from field in that the whole gun detachment is mounted, and the gun and
wagon therefore are freed from the load of men and their equipment. The
organization of a battery of horse artillery differs but slightly from
that of a field battery; it is somewhat stronger in rank and file, as
horse-holders have to be provided for the gunners in action. Horse
artillery is often lightened, moreover, by sacrificing power (see
ORDNANCE). The essential feature of _Mountain Artillery_ in general is
the carrying of the whole equipment on the backs of mules or other
animals. The total weight is usually distributed in four or five
mule-loads. For action the loads are lifted off the saddles and
"assembled," and the time required to do this is, in well-trained
batteries, only one minute. For the technical questions connected with
the gun and its carriage, see ORDNANCE. The weight of a shell in a
mountain gun rarely exceeds 12 lb., and is usually less. In most armies
the _field howitzer_ has, after an eclipse of many years, reasserted its
place. The weapons used are B.L. or Q.F. howitzers on field carriages;
the calibre varies from about 4 to 5 in. In Great Britain the field
howitzer batteries are organized as, and form part of, the Royal Field
Artillery, two batteries of six howitzers each forming a brigade.