
forced into the rifles by the explosion of the
powder, and thus give TO The bullet the pre-
cisiou and force Of the carbine ball.
" Sometimes the projectlcs filled with
balls, and are made to explode ut a given
distance. To effect this, the Shell is marked
to indicate the distance 10 which it VIII car
ny before exploding.
The match is cut according to the dis
lance desired to throw The she'll. The ram
mer is followed NJ its base, SO as TO embrace
the cOnical head of the shell. 4he sight is
! movable, sud fixed Oh the right Of the can
nOa. The distance TO which these ID. guns
viii carry, is 1850 metres, or $40 yards,
equal to = little more than one and halt
miles. The total distance is + 500 metres,
or 4, 92l yards, equal to nearly three miles.
THE effects OF this news artillery upon
solid masonry, was illustrated by expert
meut3 at Viuceunes in 1888. Two similar
: heavy blocks of masonry having been cho-
sen, q tWenty-!Our pound gun told sty,e)
was placed before one at 80 yards, and a / :!
pound gun new sty!e) before he other al
! II yards. 1. required buJ half the number
ct ahojs from the new c. n1on to make as
wide u breach as the old enc. The balls
entered the masonry thir,y-two inches deep.
then exploded, throwing OF large cones
The charge of tue new gun WAS , lbs. 10
oz. OF powder-ot the old one l6 lbs. Tie
matelia! Of these guns being Of brorz,
would require considerable weight Of metal
to afford the requisite strength.
The famous Armstrong gun is rihcd, and
a brech- loader, made Of wrought iron, on
the principle of the twisted barrels Thin
, bars of the best wrought iron, about two
IucIIo > broad, tte heated TO q white heat
and in this state twisted and welded togeth-
er in spiral rolls, round Il steel bar or core,
smaller in diameter than the barrel of the
gun. Over this, when cold, another twist
of the same kind is made with the spiral
running in a contrary direction, and so on,
uHlll ll4G QCSli6u ttilChLESS IS GitdlEeQ- L ne
whole is then Fe-heated and welded togeth-
for the last time, under the steaul-hammer
The wrought iron gun combines greater
strength, with less weight OF metal, than
any known to modern science. An Arm
/ strong gun OF 20 cwt., was far more effect
i've than the Old pattern Of 81 cwt, and
threw shot 81 miles.
9 For the above knowledge Of modern
improvements il cannon, l am indebted to
the Annual of Scientific Discovery, for
1850, and other Scientific works that are
uuquestionably authentic.
6 1t must be apparant to all l think, that
the present war viii be Conducted princi-
palIy il the open country, and with large
masses of iutdutry, with q comparatively
small artillery arm. Seigos Of fortress, $
now in the hands Of rebels, would be of
little consequence; they will fall when the
country shall be cleared of hostile armies.
Whatever weapons will check, dispense, or
destroy advancing or stationary columns,
will most effectuaIly tend to the speedy and
successful end OF this war.
"If you have an arm that will be cffectu-
al and destructive nile and a half upon
infantry, before they can reply with the
MIME rife, and snoHgh Of Il, it would de-
eide the issue of battle. Now, let the Com
mon wealth organize regiment of 600
picked men noted for pluck aud muscle
arm them with field battery Of 100 light
10. riAed cannon, of wrought iron, Put
them into camp for drill to be ready for
service in September or October. Suca a
battery, with guns Of such Il weight that
five or six men would take the gun and
carriage, in pieces, on their shoulders, o.
leap it over a ditch, brook, or WALL and
make as rapid movements on the battle field
as infantry, or in short disteuces as t1yiug
artillery without their membranes, would
be most potent arm. Tie principal pro-
jectiIe used is the explosive shell. Its range
Is sure as the mimic rife miles, is very
effective . miles, and will throw shot or
shell miles. The gun can be fred FIVE
times minute, and more rapidly by expe-
rienced gunners. Against such a battery
of 100 guns five or ten thousand men, how
ever brave, could not FORM or rally, or adj
vance they could be Dispersed, or almost,
if not entirely, destroyed, in marching from
the raLge OF the cannon to within rife dis
lance; and if dozen such batteries should
/ tba e. ~