The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-06-27
THE BEGINNING OF GUNS.

In 1916 croSSbows were in pretty gen
eraI use among the English, but new
era in war was to be inaugurated, for
with the army of Edward Ill lat Cres-
sv) came five small pieces OF cannon, a
species of weapon supposed TO De uIl-
known i'm France, though cannon are
spoken of in a sea engagement IN the
thirteenth century between the KING OF
Tunis and a Moorish king of Seville
Bv whom the five pieces of cannon were
made is uncertain: but lie Blood, In his
..Treatise on Artillery" +" says that the
earliest guns were of very clumsy ana
inconvenient make. being usually form
ed of several pieces of iron fitted tOgeth-
er lengthwise. and then hooped with
iron rings: and as they were used Tor
the throwing of stones of prOdiglOuS
weight. they were of enormous bore
The .DictiOnnaire Milltalre' (If0S) as
sertS that cannon ''Were unknown IN
France. " according to some authors, IN
1898. under Philip, but known OF only.
Nevertheless - says Noltalre, 'JllI the
reign of Charles VIII. artillery contin-
ued in its infancy. They did not make
use of artillery in sieges till the reign of
Charles V, King of France ana the
smear was their principal weapon till the
reign Oh l1tltiN L w AiiNAN AiINA4
tion is made Of cannon in the English
wars until 14O5. when we are told that
at the seige of Berwick a shot from one
GREAT Gun so shattered a tower that the
gateS were at once thrown open by the
alarmed garrison. In the year l46U,
lanes II. of Scotland lost his lifel by
the bursting of one Of these rude imple-
ments of war At the siege of RoN-
burgh. standing in the vicinity of gun
which was about to be discharged, the
rude mass composed of ribs Of IRON,
bound together by hoops of the same
metal. burst asunder, and fragment
striking the King on the thigh, broke
it and killed him on the spot. Hand
runs were not then invented, but ut the
battle of Chipping Barnet (I4II) men
ton is made Of three hundred Flemngs
armed with hand gun, but Of their con-
structiOn history does not tell.
At the battle of Flodden (1jl3) james
of Scotland had with him thirty pieces
of artillery which had been cast for hin
at Edinburgh by the master gunner OF
the castle. Robert BOrthWick. Sever
I of these guns were of great beauty, and
were known as the -'Seven Sisters OF
Borthwick." The cannon of the Eng
. lish were of inferior make to those uSeC
bv the Scots. being composed Of hoop:
and bars.
The first cast iron guns of Englisi
manufacture were made at BuNted, II
. Sussex. in 1913. by Ralph Hogge- mas
ter founder. About this time there alsC
came into use guns called arQuebusseS
which were fired from a rest planted
into the earth.
The French were now making raplt
strides in the manufacture Of bras
. runs. for in l5Ij when Francis ]. Wa
Dreraring to invade England. We hn,
him according TO Pere Dauiel3 possess
ing in hiS feet one ship carrying 10,
brass guns. At the battle OF Pink.e
1913. pistols were in use among tn
Germans and others employed IN tn
English army. The cannon were nov
provided with iron balls instead of tn
pGnderOUs stone ones in use previous [
this date Here also we find mention q
the wheclIOcE pistol.
CarbineS. petrOneis. and dragons ar
frequently mentioned among the fire
arms of the age. The first was so name
from having been used in the vessel
called called caTabs: the second frOI
being fred with its square butt plante
on the chest: the third from its muZZl
being frequently decorated with a dr5
CONS head--hcnce the troopers VIII
used it came subsequently to be name
dragons. The whcel-lOck hackbut We
used in EliZabcth's reign. with the re.
Of the heavy matchbox. but the powdC
was now made up in cases, each con
tanning complete charge, to facilitat
the loading of the piece and the strap
which they were attached was named
collar or handolicr