39 deg. 0" 5,506

_Ranges of United States naval smoothbores of 1866_

Caliber Point-blank range Elevation Range in yards
in yards
32-pounder of 42 cwt 313 5 deg. 1,756
8-inch of 63 cwt 330 5 deg. 1,770
IX-inch shell gun 350 15 deg. 3,450
X-inch shell gun 340 11 deg. 3,000
XI-inch shell gun 295 15 deg. 2,650
XV-inch shell gun 300 7 deg. 2,100

_Ranges of United States naval rifles in 1866_

Caliber Elevation Range in yards

20-pounder Parrott 15 deg. 4,400
30-pounder Parrott 25 deg. 6,700
100-pounder Parrott 25 deg. 7,180

In accuracy and range the rifle of the 1860's far surpassed the
smoothbores, but such tremendous advances were made in the next few
decades with the introduction of new propellants and steel guns that
the performances of the old rifles no longer seem remarkable. In the
eighteenth century, a 24-pounder smoothbore could develop a muzzle
velocity of about 1,700 feet per second. The 12-inch rifled cannon of
the late 1800's had a muzzle velocity of 2,300 foot-seconds. In 1900,
the Secretary of the Navy proudly reported that the new 12-inch guns
for _Maine_-class battleships produced a muzzle velocity of 2,854
foot-seconds, using an 850-pound projectile and a charge of 360 pounds
of smokeless powder. Such statistics elicit a chuckle from today's
artilleryman.

SIEGE CANNON

Field counterpart of the garrison cannon was the siege gun--the
"battering cannon" of the old days, mounted upon a two-wheeled siege
or "traveling" carriage that could be moved about in field terrain.
Whereas the purpose of the garrison cannon was to destroy the attacker
and his materiel, the siege cannon was intended to destroy the fort.
Calibers ranged from 3- to 42-pounders in eighteenth century English
tables, but the 18- and 24-pounders seem to have been the most widely
used for siege operations.

[Illustration: Figure 32--SPANISH EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SIEGE CARRIAGE.]

The siege carriage closely resembled the field gun carriage, but was
much more massive, as may be seen from these comparative figures drawn
from eigh