(1854–56), Russian troops armed with smoothbore muskets were no match for Britons shooting P/51 rifles. Massed formations were easy prey, as were cavalry andartilleryunits. A correspondent for theTimesof London wrote: “The Minié is king of weapons…the volleys of the Miniécleft[Russian ...
Royal Horse Artillery troops rode hard into battle and usually split into two-gun divisions. They would not place the guns side-by-side - in order to lessen the damage from any enfilade fire - but placed one diagonally behind the other. While each gun had its own stockpile of ammunition -...
but this system proved too fragile and was eliminated with the introduction of a simplified Model 1861 rifled musket. During theAmerican Civil War(1861–65), the Union government purchased both Model 1861 and Model 1863 rifled muskets as its basic infantry weapon. In theConfederacy, domestic prod...
Artilleryman: Soldiers who operate ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Often, they serve as a backup when foot soldiers need support. Snipers: These are elite soldiers specializing in distance shooting specific targets. In many countries, snipers...
Even the new rockets, however, could not compete with the greatly improved artillery with rifledbores. The rocket corps of most European armies were dissolved, though rockets were still used in swampy or mountainous areas that were difficult for the much heavier mortars and guns. TheAustrian Rocke...