In 1775, thirteen colonies began fighting for independence from British rule. Without formal training in artillery tactics or proper arming of artillery pieces, early units had to overcome adversity and hardship. But with courage and dedication, the artillery and its leaders were able to play a vital role in success on the battlefields and, ultimately, in the victory that won America's freedom. During the Revolutionary War, the artillery assets available were a combination of cannons, mortars, and howitzers. Two types of cannons were used at this time. Field Guns, which were lightweight and easier to move, and Siege Guns, which were much heavier and less mobile. The cannons used three different types of cartridges. The cartridges were solid shot, grapeshot and cartridge. Solid cartridges were used for structures, buildings and ships. Grapeshot, which was a canvas bag containing lead or iron pellets, was ideal for long-range personnel. The cartridge was a wooden cartridge carrying iron balls, and when fired it exploded like a shotgun for personnel at close range. The guns were mostly low trajectory, unlike mortars which were high trajectory and incendiary shells. The mortar rested on a wooden platform and a wooden wedge was used to tilt the front of the gun. There were mortars from the land service and mortars from the maritime service. The land service being more mobile and the maritime service much heavier and were permanently positioned on ships. By the time of the Revolutionary War, there were nine types of land mortars and four types of maritime mortars. They ranged from 4.4 to 13 inches. The shells fired from the mortars were designed to fire at a high trajectory...... middle of paper ......ctory at Monmouth as saying: "It is with particular pleasure... that the Commander in Chief can inform General Knox and the other officers of the artillery, that the enemy has done them justice in recognizing that no artillery could be better served than ours.” At first, the war seemed a futile effort, but through the combination of brute force and precision, artillery was able to help our young nation achieve victory. Washington, George. General orders from George Washington. From the Library of Congress, 1778. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mgw3&fileName=mgw3 g/gwpage003.db&recNum (accessed November 9, 2013)2. Alden, John. A History of the American Revolution. New York: Da Capo Press, 1969. (accessed November 7, 2013).3. Davis, Burke. The campaign that won America. New York: Harper Collins, 2007. (accessed October 15, 2013).