The Living History Engineer's A Military Observer's Journal

British Military Observer Instructions -- The Go'da'vari River & Proposed Works (1844) -- General Blanchard's Large Pontoons
Military Reconnaissances -- Non-Aggressive Seapower -- Sieges & Siege Trains -- Carronades on Land

British Military Observer Instructions
© 1999, James Mathews, all rights reserved. Contact Mr Mathews for permission to reproduce.

It may be well that the beginning of this journal should contain some items regarding the purpose of the Military Observers that came to America to watch the great American Civil War:

In this day of super-spies, the Central Intelligence Agency, and rigid security restrictions, it is difficult to conceive of the elementary nature of military intelligence in the 1860's. Field Marshal Sir John Burgoyne, Inspector General of Fortifications of the British Army, corresponded frankly with his counterparts in Belgium, Russia and the United States about recent technical developments. He apparently felt no reluctance in asking Brigadier General Joseph G. Totten, Chief of Engineers in the Union Army, to provide a British observer with a plan of:

"...a fort or part of one, showing your most modern improved system of construction, application of materials, interior arrangements for the convenience and efficiency of the service, etc., in short, a good understanding of the progress in the service and art of military engineering that your countrymen are so likely to have produced at this eventful period of the general introduction of rifle guns, armour plating, etc."

As Sir John candidly admitted:

"After all, though we are bound to respect the desires of those whom we visit, you and I, General, know very well that for any sinister object we might have, we can obtain all that is most important by cursory view as ordinary passers by, and by open ordinary conversation; and on that principle, as well as for the duty of being courteous to strangers, I have myself constantly advocated the opening of all our sources of military engineering to all the world."

To the officer in question, Lieutenant Colonel T.L. Gallwey, Sir John gave the following instructions:

"Your object will be to study rather general systems and principles such as are usually considered open to the world, and in which nations take a pride in offering their improvements to other; and to avoid prying into any details in which the authorities desire to maintain any degree of mystery or reserve. You will make all the authorities fully acquainted with your course of proceedings and researches, courting from them all details and particulars that you desire, but dropping at once, and bona fide, any to which they shall offer objection; that is as far as distinct researches are concerned, for of course you are not to shut your eyes to what passes under ordinary observation. You will be able to show by a free offer of communicating to the officers of the United States Army all the information regarding the practices of our service, which we so unreservedly willing to afford to foreigners, your reasons for not considering the extent of you inquiries unreasonable."2

The orders of the officer of Royal Artillery who accompanied Gallwey reveal a similar attitude:

"You will bear in mind that a I though you are sent to the United States for a specific purpose, you do not go in any strictly official character. You will prosecute your inquiries quite openly, asking freely for information that you may feel would be interesting in a scientific or professional point of view, and which you believe is of a character that would not be kept secret in England from any officer accredited by a friendly nation. In any case where your demand shall be met with hesitation or refusal, you will at once abstain from any further inquiries in that direction, relinquishing any attempt to investigate points which the authorities may show a wish to conceal."3

1 Lt Col. The Hon. George Wrottesley, Life and Correspondence of FIGID Marshall Sir John Burgoyne, Bdrt.(London,1873), II, 412-13.
2 Lt Colonel T.L. Gallwey and Captain H.J. Alderson, Report upon the Military Affairs of the United States of America (London: War Office, 1864), page 76.
3 Ibid p. 75

TOP

The Go'da' vari River and Proposed Works -- 1844
© 1999, James Mathews, all rights reserved. Contact Mr Mathews for permission to reproduce.

The Go'da'vari River takes rank amongst the great rivers of India next after the Ganges and the Indus. Rising some 70 miles north-east of Bombay and only 50 miles from the Arabian Sea, it runs in a generally south-east direction across the Peninsula till ' after a course of nearly 900 miles, it falls into the Bay of Bengal about 250 miles north of Madras. It receives the drainage from 115,000 square miles, an area greater than that of England and Scotland combined, and it's maximum discharge is calculated to be 1 and 1/2 millions of cubic feet per second, more than 200 times that of the Thames River at Staines , and about three times that of the Nile River at Cairo .

The Go'da' vari River is one of the twelve Holy Rivers of India. From Trimbak where it's first trickle issues through the mouth of a sacred idol, to where it carries into the Bay of Bengal the waters gathered from upwards of a hundred thousand square miles, there are many temples and shrines along it's banks, to which pilgrims come from all parts of India to bathe and be purged of their iniquities. This is especially the case once in every twelve years when it's waters are believed to be in communication with those of the Ganges by a mysterious underground channel.

In 1844 the government of the Presidency of Madras acted upon the advice of Sir Henry Montgomery who had been the Collector at Tanjore and was very familiar with the improvement of commerce and communication that was seen as a result of the flood control and irrigation works of the Cauvery and Coleroon Rivers in 1835 built by that most able of Royal Madras Engineers, Captain Arthur Cotton. The now Major A. Cotton was asked to "send in his report" from which the following extracts are given:

1. "The principal part of the District of Rajahmundry forms the delta of the Go'da' vari River , and as respects soil, climate, and capabilities of irrigation, it can scarcely be surpassed by any part of the world. Such tracts as this, with their immense natural advantages, yet absolutely require the following four kinds of works, before their resources con be in any good degree developed. Even though favoured with a good supply of local rains in general, as is the case with this delta, probably not one-fourth of the produce of which they are capable can be obtained by means of local improvement of the villages on d small scale, and without the did of the main works now enumerated:

"First---The embankment of the rivers, to secure the crops from destruction by the river floods.

"Second---Dams, with channels of irrigation leading from the river, to bring it-s water from the level of it's bad to that of the surface of the land

"Third.---Surplus channels, to lead off the floods caused by local rains, from the flat lands to the sea,

"Fourth,---Raised roads and bridges, to allow of the conveyances of produce to the markets and to the coast, through d country whish is otherwise, from it's nature is impassable during the rains.

It was to these great works that Lt. Ian McKay was drawn in the mid and late 1840s to labor for the benefit of India, and would provide him with his practical experience as a civil engineer, together with his abilities to organize large bodies of laborers, plan for the orderly passage of this work from one phase to another, calculate the needs of equipment, supplies and building materials-, and the ability to draw detailed design and work plans for the job at hand. Lt McKay was to devote several years of his career to this important work, and it served to gain him an enviable record within his service, if not a brilliant engineer, then a dedicated and steady officer with highly developed love of his chosen career and devotion to his monarch.

TOP

General Blanchard's Large Pontoons
© 1999, James Mathews, all rights reserved. Contact Mr Mathews for permission to reproduce.

In the British Army of the 1850s the Royal Engineers Military Bridging Base was General Blanchard's Large Pontoon. This pontoon is a cylinder 19 ft. 2 inches in length and 2 ft. 8 inches in diameter, with hemispherical ends of I ft. 6112 inches; the total length of the pontoon is 22 ft. 3 inches, and they are made of XXX sheet tin.

The cylinder is formed of light wheels of tin, the spokes being tubes I inch in diameter. The wheels are kept in their places by a hollow tube 2 inches in diameter, that runs through their centre as an axis from end to end of the pontoon. Disos of tin, the size of each wheel, divide the interior of the pontoons into nine distinct compartments, each perfectly watertight; there is a pump hole to each compartment that is closed by a screw plug. There are also five sets of sunken handles in the length of the cylinder by which the pontoon can be carried by hand, and to which the saddles which receive the superstructure of the bridge are lashed. A stout iron ring is attached to the apex of the hemisphere at each end of the pontoon.

A Single Raft is composed of two pontoons with their superstructure and stores and is carried on one pontoon wagon.

A Raft to support heavy artillery should be formed of three pontoons, or more if necessary, and the gun should be placed on skids, in order to distribute the bearing over the whole raft.

Pontoon Bridges are usually formed by connecting the pontoons with the superstructure in succession from the shore, and booming out until the bridge completely spans the river; or they may be formed by connecting rafts in sufficient numbers to effect that object, the ends of the bridge being carefully connected with the banks of the river.

The Saddle is a framing of wood 12 feet long, I foot 2 inches broad and 3 inches in depth, having six sets of cleats at regulated distances to receive the ends of the baulks, which are pinned to them in forming the bridge, and a double belaying cleat at each end; the saddle is placed lengthwise on the pontoon and is firmly lashed to the sunken handles above referred to.

The Baulks are also of wood, 14 feet 2 inches long, 41/2 inches deep, and 3 inches broad. After they are placed and properly pinned to the saddles, the chesses, which form the flooring of the bridge, are laid upon them.

Whole Chesses are formed of three 1 1/2 inch wood planks nailed to four Cleats on the under side. They are 11 ft. 5 inches long and 2 ft. I inch broad.

TOP

Military Reconnaissances
© 1999, James Mathews, all rights reserved. Contact Mr Mathews for permission to reproduce.

Military Reconnaissances -- On approaching a fortified place during a march, or in endeavoring to ascertain the position and force of the enemy, the resources of the country, etc. frequent reconnaissances have to be made. These are of three different kinds:

1st-The daily reconnaissances necessary for the safety of the camps, posts, etc. Their object is to discover the movements and preparations of the enemy, and the dispositions of his advanced posts. These reconnaissances. are made by small detachments, and by patrols from the main guard. They should not be made at the same hour every day nor by the same routes.

2nd-Special reconnaissances designed to ascertain--the topography of the country, the means which the country can furnish for attack and defense. the position of the enemy, and his strength at different points; and in fine, to furnish information necessary for the determination of the method of operating, moving the different columns, etc. These reconnaissances are conducted in accordance with instructions from the general-in-chief, the commander of separate corps, divisions, etc.

3rd-Offensive reconnaissances, which ordinarily should be ordered only by the general-in-chief; for the purposes of ascertaining as accurately as possible, the position and strength of the enemy.

Reporting-The result of every reconnaissance should be presented in a clear, simple and positive report. The officer making the report must expressly distinguish between what he has himself seen and what he has learned from others without being able himself to verify the accuracy of it. He adds to the report, any drawings necessary to represent the ground, the positions of the enemy, etc.

Procedure-Troops making d reconnaissance, the object of which is to simply to see and observe, should not compromised or even seen; they should move with precaution, have an advance-guard and scouts out, and become engaged only when forced to it. To examine an enemy, choose the morning, when everything in his camp is in motion; observe campfires, defensive works, position of parks, cavalry, etc. Take up a position on the flank of the enemy force and watch it march by, counting the number of his battalions, squadrons, batteries; note the space they occupy, the time they take to march past, and the order of the march.

TOP

Non-Aggressive Seapower
© 1999, James Mathews, all rights reserved. Contact Mr Mathews for permission to reproduce.

One of the most striking demonstrations of how seapower could be used in a non-aggressive way to make a diplomatic point, came in 1860 during the Italian crisis. At that time, Italy comprised a squabbling group of separate states and one man, Giuseppi Garibaldi, set himself finally to solve the problem. He resolved to take control of the Island of Sicily --- then part of the Kingdom of Naples --- with the help of a small band of followers known as "The Thousand", intending to use the island as a base from which he could mount a full-scale invasion of the mainland of Italy. Although there was much public support in Britain for Garibaldi --- a privately raised 'English Regiment' actually fought in his army --- the official British policy was one of neutrality. Nonetheless, a detachment of the Mediterranean fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Rodney Mundy was sent to patrol the northern coast of Sicily and, on May 11, these ships interposed themselves between a Neopalitan squadron and two transports bearing Garibaldi's tiny invasion force. As a result, the Garibaldani landed unopposed in Sicily at Marsala and began a successful campaign. By mid-June the whole island was in the hands of the insurgents and, on August 18, Garibaldi, crossed the Straits of Messina, and began his conquest of the Italian mainland.

Eventually King Victor Emmanuel of Piedmont was proclaimed the First King of Italy and Garibaldi, having achieved his aim, relinquished his power and returned to his island home of Caprera. But his last act before leaving was symbolic: he visited Admiral Mundy on board his flagship HMS Hannibal and thanked him for his support! Technically the Royal Navy had done nothing but in fact Admiral Mundy's neutrality had been exercised in Garibaldi's favor. The British squadron had been in a position to stop the rebellion at the outset by preventing "The Thousand" from reaching Sicily; instead in a quiet and unobtrusive way, the British had been able to show their sympathy for Garibaldi without actually intervening forcibly -- a task for which warships were -- and still are! -- admirably suited. As Lord Palmerston wrote to Admiral Napier in 1847, "There are no better peacekeepers than well-appointed three deckers!"

Reference:
Colin White, Victoria's Navy. The End of the Sailing Navy, 1981, Kenneth Mason--Hampshire, England, Pages 132-133.

TOP

Sieges and Siege Trains
© 1999, James Mathews, all rights reserved. Contact Mr Mathews for permission to reproduce.

Sieges -- The siege of fortified places has always consisted in destroying the defenses from a distance, by means of large projectile machines, and effecting a breach in the wall for the purpose of entering the place. In recent times with the lessening in wall heights and the wall being supported behind with an earthen embankment, it is no longer possible to form the breach from a distance, and mines were resorted to for the purpose of blowing down the walls. Cast-iron cannonballs, when they first came into use, were employed to make cuts in the masonry, instead of battering it down as with stone cannonballs. This method, first used by the Turks, was improved on by Vauban, whose experience showed him that breaches so formed were more regular and made more rapidly than by the use of mines.

Besieging Army -- The besieging army is usually divided into two Corps, one charged with the siege, the other with holding the surrounding country, for a short distance from the place. Sometimes the besieging army is covered by a Corps of Observation, in which case there is no necessity for its being so numerous as when it acts alone.

Siege Train -- The artillery necessary for the attack on a fortified place constitutes this equipage. The strength of the siege train depends upon the importance of the place to be attacked and the resources at hand. For besieging the strongest places, the French prescribe an equipage of:

40--24-Pd. guns                     15--8.78" mortars

40--16-Pd (U.S. 18 Pd.) guns 12--Stone Mortars

40--8.78" Howitzers                12--5.95" Mortars

15--10.79" Mortars                  60--Rampart Muskets

A double attack would require about 200 cannon. The largest guns and howitzers, and the smallest mortars should be provided with about 1,000 rounds of ammunition each. The large mortars with 750 rounds, and the stone mortars with 500 rounds.

In this country, where the permanent works are so different than those in Europe, it is difficult to lay down any positive rules for the formation of siege trains. The number and kind of pieces must be determined by the circumstances of each case, taking into consideration the strength, position, and condition of the place to be attacked. Permanent works can only be reduced by the heaviest siege pieces, such as the 18 and 24-Pd guns, 811 howitzers and mortars. The amount of ammunition will of course vary according to circumstances. If possible, the 18 and 24-Pdrs should be furnished with 1,000 rounds; the 12-Pders with a greater number. The 811 howitzers and mortars with 800 rounds, and the Coehorn and 1011 mortars with 600 rounds. In addition, each or the foregoing guns should be provided with 50 rounds of grape and canister, and 100 rounds of spherical-case shot.

Reference:
Colin White, Victoria's Navy. The End of the Sailing Navy, 1981, Kenneth Mason--Hampshire, England, Pages 132-133

TOP

Carronades on Land
© 1999, James Mathews, all rights reserved. Contact Mr Mathews for permission to reproduce.

An intriguing development in seacoast armament was the use of naval carronades for coastal fortress flank defense. Carronades were short guns of heavy bore designed originally for battering purposes. They were designed by General Robert Melville who in 1774 designed a short gun of 811 caliber weighing only 31 hundredweights and firing a 68-pounder ball with a charge of 5 1/2 lbs. of powder. Melville's design was based on Robin's theories and he obtained the services of the Carron Company, a Scottish ironworks, to make a specimen cannon, which he called the "Smasher". The combination of the short barrel, small charge, small windage and heavy ball produced a weapon which developed an excellent velocity, and which gave good accuracy. It's only defect was it's lack of range, but in the context of coastal fortress flank defense, this was not deemed worthy of consideration. When placed in casements commanding the drawbridge and main entrance to a fort they would have been used for anti-personnel work rather than battering and the range was extremely short. Thus their large bores would have been loaded with grape or canister. Howitzers were customarily used for this purpose, but there is no reason why a carronade would not have been just as good, and apparently the American artilleryman happily adopted the naval piece for their use.

(Note: The term Flank Defense refers to defensive measures taken to protect a "flank" or side of a fortification from being over-run by infantry. Flank Defense guns were usually mounted in special casements that commanded the drawbridge, main entrance, sally-port, and other areas of the fortress that were susceptible to infantry attack.)

References:
Naval Gun, Ian Hogg and John Batchelder, Blandford Press, (Poole, Great Britain.-1978)
Round Shot and Rammers, Harold Peterson, Stackpole Books, (Harrisburg, PA-1969)

TOP

Return to Main Royal Engineer Page