Also known as: field carriage, gun carriage.
| Function | Supports the gun tube for firing and movement |
|---|---|
| Field type | Two wheels and a wooden stock trail |
| Materials | Wood, iron-tired wheels, and iron fittings |
| Related | Limber, caisson, and implements |
The gun's mount
The field artillery carriage carried the gun tube on trunnions between two wooden cheeks over an axle and two iron-tired wheels, with a single wooden trail that rested on the ground in firing and took the recoil. The gunner aimed the piece in elevation with an elevating screw or quoin and in direction by shifting the trail.
For travel the trail was raised and hooked to a limber, turning carriage and limber into a four-wheeled vehicle. Heavier siege and seacoast guns used their own larger carriages, including barbette and casemate mounts in fortifications.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States War Department. Instruction for Field Artillery, Prepared by a Board of Artillery Officers. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1863.
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.