Book
Review:
British Napoleonic Artillery,
1793-1815 (volume 1)
By
Chris Henry
Artwork by Brian Delf
If
you are interested in the artillery arm of the British army in
the Napoleonic Wars then this Osprey title will be of immense
value.
It
not only gives an overall view of how Britain approached the use
of heavy guns during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, but
goes into great depth about organisational detail, the ordanance
used, types of ammunition and even how the cannon were cast.
British
Napoleonic Artillery 1793-1815 is in no small way assisted
by the fact the author, Chris Henry, has had a lifelong interest
in the subject, was senior curator of the Royal Armouries Museum
of Artillery and is Head of Collections at the Museum of the Royal
Artillery.
Henry
explains the haphazard structure of the artillery before it was
reformed during the French Revolution and how it was deployed
on the battlefield. He also looks at the Royal Horse Artillery
and its Indian counterparts.
One
of the parts of the book I found particularly interesting goes
into the production process and how the necessary expertise was
initially imported from Holland.
British
Napoleonic Artillery 1793-1815 also
features a wealth of information on tactics, drill and there is
an excellent glossary.
I
had not seen any of the photographs used in the volume and the
accompanying artwork of Brian Delf is superb. The close-ups of
the cannons and equipment are as good as photos and his drawings
of how the guns were crewed and limbered are first-rate.
An
excellent addition to Napoleonic enthusiasts' home libraries.
-
Richard Moore
8.5/10
