Horse Artillery were
light, fast moving and fast firing artillery units which provided fire
support to the cavalry elements of armies in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The precursors of modern mobile or Self-propelled artillery, they
consisted of light cannons or howitzers, pulled by light but sturdy
carriages, with their crews either riding on the horses or on the
carriages into battle. Once in position they were trained to quickly
dismount, unlimber (deploy) and sight their guns, then fire rapid barrages
at the enemy.
They could then quickly limber (undeploy) the guns, remount,
and move on to a new position just behind the cavalry (much like the
modern "Shoot and Skoot" tactics of mobile artillery). Horse artillery
were not only faster than the more conventional Foot artillery, but their
crews were better armed and trained for close quarters combat. This
enabled them to operate much closer to the front lines, where foot
artillery would be in danger of being overrun or captured.
Essentially a hybrid of cavalry and artillery,
Horse artillery was first employed by Frederick The Great in the mid 18th
Century to solve a tactical problem which had existed since the time of
Gustavus Adolphus over a century earlier. Namely; How to provide cavalry
with the fire support it needed to deal with massed infantry formations
without sacrificing their speed, mobility or shock? Some commanders,
including King Gustavus, had tried inter-spacing infantry units between
their cavalry, but this slowed the horsemen down to the footmen's pace.
Others tried novel cavalry tactics such as the Caracole , but these
also slowed the cavalry down and proved largely ineffective.
The best solutions involved creating hybrid units of mounted infantry, most notably
Dragoons. Although they proved highly useful and versatile troops, whether
they fired mounted or dismounted they still had to slow down or stop (at
least temporarily) again, losing their main advantages as cavalry. King
Frederick knew that the greatest danger to massed infantry was artillery.
And he realized even small, light guns if they could be brought in close
enough and fire often enough could have a devastating effect on the ranks
and files. But even light foot artillery still travelled at foot speed. So
the solution was to make every artilleryman a part-time horseman.
Frederick preferred howitzers, for his mounted gunners, due to their
greater lightness (hence greater mobility) and their higher trajectories
which enabled them to hit enemy reserves even if concealed behind hills.
Through relentless drills and disipline he emphisized mobility and speed
in all phases of their operations. As a result his Horse artillery soon
became an elite force which was imitated and adapted by armies throughout
Europe, most notably in France.
French artilleryman, engineer and General
Jean Baptiste de Gribeauval had served with the military mission to
Prussia as well as fought against Frederick in the Seven Years' War. After
the war he made numerous technical improvements to French cannons which
made them lighter, faster and much easier to sight. These improvements
proved a great advantage to Horse artillery as well. Later, in Britain,
Henry Shrapnel invented a deadly new type of ammunition. Horse artillery
was now more lethal as well as faster and more accurate. During the
Napoleonic Wars, Horse artillery would be used extensively and effectively
in every major battle and campaign. In the Mexican-American War, the Horse
artillery (or so-called "Flying Artillery") of the US army played a
decisive role in several key battles. But as technology advanced and the
firepower of infantry and foot artillery increased, the role of cavalry,
and thus Horse artillery, began to decline. It continued to be used and
improved into the early 20th Century, seeing action in and in between both
World Wars. As cavalry began to disappear from armies so did Horse
artillery, to be replaced by tanks and Self-propelled guns. As with the
cavalry, though, certain artillery units, for instance the Royal Horse
Artillery, retain their old designations.