Artillery for town walls - SYW

[ochoin]

I've tried to look into this but can't find anything.

I have a set of vaguely medieval walls that I use for my SYW games. It is not a Vauban fortress set-up but I figure not every town could afford the "latest" in fortifications. These urban walls are used promiscuously for either side, depending on the game.

I want to add some artillery to the walls both for the look & because I figure there should be a disincentive for enemy troops not to keep their distance.

So - 2-3 guns. I can get naval guns in 20mm easily enough. Are naval-style gun carriages correct? As for crews, I'm perplexed. I don't think the great powers would waste regular gunners on every town with a few artillery pieces & anyway, I'd like something more generic to suit either French, Prussian or Austrian urban areas. I think naval gunners would look too rough. So would the gun crews be uniformed in SYW-style? Tricorne etc? Uniform coat colours or 'come-as-you-are' ? Would they be a town militia?

Any information from the resident SYW-experts would be welcome.

donald

[Panzer21]

Lots of questions in there.......

Firstly, you are correct that not every urban conurbation had Vauban fortifications and some medieval walls lingered. That said, such walls wouldn't last long in a formal siege. Once the enemy brought up siege guns, it's likely capitulation would soon follow.

Often, earthworks were built outside the walls to keep the siege out of range as long as possible; not quite Vauban, just ditches and bank, in "V" and zig-zag style. A lot of these dated from the 30-Years War, artillery being known to be able to knock down medieval walls...

It's likely artillery would be placed in outworks rather than walls, it would require a lot of work to put artillery in medieval fortifications. Recoil and weight as well as stable platforms being the main consideration for anything other than swivels. Often a wood platform was used in even Vauban walls.

Guns generally had naval style gun carriges; in New France they were surplus iron naval guns.

Crews would be specialist artillerymen or at least contain some such people; guns were complex and you could not entrust them to untrained militia.
There were militia (esp France) as well as garrison troops (usually poor in Prussia).
Neil

[Willz the Wargamer]

You are correct I can't find anything relating to militia artillery.
French coast guard artillery (militia) 1750's had white uniform, blue cuffs, collar, white lace, silver buttons.

I like French colonial artillery for my fortress crews.


Willz.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

As an aside, mediaeval walls would usually not have the depth to accommodate a gun and its recoil. However, in the late mediaeval/early renaissance period, the towers on castle walls stopped being square and "got with it daddy-oh" by adopting a round shape, not only to better absorb the impact of enemy artillery, but also to accommodate their own guns (see the various Henry VIII castles around the English coast and countless late 15th to early 17th century chateaux across France).

Cannon based in permanent fortifications would have either naval-type carriages, or similar styles of carriage with small "truck" wheels, due to the absence of any need to traverse roads or rough ground. Occasionally, shortages of artillery (due either to economics, or a military disaster) forced a commander to employ fortress artillery outside their "natural habitat" and on such occasions, conventional carriages would be either constructed or obtained in some other way. How long such carriages would last in the field is another matter.....

[FreddBloggs]

as an aside British and French warships carried land carriages for their guns this reason.

[Etranger]

Cannon on garrison carriages overlooking Auld Reekie...

Either iron (as here) or wooden (like naval cannon) could be used.

[Count Belisarius]

I've been pondering some town walls. But wanted to use for C18th as well. Was hoping to find some examples with a more substantial bastion thing built outside the walls but maybe connected.... Still pondering...

But it's a good excuse to buy more guns...

[FreddBloggs]

painted blue?

[Count Belisarius]

Of course...

[Panzer21]

I always tend to think of iron gun carriages for fortress artillery as being more C19th when casting technology had been improved. The earliest date I've seen was 1769 for the abortive steam powered gun carriage.
Neil