The La Hitte system (), named after the French general Ducos, Count de La Hitte, Rifled Field Pieces: A Short Compilation of what is Known of the New Field - Page 32 by Franck Taylor 1862 was an artillery system designed in March 1858 to implement rifled muzzle-loading guns in the French Army.
Conception The La Hitte system was developed through the collaborative work of Lieutenant-colonel Treuille de Beaulieu ("Directeur de l'atelier de précision") who had developed the principle and General de La Hitte ("Président du Comité d'Artillerie") who had implemented it:The Edinburgh Review - Page 499 1864
Specifications
The new rifled guns were used from 1859 during the Franco-Austrian War in Italy.French Army 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War (1) by Stephen Shann p.37 These guns were a considerable improvement over the previous smooth-bore guns which had been in use. They were able to shoot at either regular shells, ball-loaded shells or grapeshot. They appear to have been the first examples of rifled cannons used on a battlefield.The Long Arm of Lee by Jennings Cropper Wise, Gary W. Gallagher p.30
The system was muzzle-loading, and the shells could be detonated either on impact, or at one of two set distances with a time fuse. To counter the lack of flexibility given by only 2 different distances, ricochet shots were employed, each bounce slowing the shell down. A six set distances fuse was initially invented but didn't give satisfaction. For ball-loaded payloads, a four set distances fuse was used. The shells, based on the 1847 invention of Captain Tamisier, were oval-shaped, and had small protrusions to follow the grooves of the bore. Previous guns, such as the Canon obusier de 12, were rifled to accommodate the system."Napoleon went so far, however, in 1858, as to order his SB guns rifled, under the bastard system known as the "Lahitte System," which continued in general use in France until 1870" in The Long Arm of Lee by Jennings Cropper Wise, Gary W. Gallagher p.30 The system included newly-rifled siege guns of , and bore, new field guns of and bore, new siege guns of and bore, and a mountain gun of bore.
Change in meaning of gun designations With the introduction of rifling and elongated shells replacing the old roundshot, guns could fire projectiles of nearly twice the previous weight possible for a given bore (calibre). The rifling gave a far greater range for a given propellant charge, hence a minimal increase in gunpowder was needed for the heavier shells. While the La Hitte guns retained the traditional 4 designation, the number now approximated to kg rather than the livre (French pound) as previously. Hence the Canon de campagne de 4 La Hitte fired a shell weighing nearly .
Obsolescence The La Hitte system was superseded in 1870 with the work of Jean-Baptiste Verchère de Reffye and the development of breech-loading rifled guns.
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References