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Artillery
101 – A basic primer
Since
the invention of gunpowder, mankind has found ways to harness its
destructive forces. From the 14th century on
gunfounders have produced artillery, using it to blow away the
last traces of feudalism and to usher in a new era where gunpowder
weapons dominated warfare on both land and sea.
Follow
us as we trace the outline of this development, from its earliest
days through to the end of the American Civil War, which ushered
in a whole new age of modern warfare, for better or for worse.
One
thing about artillery is that it has always reflected the society
of the time it was produced.
Gunfounders were quick to embrace new technologies, and to
adapt their guns to reflect the culture of their age.
More than any other symbol from the past, guns represent
technology during the pre-industrial age, when artillery was the
ultimate arbiter of kings.
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