Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-09-25
Artillery Fire.


great war, probably 1t will be 1ounu'
military men declare. that never IN
the history of the world has artillery
PLAYED so important and prominent
part as in the present war. Ma
poleon. himself an artillery ofhcer'
and knowing the possibilities OF the
gun even in it's crude development OF
his time, employed artillery in over
whelming force whenever opportunity
offered. Seldom was an attack
made in Napoleon's operations oetore
artillery prepared the way, and the
French defeat at Waterloo has IN
military analysis, been ascribed by
more than one competent mind TO
the failure of the French, by reason
of the heavy rains of the night De-
fore, to bring the artillery on to the
field of battle until many hours after
the time that had been arranged.
Waterloo opened at eleven o'clock
i'm the forenoon. Napoleon had IN
tended, in the event of the artillery
being up, to begin the action at day.
break, and daybreak in Belgium In
June comes earlier than four O'Clock.
In Napoleon's time artillery USED
round shot for long range and grape
for close range. Shell fire also was
used, but shell fire was obtained py
exterior fuses ignited by the firing OF
the gun. All guns in Napoleon
and the
shot approximated to six pounds and
twelve pounds in weight.
Shrapnel came into use in the
ffties, and down to the time of the
Austrian war in 1866, muzzle-loading
was in great service. MuZzle-load-
ers were used by the United States
both in the Mexican and Civil wars,
In 1870 the Saxon army was provided
with Krupp wedge breech block
rifle guns. but the French used muz-
zle-loaders.
Modern artillery service received
its great impetus in the Franco-Prus-
sian war Of 1870. Up to that time
artillery. since the days of Napoleon
had been assigned to positions In
the rear of infantry. Every care was
taken-too much care often-to pro-
tect the guns, and in the Austrian war
of 1866, the Prussian artillery sur
fered greatly by criticism of this ten
dency to keep in the background.
Tactics Changed in 1870.
In 1870 the tactics of the former
war changed completely, and German
guns were posted to the front and in
great masses. At ST. Privat, the Ger
mans massed in one position no less
than 22O guns. At Vionville, Mars
la-Tour and Gravelotte, heavy masses
of artillery were employed close up
with the infantry lines, and from the
very outset of the war the Germans
made a practice to send the artillery
along with the infantry on the trot
and kept we'll up in the front Note
worthy instances are on record OF
large masses of artillery being sent
forward for many miles at a steady
trot All this was in striking con-
trast to the movement of artillery by
the Germans in 1866, when the guns
almost invariably moved out at the
walk and were only sent in at trot
or gallop when going into position.
German field and siege artillery has
maintained since 1870 the leading po-
sition in the worlds rank. This has
been due largely TO Krupp. The Ger
man government does not undertake
TO make its own artillery, as does the
United States government. On the
contrary, Germany relies wholly on
Krupp. That great establishment
caters to the world, and the Ger
mans believe that in the importance
and wealth of Krupp lie the facilities
for experimentation which are not
always to be had by a government
bureau.
Krupp experiments continually in
the effort to evolve some better piece
of mechanism or to bring out greater
efficiency. and as a rule there has
been little development in the artil-
lery line in the last forty years than
did not first start at Essen.
Krupp, through the use of crucible
nickle steel, has had an advantage
over many other artillery firms.
Krupp steel has enabled the Essen
works to build on given weights more
powerful guns than was possible with
less efficient metal.
The great gun works Of the conti-
nent of Europe are Krupp of Ger
many: Skoda of Austria; Poutilof of
Russia; Creusot of France, and Cock
erill of Belgium. The last named has
fallen into the hands of the Germans
and will doubtless be operated as
branch Krupp plant.
New French Guns.
In 1870, France was wofully behind
the German artillery. France placed
great reliance on her mitrailleus-a
machine gun-but the Germans fairly
laughed at this weapon when they en-
countered it in action. In the last tif-
teen years, France has made great
efforts To bring up the development of
the field artillery Much has been said
GERMAN ART