The Canon de 4 de Vallière was a type of cannon designed by the French officer Florent-Jean de Vallière (1667-1759), Director-General of the Battalions and Schools of the Artillery. The cannon was a result of the Royal Ordonnance of October 7, 1732, enacted to reorganize and standardize the King's artillery''A Dictionary of Military History and the Art of War'' By André Corvisier, p.83

/ref> Whereas numerous formats and designs had been in place in the French army, De Vallière standardized the French sizes in artillery pieces, by allowing only for the production of 24, 12, 8 and 4 Pound (mass)#French livre, pound guns, mortars of 13 and 9 inches, and stone-throwing mortars of 16 inches. The 24-pdr was the largest caliber available to French artillery in this system. The cannon used core drilling of the bore of cannons founded in one piece of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

, a method developed at that time by Jean Maritz, which allowed for much higher precision of the bore shape and surface, and therefore higher shooting efficiency. As with other de Valliere guns, the 4-pdr was also highly decorated and contained numerous designs and inscriptions.

Front part

Starting with the front part, the gun had a sight design at it extremity. The followed the name of the gun (here ''Le Pénétrant''). Then, a Latin phrase "Ultima Ratio Regum", initially introduced by

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, and rather descriptive of the role of the gun: "The Last Argument of the King". Under that appears the name " Louis Charles de Bourbon, ''comte d'Eu, duc d'Aumale''", the ''Grand Maître de l'artillerie de France'' (Grand Master of the Artillery of France), followed by a royal emblem. In the middle of the cannon are trunnions, used to position the gun in place and elevate or depress it. On top of the trunnions are dolphin-shaped ornaments, which are used in lifting the gun.Springfield Armory
/ref>

Back part

The back part consists in, sometimes, an inscription showing the weight of the cannonball (for example a "4" for a 4-pounder), followed by a Latin inscription "'' Nec pluribus impar''", meaning that the King is "Not unequal to many (suns)". This is followed by the royal crest of the

Bourbon dynasty The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

. At the bottom of the gun, the location and date of manufacture are inscribed, and finally the name and title of the founder (in the example "Fondu par J. Gor, Commissaire des Fontes"). The breech is decorated with an animal face showing the rating of the gun ("Face in a sunburst" for a 4-pounder).

Operational activity

Numerous de Valliere guns were used in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, especially the smaller 4-pdr field guns. The guns were shipped from France, and the field carriages provided for in the US. These guns played an important role in such battles as the

Battle of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The Battle ...

, or the

Siege of Yorktown The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Ma ...

Gallery

File:French 4pdr 60s.jpg, US Army personnel with a de Vallière 4-pounder in the 60s File:Valliere 4-pdr Rear Grand Battery Yorktown.jpg, Vallière 4-pounder, French Grand Battery, Yorktown VA File:Valliere 4-pdr Side Grand Battery Yorktown.jpg, Vallière 4-pounder, French Grand Battery, Yorktown VA

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canon de 4 de Valliere Valliere system

Front part

Back part

Operational activity

Gallery

See also

Notes