Poll.

This is the picture that goes with the poll.

In Action

A video that shows the Coehorn in action

Introduction

The cannon as we think about it in modern terms really came into being in the 17th century. It is very unclear where the invention of cannons and gunpowder came from. It is hard to know about the accuracy and the time frame of some of the sources. The different sources also contradict themselves a lot and it is hard to determine the accuracy of one source with  the other source. This exhibit will focus on artillery in the 18th century with a special lens being placed on Dutch artillery. The Dutch played a major role in military design without being a military power. They military design gave them influence that was disproportional to their dize

The beginning

VOC

The Dutch East India company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) was a instrument that the Dutch government created in order to be able to administrate its growing colonies. The VOC acted as a private company and issued shares to its owners. This also allowed Amsterdam for a while to become the center of world trade. 

Voc Shipyard in Amsterdam

Coehorn

The Coehorn was developed by the Dutch military commander Baron van Manno Coehoorn in 1692. The U.S. government made modification to the original design and this particular design was still being used during the 19th century. This new design created a revolution because the mortar was able to be more accurate from farther away. This particular gun pictured was an American model that was produced by the Ames manufacturing company in Pennsylvania. The fact that other countries are still using variants of this design even today is a testament to how well designed it was. Can you imagine that they were still using the same designs of the 18th century in the American Civil War

Baron van Manno Coehoorn

Baron van Manno Coehoorn was born in the Dutch Republic in 1641. He introduced the Coehorn mortar at the Seige of Grave. He also wrote several books about fortification and how he believed that a citadel could effectively be defended as well as other fortifications. Do you think Dutch weapons would have lasted as long without his influence.