1861 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT RELIC OF MID 19TH CENTURY GERMAN MILITARY ARTILLERY AND GUNNERY SKILL AND TECHNIQUE

On offer is a superb relic of mid-19th Century militaria and German artillery and gunnery skills and technique being a manuscript book titled 'Portie-Tafeln nebst Ertäuterungen für sämmtliche Geschütze der Bundesfestung Ulm'. The 85 page handwritten book is a technically detailed manual with many tables, charts, graphs with explanations of the guns at the Federal fortress at Ulm in a beautiful calligraphic hand in German. Dated 1861 and with the name of 'A Gulhner' inscribed on the front page, one finds part of the Appendix (pages 75-85) which relates to gunnery at Berlin. A few blank leaves at the end, bound in the original grey-brown cloth, the ink slightly browned but very clean and sound (160 by 110mm). Some of the contents and guns detailed include: 24lb short cannon (kurze kanon); 18lb battery cannon (batterie kanon); 12lb battery cannon; 6lb battery cannon; 12lb field cannon (feld kanon); 6lb field cannon; 25lb long howitzer (lange haubitz); 25lb short howitzer (kurze haubitz); 10lb long howitzer; 10lb short howitzer; 7lb long heavy iron howitzer (lange schwert eiserne haubitz); 7lb long heavy bronze howitzer (lange schwere bronzene haubitz); 7lb short howitzer; Ricochets with 18lb battery cannon (rikoschetiren); Ricochets with 12lb battery cannon; Ricochets with 25lb short howitzer; Ricochets with 10lb long howitzer; Ricochets with 10lb short howitzer; Range under 60 deg elevation (bombenwerfen unter 60° elevation); Range under 45 deg elevation; Range under 30 deg elevation; Shell throw for 7lb mortar; Shell throw for 12lb mortar; Appendix (Anhang); (tempirung der Lundrohre); Shot Tables for the pulled fortress cannons at Berlin in the year 1861; (Schuss Tafeln für die gezogenen Festungs Geschütze Berlin im Jahr 1861); further reference to Berlin, January 1861+++. HISTORICAL NOTES: One online source provides: The Confederation Fortress of Ulm (built 1842-1859) was the central point and main training area for the defence of southern Germany and was one of five federal fortresses of the German Confederation. With its 9 km main circumvallation, Ulm was the biggest fortress in Germany in the 19th century and it is still one of the biggest in Europe. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 and the Treaty of Paris, the victorious powers agreed to defend the German Confederation states. The fortresses were one of the few realised projects of the Confederation. The fortress at Ulm was planned as a closed, polygonal wall system by the Prussian construction manager Moritz Karl Ernst von Prittwitz und Gaffron and built under his supervision. It straddled the Danube and surrounded the cities of Ulm in Württemberg and Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and had 16 detached forts and an extensive moat system. In war it was planned to place 20,000 men in the fortress (Ulm had at this time 16,000 citizens) and an expansion to hold 100,000 men was planned. In peace it was mostly occupied by 5,000 men of the federal army and the double-headed eagle, symbol of the Confederation, was embossed on all artillery. Today, about two thirds of the fortifications are preserved. Overall VG.; 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall; KEYWORDS: GULHNER, BUNDESFESTUNG ULM, CONFEDERATION FORTRESS OF ULM, BERLIN, ARTILLERY, GUNNERY, PRUSSIAN, FORTIFICATIONS, EXPLOSIVES, CANON, PRUSSIA, GERMANY, HAUBITZ, ARMAMENTS, MUNITIONS, BOMB, MODERN WARFARE, HISTORY OF 19TH CENTURY WARFARE, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, DIARY, JOURNAL, LOG, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, DIARIES, JOURNALS, LOGS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL, HANDSKRIFT, AUTOGRAFER, EGENHÄNDIGT, HANDSKRIVET, HANDSKRIVEN, MANUSKRIPT, BREV, SIGNERAD, SIGNERAT, SIGNATUR, NAMNTECKNING, AUTOGRAF, HANDSKRIFTER,