Being a cannoneer was a risky business. Besides the constant danger of powder exploding from a spark or a misfire while loading, the old cast iron cannon were liable to blow apart. To prevent this, cannon barrels were "proofed" with a heavy test charge before being put into service. At Louisbourg one of the reproduction cannon barrels, which weighed about 2,970 kilograms, exploded during its proof firing; pieces of iron, some several hundred kilograms in weight, flew as far as 230 metres. As they were in almost as much danger as the enemy, early artillerymen often made the sign of the cross and said a short prayer prior to firing.
The cannon seen here fires a solid shot weighing twenty-four livres (about twelve kilograms). At Louisbourg the defenders had cannon as large as thirty-six livres (about nineteen kilograms) in calibre, intended mainly for use against enemy shipping. The range of such cannon was well over one and a half kilometres. Smaller guns of from two to eight kilograms were adequate against siege-works and soldiers.
Warships carried the same cannon, in comparable sizes, but massed their firepower on gun-decks containing seventy-four or more guns. Although ships were usually not effective against land batteries (since it was more difficult to aim on a rolling ship), broadsides fired by one warship against another sometimes at ranges so close the crews could shout across to each other were frequently devastating.
Courtesy: Parks Canada, National Film Board of Canada
