When I was growin' up there were three Civil War limbers and cannon combinations that I can think of. First, there was MPC's rather large limber and cannon meant for their 60mm figures. At the other end of the spectrum, Giant of Hong Kong made HO scale Civil War figures which included a nice little limber/cannon set-up. Right in the middle sat Marx with its 54mm limber, cannon, and four horse hitch with driver and outrider. It wasn't just a toy, it was a nicely detailed replica and the standard by which other toy makers would have have to measure their efforts. It took about forty years but finely Classic Toy Soldiers (CTS) stepped up to the plate and had this absolutely gorgeous rig rig produced for the hobby market.
A detachment consisted of one gun and it's crew. At full strength it could appear as you see it here or the caisson (twin ammo chests on one frame) may have been pulled by a separate team of horses. While six horses may not necessarily be required to pull the rig, extras were required to replace battlefield casualties and exhausted animals. The Chief of the piece was a sergeant while a corporal was put in charge of the caisson and another tasked with aiming the piece. The crew was rounded out by:
1) the swabber who swabbed the bore and rammed the load
2) the loader who inserted the charge
and ammo into the muzzle
3) the person who tended the vent
4) the person who primed and fired the
piece at the command of the sergeant
5) assistant who carried the round to #2
6) a person in charge of the limber
7) assistant who carried the round to #5
A battery at full strength would have consisted of six guns plus a battery wagon, ambulance wagon, forge wagon (18 wagons for a full battery) and all the personnel required to support these vehicles. The battery was segmented into three sections of two cannons each and was commanded by five officers: a commanding captain, a lieutenant in charge of the caissons, and a lieutenant in charge for each section.
If you're interested in Civil War toys or modeling and want to try and replicate a battery this will give an idea of what's required. For 54mm collectors there's two items missing from the line-up. First, no one makes a forge wagon in this scale. Also, while you could use the terrific wagons offered by CTS as supply and battery wagons they simply don't have the exact profile of those type. The wagons made by Americana have the profile but they're not true to 54mm scale. Well, without further ado: Enjoy! Bettina & Fritz Berg :)
This is one long drink of water at 22" (55.9cm)
This is a caisson: two ammo chests on a truncated frame with a spare wheel mounted in the rear.
Many people refer to the Marx limber as a caisson but that would be incorrect. I was in the same habit until I started reading up on Civil War artillery.
This is a limber NOT a caisson
Beautiful Pictures Deine Frau Gattin Bettina :)
