The Hand-Book of Artillery

A rare glimpse into American military technical education on the eve of the Civil War. This 1860 handbook served as the official training text for the Artillery School at Fort Monroe, where Union artillerymen learned the deadly science of gunnery that would soon decide battles. Joseph Roberts compiled questions and answers drawn from authorized War Department sources, creating a manual that transformed raw recruits into competent artillerists. The text covers the mechanics of guns, howitzers, and mortars - explaining everything from the metallurgy of cannon construction to the mathematics of range and targeting. What emerges is not merely a technical document but a window into the military mindset that shaped a nation's bloodiest conflict. For historians of the Civil War, military technology enthusiasts, and anyone curious about how 19th-century soldiers were taught to master the era's most destructive weapons.