The French had time to fire three rounds of grapeshot before the hussars got back to their horses. Two were misdirected and the shot went too high, but the last round fell in the midst of a group of hussars and knocked three of them over.
—Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace (Bk II cap 8)
In game[]
 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Powerful heavy gun, meant to be used to level static defences and structures, as well as deal limited damage versus slow-moving units. | |||||||
| Prereq: | Build time | HP | LOS | Attack | Attack speed | Movement speed | ||
|
8s (120t) |
150 | 30 | 39 | 4s (60t) |
23 | ||
| Cost | Created from | Armour | Weapon range | Specialty | ||||
| Base | Ramp | Pop | ||||||
 : 80 : 80
|
: 20: 20
|
2 | 
|
0 | 1-21 | ? | ||
Overall strategy[]
The Gribeauval Cannon is a unique unit for the French, and consists of a Cannon-type unit that not only hits harder, but is also more easily built and faster in movement, thus making it a far superior choice over other nation's artillery for France. Couple this with France's unique bonuses to artillery-type units, and you will have a unit that can be highly destructive given its greater mobility and propensity for wiping out buildings wholesale. Even so, it is still costly despite its faster build time, and so you should always assign units to guard your Gribeauval Cannons whenever they are moving in train to their destination.
History[]
The Gribeauval system (French: système Gribeauval) was an artillery system introduced by Lieutenant-General Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval during the 18th century. This system revolutionised French cannon, with a new production system that allowed lighter, more uniform guns without sacrificing range.
Gribeauval's primary improvement came in the production of large artillery pieces. Prior to his improvements, guns were cast in a single piece by pouring molten iron or bronze around a clay cylinder core which was removed once the gun cooled. However, the clay cores resulted in imperfect bores, which prevented the use of tight-fitting cannonballs. Because rounds did not fit tightly, much of the explosive power of the gunpowder was lost. Under Gribeauval's system, guns were now cast as a single, solid block, and the bore was drilled out using a machine; the entire barrel of the gun rotated against a massive drill bit, and the cutting head was advanced by means of weights and cogs. The resulting guns had a tighter manufacturing tolerance between the bore and ball, while being lighter and smaller, making it more portable than ever before.
Both improvements reduced weight, which in combination with improved gun carriages designed by Gribeauval, allowed the new fieldpieces to be more easily moved about. These guns contributed to French military victories during the Napoleonic Wars; the Gribeauval system was "arguably the best artillery system in Europe at that time". Guns produced under this system would be used in France, on and off, for well over a hundred years with various modifications until the rise of the Paixhans system rendered it obsolete.
References[]
- Dawson P, The Napoleon Series, The Artillery of System An XI