Field ArTillery - US Army Center Of Military History

eOrganizing The arm
Not until 1832 did the question arise
again, and successive ordnance boards
all moved in the direction of returning
to bronze. The one that met in January
1841 unanimously recom mended that
bronze be used for manufacturing light
artillery pieces, and Secretary of War
Joel Poinsett concurred. This decision
remained in effect until rifled field
pieces replaced smooth bores. It was
not until the latter part of the century
that the combination of available highquality
steel, industrial facilities, and
improved production techniques made
it possible to manufacture large numbers
of light, strong steel weapons. 60
In 1839, Secretary Poinsett had
appointed a board to devise a system
of artillery weapons for the Army.
After ten years of studies and visits
to foreign countries to examine other
artillery systems and manufacturing
methods, board member Capt. Alfred
Mordecai prepared the report, which
was approved and published in 1849.
It listed the artillery materiel avail able
with exact detail and specifications and
included drawings. The cannon, as they
had been in the past, were classi fied
accord ing to use: field, siege and garrison,
and seacoast (Table 5). 61
Brigadier General Tyler in his Civil
War uniform
The board had considered European developments in the use of light or horse
artillery. Under the 1821 reorganization, one company in each regiment was supposed
to have been organized and equipped as light artillery, but until 1838, the only
signifi cance of being designated as horse artillery had been that each company was
equipped with four bronze 6-pounders (light artillery guns) instead of heavier cannon,
and each drilled using a light artillery manual. The units were not authorized
60 Benét, Collection of Annual Reports, 1:363 and 2:35–36, 76, 183–84, 240–41, 281–82, 364,
500, 527, 552, 594, 597, 600–03, 611–12, 646, 667, 668, 671–72, 678–79, 687, 690; Falk, “Artillery
for the Land Service,” pp. 101–03; Field Artillery School, History of the Development of Field
Artillery Materiel (Fort Sill, Okla.: Printing Plant, Field Artillery School, [1941]), pp. 31–32; Lewis,
Seacoast Fortifications, p. 75.
61 Falk, “Artillery for the Land Service,” pp. 104–10.
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