Napoleon's Guns 1792-1815 (1): Field Artillery (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Rene Chartrand (Author), Ray Hutchins (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2003 | Series: New Vanguard (Book 66)

As a young gunner, Napoleon Bonaparte was trained in one of Europe’s finest artillery arms. Both the technological sophistication of their weaponry and the skill of their gunners was largely the result of the adoption of the system devised by one man, Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval. Gribeauval’s standardised system of parts and calibres allowed a degree of uniformity and sophistication in the French artillery that was unmatched throughout Europe, and allowed Napoleon to inherit and develop an arm that could dominate the battlefield. This volume covers the field artillery pieces of the system: the 4-, 8- and 12-pdr guns; light 1-pdr guns and mountain guns; and later innovations such as the 6-pdr gun.

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The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

René Chartrand was born in Montreal and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. He has written numerous articles and beauvalooks including almost 30 Osprey titles and the first two volumes of Canadian Military Heritage. He lives in Hull, Quebec, with his wife and two sons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (February 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841764582
• ISBN-13: 978-1841764580
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,687,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots on Gribeauval, Less on Tactics, April 19, 2003

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R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Napoleon's Guns 1792-1815 (1): Field Artillery (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Rene Chartrand, author of so many excellent Osprey volumes, begins his two-volume study of French artillery in the Napoleonic Wars with an examination of French artillery in the period 1792-1815. As usual, Chartrand deftly weaves together historical facts and personal insights to create a cogent overview of the subject at hand. In this case, Chartrand has a lot of ground to cover in less than 48 pages and the Vanguard format appears to have cramped his style. Although this volume is good, it is not great, and size constraints seem to be the culprit. Nevertheless, if you are a Napoleonic enthusiast then this is a good reference volume to have on one's shelf.

Napoleon's Guns 1792-1815 (1) begins with a short section on French artillery in the 18th Century and then rapidly moves into a lengthy discussion of the Gribeauval reforms of 1765. Indeed, a large chunk of the volume focuses on the Gribeauval system and I was surprised to learn just how extensive these reforms were once implemented. Most sources only mention Gribeauval's standardization of French artillery calibers, but he also improved artillery limbers, caissons, and ancillary equipment. Yet the most important Gribeauval reform was the quantitative increases; a typical French field army had its artillery support increased from 60 to 160 medium caliber cannon. Chartrand notes that Napoleon was very lucky to rise to prominence at a point when the French artillery had marked quantitative and qualitative advantages over all its opponents. Indeed, Napoleon recognized the value of the new field artillery and made it the centerpiece of his Grande Armée.

Chartrand does spend some time discussing the horse artillery units and the artillery trains (both interesting sections), as well as the regimental 4-pounder guns. However, there is no real discussion of the organization of different types of French field batteries or how a battery was commanded in combat. Supply issues are sidestepped. Chartrand does have sections on the paint schemes of the artillery, a brief section on ammunition and notes on artillery in the Imperial Period. Although the title suggests that coverage begins in 1792, there is virtually no mention of French artillery before 1800 in this volume. The color illustrations accompanying this volume are quite good: a 12 pounder field gun; a 6-inch howitzer; a caisson; and 8-pounder with limber and tools; a limber; a 6 pounder; and a 4-pounder in action.

Certainly the oddest omission is the almost total lack of information about the performance characteristics of the Gribeauval artillery pieces. There is only a single brief chart that lists typical ranges for ball, canister and grape ammunition, but this chart does not mention charges. Any artillerymen knows that different charges will affect the range that can be achieved, but Chartrand never discusses this important subject in this volume. Essentially, Chartrand used up most of the space in this volume discussing the Gribeauval system and artillery design issues, leaving precious little space for discussing relevant tactical issues. While I did learn a lot of interesting aspects of the Gribeauval system that are not always apparent, this volume is not very useful for understanding how the French employed their artillery in combat.