Manuscript volume detailing the manufacture and maintenance of explosives and ammunition
- 4to
- [England] , [Mid 19th century]
[England], [Mid 19th century]. 4to. (8 5/8 x 7 inches). Index and 184 neatly handwritten pages numbered in manuscript. Illustrated with 18 sketches and diagrams. With 92 leaves of blank laid paper (in addition to pages numbered 6-21 also blank), 6 pages of manuscript inventory loosely laid in. Half reverse sheep over marbled paper boards with all edges marbled
A practical mid-nineteenth-century British military manuscript on explosives and ammunition, preserving technical ordnance knowledge at a time when British arms production, chemical investigation, and military supply were undergoing rapid change.
This substantial manuscript volume records the manufacture, maintenance, and care of explosives and ammunition in a clear professional hand. Its indexed structure, numerous pages of technical notes, and small explanatory diagrams suggest a working reference compiled for practical use, by or for an officer concerned with ordnance, ammunition stores, or military instruction. The manuscript belongs to the period in which British ordnance practice was moving from older systems of manufacture and supply towards more centralised and scientifically supervised production. The Crimean War exposed serious weaknesses in British military administration, leading to the abolition of the Board of Ordnance in 1855 and the transfer of its responsibilities to the War Office. At the same time, Woolwich remained the principal center of British armaments production, and the mid-century saw increasing attention to mechanised manufacture, ammunition filling, explosives chemistry, and the testing of new forms of artillery and ammunition. This volume stands within that practical world of military science, where chemical knowledge, workshop procedure, and field reliability were closely connected. As a manuscript record of ordnance practice, the volume offers a compact view of the technical knowledge expected of a mid-nineteenth-century officer or ordnance specialist, with its diagrams giving visual support to a subject normally transmitted through manuals, arsenals, and instruction.
A practical mid-nineteenth-century British military manuscript on explosives and ammunition, preserving technical ordnance knowledge at a time when British arms production, chemical investigation, and military supply were undergoing rapid change.
This substantial manuscript volume records the manufacture, maintenance, and care of explosives and ammunition in a clear professional hand. Its indexed structure, numerous pages of technical notes, and small explanatory diagrams suggest a working reference compiled for practical use, by or for an officer concerned with ordnance, ammunition stores, or military instruction. The manuscript belongs to the period in which British ordnance practice was moving from older systems of manufacture and supply towards more centralised and scientifically supervised production. The Crimean War exposed serious weaknesses in British military administration, leading to the abolition of the Board of Ordnance in 1855 and the transfer of its responsibilities to the War Office. At the same time, Woolwich remained the principal center of British armaments production, and the mid-century saw increasing attention to mechanised manufacture, ammunition filling, explosives chemistry, and the testing of new forms of artillery and ammunition. This volume stands within that practical world of military science, where chemical knowledge, workshop procedure, and field reliability were closely connected. As a manuscript record of ordnance practice, the volume offers a compact view of the technical knowledge expected of a mid-nineteenth-century officer or ordnance specialist, with its diagrams giving visual support to a subject normally transmitted through manuals, arsenals, and instruction.
Details
Title
Manuscript volume detailing the manufacture and maintenance of explosives and ammunition
Author
[MILITARY]
Binding
4to
Condition
Unknown
Publisher
[England]
Date
[Mid 19th century]