The Howitzer

The first howitzers appeared during the 19th century. The Howitzer was an artillery piece with a small barrel. Small propellant charges launch the projectile to relatively high trajectories with a steep angle of descent.


Manufaturers: Multiple Countries
Ammunition: Explosive shell
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer

The Dictator

The Dictator was a 13 inch mortar that was used during the civil war. The Dictatror weighed 17,000 pounds, and had to be carried by a reinforced railroad car. The Dictator could launch a 200 pound shell 2.5 miles.

Manufacturer: United States

Ammunition: Explosive Shells

Sources: http://www.civilwarartillery.com/

Fire Lance

The earliest fire lance was a was a spear like weapon that combined a bamboo tube containing gunpowder and a spear. These fire lances only had a range of a few feet, and were meant for close quarters combat.

The fire lance was first seen in China in 10th century AD. Later on, many more types would be developed. This weapon was very popular with rebels, because they were cheap and easy to produce.

Manufacturer: China
Ammunition: Bamboo tube with gunpowder and a spear


Sources: http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/miltech/6zgjfire.jpg
              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_lance

             

The Trebuchet

The very first type of cannon was called the trebuchet. The trebuchet is a type of catapult that works by using the energy of a raised counterweight to throw a projectile. An object called a sling, which contains the projectile, is placed below the axle, which supports the beam. When you release the trigger, the sling and the beam move into a vertical position, one end of the sling releases, and releases the projectile.

Types of Trebuchets

Traction Trebuchet
This is a type of trebuchet where a number of people pull ropes attached to a lever that has a sling and a long arm. This type of trebuchet launched projectiles a very short distance (about 100-200 feet). The traction trebuchet was first used by the Chinese, it then appeared in Byzantium.


Hand Trebuchet
The hand trebuchet was invented by the Greeks. It was basically a traction trebuchet that could be used by one person instead of multiple.

Counterweight Trebuchet
The counterwight trebuchet was a much more advanced type of trebuchet than the previous hand and traction trebuchets. It could launch projectiles much farther by using a counterweight instead of humans pulling it with ropes. The record launch is 2,034 feet. When gunpowder was introduced, the trebuchet became obsolete.

Sources:
http://images.imagestate.com/Watermark/1197564.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet
Manufacturerers: China, Byzantine Empire, Greece, United States.
Ammunition types: Old: Small bag containing spheres. New: Pumpkins

welcome to my cannon blog