Horse artillery front

A model of Swedish horse-drawn artillery, a type of military unit used in the mid-19th century, on display at the Army Museum in Stockholm. English translation of the accompanying caption in Swedish:

WENDE HORSE ARTILLERY 1850

When the riding artillery advanced on the enemy it could easily be confused with cavalry. A riding battery had a "front" of 52 artillerymen on horseback and moved at a gallop. When the six-horse strong carriages wheeled around and unlimbered [made ready for fire] the cannons, they could be an unpleasant surprise for the enemy. Trials performed in the late 18th century showed that it could be done rapidly: "To take 300 paces, unlimber and fire took only one minute".

The entire gun crew of the riding artillery was on horseback. One on each of the six horses towing one cannon and the rest riding on separate horses. Other types of artillery could not move as fast because some of the crew rode on the gun carriages.