peashooter85:The Coehorn Mortar,The Coehorn mortar was small portable mortar made to be carried by a
peashooter85:The Coehorn Mortar,The Coehorn mortar was small portable mortar made to be carried by a crew of two to four men. Invented in 1674 by Meno Van Coehoorn, a military engineer who specialized in siege warfare, the Coehorn mortar was the grandfather of man portable military mortars today. The small mortar was mounted onto a wooden box or frame with handles so that it could be easily transported. Rather than firing a cannonball directly at its target, the mortar fired at an arc, dropping explosive shells over walls and onto the enemy. Because of its size the Coehorn mortar typically was a short ranged weapon. Some had range adjustments, but range was typically altered by reducing or increasing the powder charge. Because of its size the Coehorn mortar was ideal for rough terrain where larger cannon could not be used, such as heavy forest, jungle, or mountains. Thus the Coehorn saw plenty of action in colonial wars in the America’s, Africa, and India. They were especially popular during the French and Indian War and American Revolution for laying siege to remote wilderness forts on the edges of the American frontier. The last hurrah of the Coehorn was during the American Civil War, where they were especially popular for use in trench warfare during the Siege of Petersburg. The Coehorn Mortar would become obsolete with the invention of portable mortars that used self contained shells rather than being muzzleloaders. However, the Coehorn was the ancestor of all man portable mortar systems of today. -- source link