Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military From: rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (Bob Beville) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Battle effectiveness of 18th c. smoothbore weapons Summary: wargame rules, 18th C. smoothbores, crossbows, munitions handbook. Message-ID: <11911@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 4 Dec 89 01:42:08 GMT References: <11862@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or. Lines: 46 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Bob Beville Let me direct you to some background material: I just acquired this book: _FROM CROSSBOW TO H-BOMB_ by Bernard and Fawn Brodie, Dell Publishing Co., 1962... paperback only, apparently... This book covers the development of weapons from Roman times... spears, bows, crossbows, catapults, etc... gunpowder chemistry/history... Roger Bacon devised a workable gunpowder formula in 1248, but chose to hide the formula in a cryptagram. Our poster, inquiring about smoothbore effectiveness, will learn how early Rev. War battles were conducted using European field tactics... just fire volleys toward the enemy. Gen. Washington taught his men to pick their targets, take aim and fire from cover. Washington crossed the Delaware in the Battle of Treton(12/26/76) with 2400 men to surprise the Hessians. The victory cost the Colonial Army only four wounded and no dead, because W.'s men took concealment in the houses and started picking off the officers in the streets-- violating another European tenet of fighting etiquette. In the rain, the Hessians muskets would not fire, and soon surrounded, outnumbered and without officers, the Hessians quickly surrounded... Let's see you make some wargames rules out of that... And since I mentioned crossbows, a posting I did a month ago inquired about GI issue crossbows... alluded to by seeing one for sale in MANION's Military Antique Auction House... I got a direct response from John M.... about a visit to the Royal Small Arms factory in Enfield, England where he saw rifle stocks being sawn off, leaf springs and brake cables for bowstrings, etc. The tour guide tells him it had the power of the .303, and effective at about 50 yards.... It was used by coverts and commandos to shoot sentries... That sorta confirms my inquiry. And to Keith M. about that TM manual improvised munitions handbook, that is one wicked book... that's -OWARI- from GLOWWORM-7-9-4 best regards, rbeville@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM Bob Beville, Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR 97077 Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com