Also known as: gun sights.
| Front sight | A mark or blade on the muzzle |
|---|---|
| Rear sight | A graduated scale at the breech, set for range |
| Pendulum hausse | A hanging rear sight that stayed vertical on uneven ground |
Laying the gun
To aim a gun the gunner sighted from a rear sight at the breech over a front sight on the muzzle to the target. The rear sight was graduated so that raising it set the elevation for a given range, working together with the elevating screw or quoin.
One useful form was the pendulum hausse, a rear sight hung so that it stayed vertical even when the gun and its wheels sat on uneven ground, correcting for the tilt that would otherwise throw the shot off to the side.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- Gibbon, John. The Artillerist's Manual. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1860.