military affairs, is the ranging a body of soldiers in form of battle, and making them perform the several motions and military evolutions with different management of their arms, in order to make them expert therein. See also Words of Command.
the royal navy, is the preparatory practice of managing the artillery and small arms, in order to make the ship's crew perfectly skilled therein, so as to direct its execution successfully in the time of battle.
The exercise of the great guns was formerly very complicated, and abounding with superfluities, in our navy, as well as all others. The following method was, it is said, successfully introduced by an officer of distinguished abilities.
1st, Silence. 2d, Cast loose your guns. 3d, Level your guns. 4th, Take out your tompons. 5th, Run out your guns. 6th, Prime. 7th, Point your guns. 8th, Fire. 9th, Sponge your guns. 10th, Load with cartridge. 11th, Shot your guns. 12th, Put in your tompons. 13th, House your guns. 14th, Secure your guns.
Upon beat to arms (every body having immediately repaired to their quarters) the midshipman commanding a number of guns, is to see that they are not without every necessary article, as (at every gun) a sponge, powder horn, with its priming wires, and a sufficient quantity of powder, crow, handspike, bed, quoins, train tackle, &c. fending without delay for a supply of anything that may be wanting; and for the greater certainty of not overlooking any deficiency, he is to give strict orders to each captain under him, to make the like examination at his respective gun, and to take care that every requisite is in a serviceable condition, which he is to report accordingly. And (besides the other advantages of this regulation) for the still more certain and speedy account being taken upon these occasions, the midshipman is to give each man his charge at quarters (as expressed in the form of the monthly report), who is to search for his particular implements, and, not finding them, is immediately to acquaint his captain, that, upon his report to the midshipman, they may be replaced.
The man who takes care of the powder is to place himself on the opposite side of the deck from that where we engage, except when fighting both sides at once, when he is to be amidships. He is not to suffer any other man to take a cartridge from him but he who is appointed to serve the gun with that article, either in time of a real engagement or at exercise.
Lanterns are not to be brought to quarters in the night, until the midshipman gives his orders for so doing to the person he charges with that article. Everything being in its place, and not the least lumber in the way of the guns, the exercise begins with,
1. "Silence." At this word every one is to observe a silent attention to the officers. 2. "Cast loose your guns." The muzzle lashing is to be taken off from the guns, and (being coiled up in a small compass) is to be made fast to the eye-bolt above the port. The lashing tackles at the same time to be cast loose, and middle of the breeching seized to the thimble of the pontillion. The sponge to be taken down, and, with the crow, handspike, &c. laid upon the deck by the gun. N.B. When prepared for engaging Exercise, paling an enemy, the seizing within the clinch of the breeching is to be cut, that the gun may come sufficiently within board for loading, and that the force of the recoil may be more spent before it acts upon the breeching.
3. "Level your guns." The breech of your metal is to be raised so as to admit the foot of the bed's being placed upon the axletree of the carriage, with the quoin upon the bed, both their ends being even one with the other. N.B. When levelled for firing, the bed is to be lashed to the bolt which supports the inner end of it, that it may not be thrown out of its place by the violence of the gun's motion when hot with frequent discharges.
4. "Take out your tampions." The tampion is to be taken out of the gun's mouth, and left hanging by its laniard.
5. "Run out your guns." With the tackles hooked to the upper bolts of the carriage, the gun is to be bowled out as close as possible, without the assistance of crows or handspikes; taking care at the same time to keep the breeching clear of the trucks, by hauling it through the rings; it is then to be bent so as to run clear when the gun is fired. When the gun is out, the tacklefalls are to be laid alongside the carriages in neat fakes, that, when the gun by recoiling overhauls them, they may not be subject to get foul, as they would if in a common coil.
6. "Prime." If the cartridge is to be pierced with the priming wire, and the vent filled with powder, the pan also is to be filled; and the flat space having a score through it at the end of the pan, is to be covered, and this part of the priming is to be bruised with the round part of the horn. The apron is to be laid over, and the horn hung up out of danger from the flail of the priming.
7. "Point your guns." At this command the gun is, in the first place, to be elevated to the height of the object, by means of the side sights; and then the perlon pointing is to direct his fire by the upper sight, having a crow on one side and a handspike on the other, to heave the gun by his direction till he catches the object.
N.B. The men who heave the gun for pointing are to stand between the ship's side and their crows or handspikes, to escape the injury they might otherwise receive from their being struck against them, or splintered by a shot; and the man who attends the captain with a match is to bring it; at the word, "Point your guns," and kneeling upon one knee opposite the train-truck of the carriage, and at such a distance as to be able to touch the priming, is to turn his head from the gun, and keep blowing gently upon the lighted match to keep it clear from ashes. And as the miffing of an enemy in action, by neglect or want of coolness, is most inexcusable, it is particularly recommended to have the people thoroughly instructed in pointing well, and taught to know the ill consequences of not taking proper means to hit their mark; wherefore they should be made to elevate their guns to the utmost nicety, and then to point with the same exactness. Having caught the object through the upper sight, at the word,
8. "Fire," The match is instantly to be put to the bruised part of the priming; and when the gun is discharged, the vent is to be closed, in order to smother any spark of fire that may remain in the chamber of the gun; and the man who tampions is immediately to place himself by the muzzle of the gun in readiness; when, at the next word,
9. "Sponge your guns." The sponge is to be rammed down to the bottom of the chamber, and then twisted round, to extinguish effectually any remains of fire; and, when drawn out, to be struck against the outside of the muzzle, to shake off any sparks or scraps of the cartridge that may have come out with it; and next, its end is to be shifted ready for loading; and while this is doing, the man appointed to provide a cartridge is to go to the box, and by the time the sponge is out of the gun, he is to have it ready; and at the word,
10. "Load with cartridge," The cartridge (with the bottom-end first, seam downwards, and a wad after it) is to be put into the gun, and thrust a little way within the mouth, when the rammer is to be entered; the cartridge is then to be forcibly rammed down; and the captain at the same time is to keep his priming-wire in the vent, and, feeling the cartridge, is to give the word home, when the rammer is to be drawn, and not before. While this is doing, the man appointed to provide a shot is to provide one (or two, according to the order at that time) ready at the muzzle, with a wad likewise; and when the rammer is drawn, at the word,
11. "Shot your guns," The shot and wad upon it are to be put into the gun, and thrust a little way down, when the rammer is to be entered as before. The shot and wad are to be rammed down to the cartridge, and there have a couple of forcible strokes; when the rammer is to be drawn, and laid out of the way of the guns and tackles, if the exercise or action is continued; but if it is over, the sponge is to be secured in the place it is at all times kept in.
12. "Put in your tampions." The tampions to be put into the muzzle of the cannon.
13. "House your guns." The seizing is to be put on again upon the clinched end of the breeching, leaving it no flacker than to admit of the gun's being housed with ease. The quoin is to be taken from under the breech of the gun, and the bed, still resting upon the bolt within the carriage, thrust under, till the foot of it falls off the axletree, leaving it to rest upon the end which projects out from the foot. The metal is to be let down upon this. The gun is to be placed exactly square; and the muzzle is to be close to the wood, in its proper place for puffing the muzzle-lashings.
14. "Secure your guns." The muzzle-lashings must first be made secure, and then with one tackle (having all its parts equally taught with the breeching the gun is to be lashed. The other tackle is to be bowled taught, and by itself made fast, that it may be ready to cast off for lashings a second breeching. N.B. Care must be taken to hook the first tackle to the upper bolt of the carriage, that it may not otherwise obstruct the reeving of the second breeching, and to give the greater length to the end part of the fall. No pains must be spared in bowing the lashing very taught, that the gun may have the least play that is possible, as their being loose may be productive of very dangerous
dangerous consequences. The quoin, crow, and handspike are to be put under the gun, the powder-horn hung up in its place, &c.
Being engaged at any time when there is a large swell, a rough sea or in equally weather, &c., as the ship may be liable to be suddenly much heeled, the port-tackle fall is to be kept clear; and (whenever the working of the gun will admit of it) the man charged with that office is to keep it in his hand; at the same time the muzzle-lashing is to be kept fast to the ring of the port, and being hauled taught, is to be fastened to the eye-bolt over the port-hole, so as to be out of the gun's way in firing, in order to haul it in at any time of danger.
This precaution is not to be omitted, when engaging to the windward, any more than when to the leeward, those situations being very subject to alter at too short a warning.
A train tackle is always to be made use of with the lee guns; and the man stationed to attend it is to be very careful in preventing the guns running out at an improper time.
may also be applied with propriety to the forming our fleets into orders of sailing, lines of battle, &c., an art which the French have termed evolutions, or tactiques. In this sense exercise may be defined, the execution of the movements which the different orders and disposition of fleets occasionally require, and which the several ships are directed to perform by means of signals. See TACTICS.