Whilst we have several artillery pieces for your Pike & Shotte armies you’ve requested guns of a smaller stature. Cue this light gun with all new crew. We live but to serve…
Light cannon were by far the most numerous of the artillery on the 17th century battlefield. The sakers and culverins may make a huge noise and scare away green troops just by the sound of their discharge, but the real killing was most often done close up, with small but heavy iron balls or hail shot (an early form of grape shot) or canister.
The big guns were immobile once emplaced on the field, assuming, because of their bulk, that they even arrived in the first place! These lighter guns needed horses to take them on the poor road systems, but once on the field of battle, could be moved around by sweating gunners, mattrosses and attached labourers to give their firepower to where their general needed it most.
They were often parcelled out to regiments for specific purposes whilst the larger guns sat in battery under a unified command.
Guns were hugely expensive things to make and campaign with, so woe betide the general who lost his guns, they had a great effect at times on troops who had never heard a sound quite like it before.
These new light guns can be fielded for pretty much any 17th century army.
“Have a care. Fire!”
As mentioned earlier we already have several pieces of Ordnance in our Pike & Shotte range so let’s have a quick look at what is on offer…
Lobbing its deadly payload on a high trajectory, and therefore over any fortifications or walls, the mortar is primarily a siege piece. That said it could also create havoc amongst the packed troops in the enemy line.
Supported by a crew of four, this highly detailed mortar is a welcome addition to any commander’s arsenal.
The 6-pounder Saker Cannon was commonly found on both the Royalist and Parlimentarian sides of the English Civil War and also employed in Scots armies of the time. Served by a crew of three and led by a gentleman gun captain the enemy will quake at the report of the gun and tremble as it’s lethal iron shot bounces through their ranks…
Although larger than the saker the demi-culverin, as its name suggests, was smaller than the culverin cannon. Served by a dedicated crew and marshalled by an experienced gun captain your artillery train should not be without at least one!
Dan Hewitson
Josh Berridge