Ammunition column An ammunition column consists of military vehicles carrying artillery and small arms ammunition for the combatant unit to which the column belongs . Thus the ammunition columns of a division , forming part of the brigade s of field artillery , carry reserve ammunition for the guns , the machine gun s of the infantry and the rifle s of all arms . Generally speaking , the ammunition column of each of the artillery brigades furnishes spare ammunition for its own batteries and for one of the brigades of infantry . In the British Army . All ammunition columns are officered and manned by the Royal Artillery . They are not reserved exclusively to their own brigades , divisions , & c . , but may be called upon to furnish ammunition to any unit requiring it during an action . The officers and men of the R . A . employed with the ammunition column are , as a matter of course , immediately available to replace casualties in the batteries . Teams , wagons and materiel generally are also available for the same purpose . The horse artillery , howitzer and heavy brigades of artillery have each their own ammunition columns , organized in much the same way and performing similar duties . The ammunition column of the heavy brigade is divisible into three sections , so that the three batteries , if operating independently , have each a section at hand to replenish the ammunition expended . The horse artillery brigade ammunition columns carry , besides S . A . A . for all corps troops other than artillery , the reserve of pom - pom ammunition . In action , these columns are on the battlefield itself . Some miles to the rear are the divisional and corps troops columns , which on the one hand replenish the empty wagons of the columns in front , and on the other draw fresh supplies from the depots on the line of communication . These also are in artillery charge ; a divisional column is detailed to each division ( i . e . to replenish each set of brigade ammunition columns ) , and the corps troops column supplies the columns attached to the heavy , howitzer and horse artillery brigades . The ammunition thus carried includes ordinarily seven or eight kinds at least . S . A . A . , field , horse , howitzer and heavy gun shrapnel , howitzer and heavy gun lyddite shells , cartridges for the four different guns employed and pom - pom cartridges for the cavalry , — in all twelve distinct types of stores would be carried for a complete army corps . Consequently , the rounds of each kind in charge of each ammunition column must vary in accordance with the work expected of the combatant unit to which it belongs . Thus , pom - pom ammunition is out of place in the brigade ammunition columns of field artillery , and S . A . A . is relatively unnecessary in that attached to a heavy artillery brigade . Under these circumstances , a column may be unable to meet the particular wants of troops engaged in the vicinity ; for instance , a cavalry regiment would send in vain to a heavy artillery ammunition section for pom - pom cartridges . The point to be observed in this is that the fewer the natures of weapons used , the more certain is the ammunition supply . ( C . F . A . ) The first projectiles fired cannon were the darts and stone shot which had been in use with older weapons . These darts ( " garros " ) had iron heads or were of iron wrapped with leather to fit the bore of small guns , and continued in use up to nearly the end of the 16th century . Spherical stone shot were chosen because of cheapness ; forged iron , bronze and lead balls were tried , but the expense prevented their general adoption . Further , as the heavy metal shot necessitated the use of a correspondingly large propelling charge , too great a demand was made on the strength of the feeble guns of the period . Stone shot being one - third the weight of those of iron the powder charge was reduced in proportion , and this also effected an economy . Both iron and stone shot were occasionally covered with lead , probably to preserve the interior of the bore of the gun . Cast iron , while known in the 14th century , was not sufficiently common to be much used for the manufacture of shot , although small ones were made about that time . They were used more frequently at the latter part of the following century . Towards the end of the 16th centurynearly all shot were of iron , but stone shot were still used with guns called Petrieroes ( hence the name ) or Patararoes , for attacking weak targets like ships at short range . Case shot are very nearly as ancient as spherical shot . They can be traced back to the early part of the 15th century , and they have practically retained their original form up to the present date . They are intended for use at close quarters when a volley of small shot is required . With field guns they are not of much use at ranges exceeding about 400 m ; those for heavy guns are effective up to 1000 m . In the earlier forms , lead or iron shot were packed in wood casks or in canvas bags tied up with twine like the later quilted shot . In the present type small shot are placed in a cylindrical case of sheet iron , with iron ends , one end being provided with handles . For small guns the bullets are made of lead and antimony — like shrapnel bullets — while for larger calibers they are of cast iron weighing from 2 ounces 3 . 5 pounds ( 60 g to 1 . 6 kg ) each . Grapeshot is now obsolete . It consisted generally of three tiers of cast - iron balls separated by iron plates and held in place by an iron bolt which passed through the centre of the plates . There was also another type called quilted shot , which consisted of a number of small shot in a canvas covering tied up by rope . Chain shot , in the days of sailing ships , was much in favor as a means of destroying rigging . Two spherical shot were fastened together by a short length of chain . On leaving the gun they began gyrating around each other and made a formidable missile . Stephen Batory , king of Poland , invented red - hot shot in 1579 . The English used them with great effect during the siege of Gibraltar , especially on September 13 , 1782 , when the French floating batteries were destroyed , together with a large part of the Spanish fleet . Martin ' s shell was a modified form ; here a cast - iron shell was filled with molten cast iron and immediately fired . On striking the side of a ship the shell broke up , freeing the still molten iron , which set fire to the vessel .