How were horses were hitched to a cannon limber

VirgilCole

Cadet
Joined
Jul 30, 2017
Hi again,

I was wondering if anyone has, or can point me to, a diagram of how horses were hitched to a cannon limber.
I am building a cannon and limber along with a team of horses. I have found many pictures of teams of horses hitched to a limber but I cannot find a good picture of how the horses were hitched to the limber and limber pole. Any help would be appreciated.

Regards!
 
Welcome! That's a very good question! I've always 'assumed' the hitch was similar to those used for draft animals pulling a wagon or farm equipment, but I've never seen any diagrams or information specific to artillery. Seems there was a book at Google Books that had information on battery set up and positioning; I'll see if I can find it. It may have what you need.
 
Here's the reference I was scanning when @ucvrelics.com was posting (provides a little detail):

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Source: Coggins, Jack (1990). Arms and Equipment of the Civil War (Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, New York), pp. 72,73.
 
Great pictures. Thank you! That brings up another question, would the livery for a confederate version be natural leather or black?
 
Sounds like a great project!
Great pictures. Thank you! That brings up another question, would the livery for a confederate version be natural leather or black?
Do you have a particular unit in mind for your portrayal?
Thinking black would be best. Having the harness made? Do you plan on fielding the full six?
 
EJ, all livery will be scratch made. Scale is 1/16. Cannon and Limber are metal kits from Guns of History out of
ModelExpo. Horses are Napoleonic cavalry from Miniart. Due to cost I am just going with 4 horses. I have read that the confederates used 4 horses at times due to a shortage of horses.
 
I just checked out their site (ModelExpo). Some cool stuff, forge wagon, Rucker ambu.
Four is fine. Artillery horses did not have a long service life. Trying to secure replacements was a constant. So you went with what you had on hand to get the job done. Which also would further shortened the service life of existing stock since they were working harder. I seem to recall reading oxen even being substituted.
Sounds like a great project. Thanks for including the horses in it. The artillery horses and their counterparts working in the supply train are my favorites.
 
Finished the cannon and limber. Though I would post a few pictures. Thanks!
 

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Great work . I recognize the Verlinden Jackson . I used to do a lot of 54mm , but now concentrate on 75mm and 120mm. The Miniart horse looks great .
 
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