"Building AWI Armies" Topic

I am in the process of putting together a couple of AWI armies and plan to use HotT as hte rules for gaming them. I am trying to confirm the size of artillery used by the Americans and British. I find considerable material stating that 3 pounders were common in the south, but I want to just go with a typical example for each army. My research is indicating a 4 pounder for the Americans and a 6 pounder for the British. I would appreciate any thoughts,suggestions.

Thanks,

Terry

Generally the British and Americans in the conflict used 6 pounders as the standard gun but a lack of pieces and crews saw considerable variety particularly for the Americans. The British used 3pdrs in the south and also lighter "grasshoppers" which were usually 1 or 2 pound guns. The Hessian mainstay was the 4 pound battalion gun which during the war were put into large batteries of 4 or 6 guns. 12pdrs were also used in the field but larger calibres were used exclusively for sieges. The lighter calibre weapons were used in the south because of the terrible road conditions which would slow down movement considerably and the fact that many guns had to be taken across creeks and rivers.

The standard was – there was no standard.

I think the term grasshoppers refers more to the carriage more than the actual tube on it.

3s, 6s, howitzers, and an occaissonal 12 pounder. I believe 4 lbrs were more of a naval gun.

Aside from Saratoga, where the Brits seemed to have a gun for every battalion there (okay, more actually), artillery in field battles seemed to play a rather limited role. The battery concept was not a term used as it would be in wars shortly after this. Guns seemed assigned on an ad hoc basis from the artillery train, as needed.

The quoted selections below are from Wright's The Continental Army.

"The most essential materiel, they [Washington and Knox] argued, was a mobile train of brass field pieces consistent in makeup with European practice: one hundred 3-pounders, fifty 6-pounders, and fifty 12-pounders, plus a number of heavier 18- and 24-pounders for general support and sieges. Congress promised to obtain these pieces."

Note that this describes the hoped for ideal rather than what was actually available.

"During the winter [of 1777] Washington and Knox addressed the problem of improving the mobility of the field artillery to furnish direct support to the infantry. During the Trenton campaign each infantry brigade had been supported by a company of artillery with two to four guns. This experiment proved so successful that the concept of a direct support company remained a fixture of the Continental Army for the remainder of the war. Other artillery companies served in the artillery park or manned the heavy garrison artillery of fixed fortifications. The brigade support company, preferably from the same state as the infantry, varied its armament according to the brigade's particular mission. The ideal armament consisted of two 6-pounders in 1777, although this weapon required the largest crew of any field piece--twelve to fifteen men including an officer. Since doctrine called for concentrated fire on enemy infantry, rate of fire and maneuverability were more important than range."

At Guilford CH the ideal was achieved: each of the two brigades of Continentals was backed up by a two-gun section of 6s. But at Camden, the two brigades of Continentals (and several brigades of militia) had the support of two gun-sections of 2-, 3-, 6-, and 6-pounders.

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As several have mentioned the 6lb field gun was the weapon of choice all other factors being equal. However they do require a larger crew and are more difficult to move over a distance. For tossing canister at a line of troops outside of musket range a 6lb gun goes a great job

3lb and 4lb guns were used if 6lb guns were not available or if the unit needed to move over difficult ground or bad roads. The difference in weight between gun tubes tends to be more of a square then a simple doubling effect – ie when you jump from a 3lb to 6lb gun the total weight does not double – but rather goes up by a factor of four. The downside of the 3lb gun is that your canister is not as effective – and you start to move into small arms range when you deliver it

The "grasshopper" was a 3lb field gun on a special lightweight carriage – it came with a set of four lifting poles that could be attached to to the front and trail of the gun – The front two went out straight while the rear tube curved upward – giving the impression of a grasshopper from the side. I served on one back in the old days of reenacting – and four of us could lift the carriage – complete with gun – and carry it over obstacles .

The smaller weapons 1.5lb and 2 lb guns were even less effective with canister at any great range – and one is moving more into the "swivel gun" type of weapon – which can be deadly at close range defending a fortification or ship – but which don't give you much effect at long range

My .02

Novak

The Hessian guns were 4lb guns I believe Historygamer. The Hessians used 3 and 4 lb guns and I believe Stephens Battery at Brandywine also had several 4 lb guns.

American brigades could be the size of large British battalions, and American divisions the size of British brigades. So a two-gun brigade artillery section was much the same as European battalion guns.

Gentlemen, thank you all! Based on all the feed back, I feel comfortable then going with the 4 pounder for the Americans and a 6 pounder for the British.

Terry

Those would be the more common types, Terry; few battles had guns larger than 6-pdrs, due to manoeuverability issues, and the tendency on both sides was to use guns in pairs or singly to support the infantry, rather than in the "grand battery" style of the Frederickian or Napoleonic battlefield.

The British tended to use 3-pdrs to support light troops, such the Light Battalions and the Queen's Rangers, or the von Barner light battalion (Brunswick) in the north.

If you have a facebook account here's a photo of my crew in action at Brandywine this year.
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Our grasshopper is copied from one taken at Saratoga, and one of a batch produced for the bicentennial
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