16. Firing Chains from Cannons Was a Good Idea
Cannons revolutionized warfare. Heavy siege artillery rendered medieval castles obsolete, while lighter field pieces wreaked havoc upon infantry and cavalry. Before modern breach-loading artillery, gunpowder muzzle loaded field cannons used solid metal shot to reach out to distant targets. For closer targets within a few dozen yards, cannons were packed with smaller projectiles such as grape shot, a bundle of small metal balls, or canister, even smaller metal balls. They transformed cannons into giant shotguns that mowed down all in front of their muzzles. In practice, just about any bits of small metal fired from a cannon would produce a similar shotgun effect, and one of the deadliest was heavy chain.
