Leather Cannon Detail 1 GNM Nuremberg W614

The leather cannon, or leather gun,Adair (1997), pg. 142–3 was an experimental weapon, first used in northern Europe in the 1620s. The aim was to construct a light and cheap weapon that would bridge the gap between the hand-held

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

and the heavy stationary

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

. The

varnish Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in various ...

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

from which the gun got its name acted merely as the outer protective surface of the piece. The first working examples were built by Swiss and Austrian engineers. The first attempts to use them in combat were made by

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...

, during the

Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629) The Polish–Swedish War of 1626–1629 was the fourth stage (after 1600–1611, 1617–1618, and 1620–1625) in a series of conflicts between Sweden and Poland fought in the 17th century. It began in 1626 and ended four years later with ...

, but were largely unsuccessful.Brzezinski (1993), p. 17–20 They were used extensively during the English Civil Wars in the 1640s and 1650s, especially in Scotland.

Background

Cannon in the early 17th century were of a plethora of

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge (firearms) , bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the f ...

s. In order to simplify

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

Gustavus Adolphus reduced the number of calibers to guns firing 24-, 12- and 6-pound cannonballs (roughly , and ). Guns made from cast iron were too heavy to be moved during battle, and were used only in fortresses or aboard ships. Guns used in the field were limited to bronze cannon, but only the very lightest pieces could be moved during battle especially if the terrain was uneven. Gustavus Adolphus' tactics were based on use of effective firepower. While heavy cannon were effective at the start of the battle, they could not be moved from the hill that they usually were deployed on (the guns themselves weighed from roughly to 3

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s (3,000 kg). As such, the artillery could not respond effectively to developments in battle.

Leather cannon

To fill the gap, the so-called ''leather cannon'' was developed. A relatively thin copper tube was reinforced by heavy cords and finally clad in leather (alternatively clad in leather straps first and then rope cords). While the weapon was light enough to be mobile (it required only a two-man crew to pull into position and operate), and at the same time was cheaper in construction, the basic design proved to be flawed. The reinforcing materials acted as an insulator, and did not allow heat to dissipate fast enough. After only a few shots the gun would be too hot to use. The heat would also deform the tube and drastically decrease accuracy. Once damaged thus, even after being allowed to cool, the barrel was prone to bursting, severely injuring the loader. As a field weapon it was too unreliable to be viable. The weapon had achieved one important success – it demonstrated the usefulness of mobile fire support. Before Sweden's entry in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, a new weapon had been developed, the bronze 3-pounder ''regimental cannon''. This could be towed by a single horse or three men and had a

rate of fire Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...

50% faster than the muskets of the period.

Use in Scotland and Korea

While short-lived, the leather cannon was copied by numerous nations of Europe, most notably Scotland. In Korea, during the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

, leather guns make their appearance in government records from at least 1649. They were hailed for their lightness, and therefore, superior manoeuvrability. The only difference between the Korean leather cannon and that of Europe was that the Korean counterpart was covered in thick Korean paper heavily saturated with grease. For several decades after its adoption, hundreds of leather cannon were produced, indicating their popularity. Similar to its European counterpart, it also fired iron shot weighing about .

Survivors

Very few original leather cannon have survived to modern times. There is one in the

Palace Armoury The Palace Armoury ( mt, L-Armerija tal-Palazz) is an arms collection housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta. It was the main armoury of the Order of St. John in the 17th and 18th centuries, and as such it was the last arsenal esta ...

museum in Valletta, Malta.Page 26

References

Bibliography