The Artillery Revolution
From smoothbore to rifle
During the first half of the 19th century, artillery was little changed from that of the Napoleonic Wars. The British and French fought the Russians in the Crimean War (1853-56) with similar weapons that they had used against each other 50 years before. A few of the latest rifles appeared on the field in small numbers; there was hardly any rifled artillery.
Afterwards, development of modern artillery and armour for ships and forts, was rapid in Europe and America. The new artillery was made of wrought-iron or steel, usually breech-loading and made to shoot elongated pointed projectiles from rifled barrels giving increased accuracy and range.
In Britain, Armstrong’s revolutionary gun was bedevilled by initial defects prompting the hasty adoption of rifled muzzle loaders; other great powers persevered with breech-loading. By the 1880s Britain had to re-arm rapidly with more modern artillery.
The last piece in the gallery shows a late 19th century gun incorporating the latest technology.
