[3e] Artillery Carts

[Phaelen Bleux]

Limber (TL5)
Early limbers were simply 2-wheeled carts with a pintle that hooked onto the trunnion of a cannon for towing. By the mid-1800s, however, the limber had reached its archetypal form: a 2-wheeled cart with an ammunition chest, a pintle hook at the rear, and a central pole for harnessing 4-6 horses. While the amount of ammo carried depended on the gun towed, a typical ammunition chest for a 12-pounder “Napoleon” cannon carried 28 rounds. The cover of the ammo chest was covered in sheet copper to help prevent accidental ignition of the rounds. The preferred team was six horses, with a driver riding on each of the left-hand (“near”) horses and holding the reins of the horse to his right (the “off” horse).
Besides the gun, the limber could also be hooked to a caisson (carrying two more ammo boxes), a battery wagon (carrying spare parts, etc.), or a traveling forge. Instead of cannon rounds, the ammo box of a limber hooked to a battery wagon would carry carpentry and saddlemaking tools, while the box of a limber hooked to a traveling forge would carry blacksmithing tools.

Subassemblies: Body +0, two Wheels -2.
Powertrain: Six ST 40 horses generating 4.8 kW.
Occupancy: None (3 drivers on the horses).
Cargo: 3.64 cf.

Armor: 2/2W overall

Equipment (Body): 2,400-lb. hitch.

Statistics:
Size: ?'x?'x?' Payload: 3,232 lbs. Lwt.: 2.14 tons
Volume: 4.5 cf. Maint.: 412 hours Price: $2,356

HT: 12. HPs: 48 Body, 10 each Wheel.

gSpeed: 18 gAccel: 1 gDecel: 10 gMR: 1.25 gSR: 2
Ground Pressure Extremely High. No Off-Road speed.

Design Notes:
The limber was designed as an ammo box on wheels. Six horses are attached using a whiffletree harness. Structure is Extra-Heavy with Standard materials. This sturdiness was required to allow a sufficiently strong hitch to tow a cannon; technically, the hitch is still too weak by 200 lbs. The wheels are extra-large to be interchangeable with those of the caisson. Armor is DR 2 Standard Wood; the copper plating on the ammo box is too thin to count as armor. Empty weight is 686 lbs. All performance statistics assume a cannon is being towed.

[Phaelen Bleux]

Caisson (TL5)
Attached to the limber, the caisson was a 2-wheeled cart that carried two extra ammunition chests, a spare wheel, and an extra limber pole. There would be one caisson for each artillery piece. Cannoneers could ride on the caisson for speed, but often did not as this tired the horses.
In action, the cannon’s limber would be six yards behind the cannon, and the caisson with its limber even further back, preferably behind natural cover. When the cannon’s limber was exhausted, it would be exchanged with the caisson’s limber: it was preferred to keep the ammo chests on the caisson full. If more rounds were needed, an ammo box from the caisson was exchanged onto a limber, and then taken up to the cannon’s position. A fully loaded ammunition chest for a Napoleon 12-pounder weighed 650 lbs.

Subassemblies: Body +0, two Wheels -2.
Powertrain: None; towed.
Occupancy: None.
Cargo: 7.28 cf.

Armor: 2/2W overall

Equipment (Body): Towing pin, spare wheel.

Statistics:
Size: ?'x?'x?' Payload: 1,064 lbs. Lwt.: 0.98 tons
Volume: 9 cf. Maint.: 674 hours Price: $880

HT: 12. HPs: 78 Body, 17 each Wheel.

gSpeed: * gAccel: * gDecel: 10 gMR: 1 gSR: 3
Ground Pressure Extremely High. No Off-Road speed.
*As towing vehicle (see Limber).

Design Notes:
The caisson was designed as two ammo boxes on wheels. Structure is Extra-Heavy with Standard materials. Armor is DR 2 Standard Wood. Empty weight is 896 lbs.

[Phaelen Bleux]

Traveling Forge (TL5)
The traveling forge was attached to a limber (q.v.), and contained all the tools necessary for the maintenance and repair of wagons and artillery, and for the shodding of horses by a farrier. An American Civil War-era traveling forge contained 1,200 lbs. of tools, coal and supplies. These include a bellows attached to a fireplace, a vice, a 100-lb. anvil, a box containing 250 lbs. of coal, 200 lbs. of horse shoes, and 4-foot-long iron bars. The smith’s hand tools were kept in the box on the limber.
There was one traveling forge for each cannon battery (hence, it was also called a battery forge), and it was also accompanied by a battery wagon which carried additional blacksmith, wheelwright, and carriage repair supplies.

Subassemblies: Body +0, two Wheels -1.
Powertrain: None; towed.
Occupancy: None.
Cargo: 5 cf.

Armor: 2/2W overall

Equipment (Body): Towing pin, mini-workshop.

Statistics:
Size: ?'x?'x?' Payload: 250 lbs. Lwt.: 1.09 tons
Volume: 60 cf. Maint.: 488 hours Price: $1,680

HT: 11. HPs: 69 Body, 15 each Wheel.

gSpeed: * gAccel: * gDecel: 10 gMR: 1 gSR: 3
Ground Pressure High. ¼ Off-Road speed.
*As towing vehicle (see Limber).

Design Notes:
Structure is Light with Standard materials. Armor is DR 2 Standard Wood. Empty weight is 1,933 lbs. The volume, weight and cost of the mini-workshop were divided by 3 to more closely match the historical specifications, and to reduce overall design weight to less than 2,400 lbs. (the capacity of the limber’s hitch).

[Phaelen Bleux]

Battery Wagon (TL5)
A battery wagon was a simple 2-wheel cart attached to a limber (q.v.), and used to carry additional blacksmith, wheelwright, and carriage repair supplies.

Subassemblies: Body +2, two Wheels +0.
Powertrain: None; towed.
Occupancy: None.
Cargo: 70 cf.

Armor: 2/2W overall

Equipment (Body): Towing pin.

Statistics:
Size: ?'x?'x?' Payload: 1,400 lbs. Lwt.: 1.22 tons
Volume: 75 cf. Maint.: 1,008 hours Price: $394

HT: 12. HPs: 80 Body, 17 each Wheel.

gSpeed: * gAccel: * gDecel: 10 gMR: 1 gSR: 3
Ground Pressure High. ¼ Off-Road speed.
*As towing vehicle (see Limber).

Design Notes:
Structure is Light with Standard materials. Armor is DR 2 Standard Wood. Empty weight is 1,048 lbs. The battery wagon exceeds the limber’s hitch capacity by 48 lbs.