Also known as: gun limber.
| Type | Two-wheeled fore-carriage |
|---|---|
| Carries | One ammunition chest |
| Function | Its pintle hook receives the trail of a carriage or caisson |
| Draft | Drawn by a team, typically six horses |
Making the piece mobile
The limber was a two-wheeled fore-carriage mounting a single ammunition chest and, at its rear, an iron pintle hook. To move a gun, the crew raised the carriage trail and dropped its eye over the limber pintle, joining the two into a four-wheeled vehicle drawn by a horse team, usually of six.
Every gun and every caisson had its own limber, so the limber chest provided the ready ammunition carried immediately with each piece.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States War Department. Instruction for Field Artillery, Prepared by a Board of Artillery Officers. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1863.