Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-02-22
ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY.
One of the Three Great Branches of the
Army of England.

One of the Three Great branches of the
Army of England.
The English army may be classed
Under three heads, the cavalry. the
tnfantry and the artillery, and these
three are again branchSd off under 9TH
ar denominations.
The artillery comprises the field ar
tlllery, the garrison artillery and the
royal horse artillery, and it is of the
after would speak more particular
y. The royal horse artillery is, as its
name implies, mounted branch of the
service and is used principally for the
protection of cavalry. 1t is some
times spoken of as the light or flying
horse artillery, and justly so, for in
rapidly of movement it surpasses any
mounted regiment in her Majesty's
service. 1t is divided into three bri.
gades, A, h and c, and these are d.
vided into batteries or divisions A
battery corresponds with "a company
OF infantry, and is in charge of a
Major. usually, with Captain, three
Lleutenants, a sergeant-major, and
the usual staff of non-commissioned
officers.
Each battery consists of six subdi-
visions representing the number of
guns, and the full force of the battery
is, either directly or indirectly, at
tached to one or another of these sub
divisions.
Artillery men are either gunners or
no oil .,
feet six inches. the latter from that
height down. No recruits are drafted
directly 10 the royal horse artillery,
ut are selected from either field or
garrison batteries, so that the stand.
ard of this branch OF service is excep-
tionally high, and as the pay is some.
what above the average, there is no
lack of candidates.
Twelve men are required for each
gun, although a subdivision may con-
sist of twenty or thirty men, for there
are always large number of artifcers
and employed mon-ofticers' servants,
! cooks, etc. 49, whose names are on the
roster of the mess.
There are three drivers to gun and
each has two horses. designated as the
lead. the center and the wheel horses.
The gunnerS are numbered, and each is
mounted except Nos. 8 and 8, who ride
IN the limbers and are known as timber
guards. The No. of subdivision is
always the nOn-commissioned officer
In charge, usually sergeant, and he
1t is who sights and points the gun,
| Fives command and exercises general
supervision. No. 2 loads, No. 5
sponges out the gun after it is fred and
rams home the charge, No. attends
the vent, No. 5 fires, No. 6 brings
lp the ammunition from and 8, who
tttend to the limbers, and No. 9 is in
'harge of the ammunition wagon.
These are the general duties, though
pther work is entailed, and each man
Is drilled to take any position, or a'4y
,wo positions in case of an emergency
The gunners are drilled to meet
every conceivable emergency-a wheel
nay break, but spare wheel is car
ried with the gun, and in an incredib,y-
short time it is in it's place--four of
The gunners may be shot, but the gun
is worked, perhaps not so easily, but
lust as efficiently. They are drilled in
taking the whole machinery of the gun
to pieces and putting it together again;
and so rapidly is that done that the
time is measured not by minutes but
by seconds.
1t is a sight never to be forgotten -
watch battery of the royal horse a =
tillery on the field. See; there they
are away in the distance, the gunner5
and the drivers dismounted and idly
resting in seeming disorder.
But bark! The bugle sounds the
advance, and almost instantaneoubly
The battery is on its way towards us ~
IL gallop. Had we been nearer 90
would have heard the orders given
without pause between: prepare
20 mount" Mount" "Trot,
March," and then Charge" and
without hitch, or a moments delay,
without the least deviation from the
regulation "distance," the six guns
and their mounted escort are upon us.
But again the bugle sounds, HALT"
Action 'front.'" and then we see the
guns which have necessarily been
pointing to the rear numbered and
directed to the front, while the linn
bered are wheeled right-about and
taken to the rear, and all are ready to
pour a deadly fire into an imaginary
foe; and all this in quicker time than
! it takes to tell it.
1t is an inspiring sight, and one that
can not fail to impress itself upon the
memory Cor. Detroit Free Press.