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Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving, and fast-firing artillery that consisted of light or attached to light but sturdy two-wheeled carriages called caissons or limbers, with the individual crewmen riding on horses. This was in contrast to other forms of field artillery which may also be horse-drawn but were heavier and whose gunners either marched on foot or were transported seated on the gun carriage, wagons or limbers. Horse artillery units provided highly mobile fire support especially to cavalry units, and existed in armies in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, from the early 17th to the mid-20th century.Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, page 690 Volume 2
Horse artillery was highly versatile and often supported friendly cavalry units by disrupting enemy infantry formations such as with rapid concentrated fire. This would leave the enemy infantry vulnerable to cavalry charges. Their mobility also enabled them to outmaneuver enemy foot artillery units, and to act as a rearguard (in concert with friendly cavalry) to cover the retreat of slower units. A full battery could have a combined front of riders over 50 men strong. If the horse artillery was mistaken for cavalry, the enemy might receive an unpleasant surprise when the towed batteries wheeled around, unlimbered, loaded, sighted and opened fire. Highly proficient batteries could do so in less than a minute.
Others tried to combine firepower with mobility by using novel cavalry tactics such as the caracole, but these slowed the cavalry down and proved largely ineffective. The best solutions involved creating hybrid units of mounted infantry, most notably dragoons. Although they proved highly useful and versatile troops, whether they fired mounted or dismounted, they still had to slow down or at least stop temporarily, thereby losing their main advantages as cavalry.
In the early 18th century the Russian army began equipping cavalry formations with small units of light horse artillery equipped with 2-pound cannons, and portable 3-pound mortars which were transported on horseback (the weights refer to the size of the projectiles, not the artillery pieces.) Though not decisive by themselves, these units inflicted losses on Prussian troops and influenced Frederick the Great to form the first regular horse artillery unit in 1759.
French artilleryman, engineer and general Jean-Baptiste de Gribeauval had served with the military mission to Prussia,Summerfield (2011), p20 as well as fighting against Frederick in the Seven Years' War. After that war he made numerous technical improvements to French cannons which made them lighter, faster and much easier to aim. These improvements proved a great advantage to horse artillery as well. Later, the British army officer Henry Shrapnel invented a deadly new type of ammunition that was put to effective use by horse artillery units.
The popularity of the new type of unit caught on quickly with other armies. Austria organized a limited amount of "cavalry artillery" in 1778 where most of the gun crew rode specially designed, padded gun carriages called Wursts ("sausages"), rather than on separate horses, into battle. Hanover formed its first cavalry batteries in 1786 and the Hanoverian general Victor von Trew performed several trials in 1791 which proved the great speed and efficiency by which an all-mounted crew could operate. At this time Denmark had also formed mounted artillery units and by 1792 Sweden had formed its first regular riding batteries,Hedberg, 1987, p.11 followed by Great Britain and the Dutch Republic in 1793, Russia in 1794 and Portugal in 1796.
Horse artillery units generally used lighter pieces (6-pounders), pulled by six horses. 9-pounders were pulled by eight horses, and heavier artillery pieces (12-pounders) needed a team of twelve horses. With the individual riding horses required for officers, surgeons and other support staff, as well as those pulling the artillery guns and supply wagons, an artillery battery of six guns could require 160 to 200 horses.Nofi (1993), pp. 128–130. Horse artillery usually came under the command of cavalry divisions, but in some battles, such as Waterloo, horse artillery was used as a rapid response force, repulsing attacks and assisting the infantry. The Oxford Companion to Military History, p. 415. Agility was important; the ideal artillery horse was around 15-16 hands high (150–160 cm, 60 to 64 inches), strongly built, but able to move quickly.Cotner (1996); "In his textbook, Gibbon described what was desired in an artillery horse: 'The horse for artillery service should be from fifteen to sixteen hands high ... should stand erect on his legs, be strongly built, but free in his movements."
In the Mexican–American War, the U.S. Army horse artillery, or "flying artillery" played a decisive role in several key battles. In the American Civil War, various elements of the horse artillery of the Army of the Potomac were at times grouped together in the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade. In the U.S., units of horse artillery were generally referred to officially as "light artillery"
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During the 19th and early 20th century, European-style horse artillery was used in South American countries such as Chile and Peru, quite prominently during the War of the Pacific.Markham, 1892, pp. 431–432
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