Chapter 169: 22. _Special Natures of Field Artillery._--_Horse Artillery_ differs
from field in that the whole gun detachment is mounted, and the gun and
wagon therefore are freed from the load of men and their equipment. The
organization of a battery of horse artillery differs but slightly from
that of a field battery; it is somewhat stronger in rank and file, as
horse-holders have to be provided for the gunners in action. Horse
artillery is often lightened, moreover, by sacrificing power (see
ORDNANCE). The essential feature of _Mountain Artillery_ in general is
the carrying of the whole equipment on the backs of mules or other
animals. The total weight is usually distributed in four or five
mule-loads. For action the loads are lifted off the saddles and
"assembled," and the time required to do this is, in well-trained
batteries, only one minute. For the technical questions connected with
the gun and its carriage, see ORDNANCE. The weight of a shell in a
mountain gun rarely exceeds 12 lb., and is usually less. In most armies
the _field howitzer_ has, after an eclipse of many years, reasserted its
place. The weapons used are B.L. or Q.F. howitzers on field carriages;
the calibre varies from about 4 to 5 in. In Great Britain the field
howitzer batteries are organized as, and form part of, the Royal Field
Artillery, two batteries of six howitzers each forming a brigade.
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