There is confusion as to how command control was implemented for such batteries. Rawkins suggests 2 drummers were present, but this seems impractical when riding a wurst. A trumpeter apparently did not appear until well post-Napoleonic Wars. Digby-Smith's translation in SOJ of Smola suggests commands were given by word of mouth.
Grateful for thoughts and guidance.
I have seen the comment on TMP about Austrian artillery ranges. It confuses two things: a) the maximum range and b) the range to first bounce at zero elevation.
The maximum range is how far roughly a cannon can fire a ball after a few bounces. This not actually very important as smoke on the battlefield and lack of accuracy, wind, etc. will not result in much effect beyond the first bounce.
The first bounce at zero elevation is affected by the weight of the projectile and the charge, but Austria's powder was considered to be among the most powerful. However, the cannon ball will fly in a parabola, due to gravity at the end, the Bernouli effect (which causes a spinning ball to rise), but above all, it depends on the dispart. The dispart is the angle implied to the bore when the barrel is at zero elevation and arises from the rear end of the barrel being thicker than the front end of the barrel. French barrels were too thick and created a dispart of 1 degree, compared with the Austrian 1/2 degree.
So, a French bsll will travel further to first bounce, but that means it will go over some targets than an Austrian ball would hit. Indeed during exchanges at Aderklaa during Wagram, both sides were too close to the other and firing over their targets.
The reason for relying on voice commands is the way the batteries were directed. France relied on its officers, so they used a drummer or later, bugler. The Austrians relied on their highly-trained NCOs. Each gun was run by an Oberfeuerwerker or sometimes, a Bombardier. Each pair of guns was directed by a Korporal and the battery was directed by an officer. So, there is a chain of command, rather than central direction.
Many thanks, most helpful. The quote re Rawkins was regard to his more recent CD.
I am not sure why Rawkins is quoted for anything these days. The booklets were written in the late 1970s and copied from Ottenfeld.
The 1757 Reglement https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ArlOAAAAcAAJ&q=austria+1757+artillerie+reglement&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=austria%201757%20artillerie%20reglement&f=false predates Cavalry guns, but even there, drummers only appear for parades, smallarms drill and for sounding the general Alarm.
The 1832 update of Smola's 1823 Taschenbuch gives the crews at p.198+, but there is no mention of any drummer or bugler. There are no illustrations of drummers in the Schematis or bigger paintings. Given the comments in Digby's translation, these would appear to be the same position as during the wars, especially as he refers to French buglers.