Limbers and Wagons

Limbers:

  When transporting a cannon the carriage was attached to a two wheeled cart called a Limber.  The two were attached by placing the lunette of the gun carriage trail onto the pintle at the rear of the limber.  The pintle is a metal pin at the rear of the limber attached to the axel.  Placing the lunette onto the pintle would lock the two together.  The limber carried various quantities of fixed or semi-fixed ammunition depending on the cannons in the battery.  This would be stored in a limber chest which sits on top of the axel. Friction primers used to fire the cannons and fuses which would be used in some of the shells fired by the guns were also in the limber box.  In addition to everything listed previous, glued to the inside of the lid of the limber box would be a table of fire chart.  This was used  to give the gunner the correct elevation to level his gun at and the amount of time it will take his projectile to hit it's target. Under the axel of  the limber would be a tar bucket used to grease the axels of the limber and carriage for better movement and a canvas tarp to cover the cannon in bad weather.  Sometimes the tarp was also used by the gun crews as shelter for sleeping when tents were not available.  The limber pole ran out of the front of the limber and was used to attach the 4 or 6 horse team that pulled the limber and cannon while in transport.

Caissons:

     Each cannon was also assigned a caisson.  This was also a two wheeled cart much like the limber but it carried two limber chests on it. In addition to the extra ammunition it carried, the caisson also had  a spare wheel for the limber or cannon, a limber pole, an axe and a shovel. 

Battery Wagon:

A Battery's equipment and supplies were carried in a battery wagon.  This wagon held carpenter's and saddler's tools, wheel spokes, rope, axes, shovels, harness, and gunner's implements. Forage for the horse's was carried in the rack on the back of the wagon.

Battery Forge

   Any iron work or horse shoeing was done at the battery forge that was assigned to every battery.  The forge was attached to a limber which carried the blacksmith's tools, extra horse shoes, nails, and spare iron.  A supply of coal was carried in a box attached to the forge.