![]() ![]() The range, the destructive power, but also the production capacity, the level of training and the ammunition stockpile are information that, when deciphered, says a lot about the operational level of an armed force. What are the visible and hidden assets of an armed force with guns? Must the cannon now be an outdated system or revolutionized by technology for its digital evocation to no longer be cited in a document such as the White Paper on Defence and National Security of 2013? (LBDSN 2013) This observation, which may go unnoticed due to the appearance of new equipment, nevertheless raises questions about the symbolic, tactical and technical roles of firearms at the beginning of the 21st century. There are many examples in the military history of France where the size and capabilities of its army are described by an inventory in which the cannon appears since the Middle Ages. ![]() Wagram (1809): the large battery of Drouot aligns a front of 112 pieces and contributes significantly to overthrow an initially unfavourable tactical situation. The balance of power in Europe shifted, and political instability ensued in England.Battle of Castillon (1453): 300 guns led by the Bureau brothers participate in the French victory over John Talbot's English army. The battle led to the English losing almost all their holdings in France, especially Gascony ( Aquitaine), an English possession for the previous three centuries. Castillon was a major European battle won through the extensive use of field artillery. Talbot then refused to withdraw even after realizing the strength of the French position, causing his men to suffer severe casualties from the French artillery. On the day of the battle, the English commander, John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, believing that the enemy was retreating, led his army in an attack on a fortified French encampment without waiting for reinforcements.
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