Cannon were the main form of artillery during the English Civil War although there were other pieces used. The captain and crew of a single artillery piece operate with the rest of the army’s artillery trayne. They were deployed to fire varieties of shot at infantry, horse and fortifications.
Equipment
Most Sealed Knot cannons have a bore which allows them to be kept under a shotgun license. A gun captain will usually store and transport his own piece which will then be crewed by members of the society. A crew can be drawn from any regiment but most regiments with captains and pieces will crew from their own regiment.
Artillery crew wear the same kit as a typical soldier, usually coloured the same as the regiment they are from. However they do not have to wear helmets or armour. A gun captain is usually an officer, but does not have to be, and will usually wear officers clothing.
Operation
A Sealed Knot piece is charged with black powder and then rammed with wadding. When used for real warfare the shot would have been loaded and rammed after the wadding. For reenactment purposes the wadding is sufficient to give a loud bang especially when rammed tightly down the barrel.
Safety is essential and all guns must have a twenty foot clearance in front of them. Although not loaded the hot gases vented from the barrel leave with sufficient force to seriously injure someone. After a gun is fired is must be cleaned before it can be charged again or the new powder may ignite.
