Disabling Arty Batteries/Spiking of Guns.

[CSA Watkins]

From what I read,
Artillery Batteries weren't captured n turned on the previous
operaters in 99% of cases, they were disabled in 1 way or another.
I have read there were cases of Captured pieces
being turned on previous crew/Soldiers. This was very rare.
 
This is why capturing Batteries in Game IMO is unnecessary/Moot.
 
I would like to see crews, instead of rolling there batteries back, 
Just have the battery destroyed,Just prior too and/or being over run.
Than have the crews, either be killed or run like hell to the rear off map...
 
***************
The following are copy n paste, concerning civil war Artillery 
This  Link/Thread is very informative 'Civil War Talk'
 
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/question-on-the-spiking-of-guns.75576/
 

*****************************************
Among the miscellaniouis equipment for each gun was an iron spike and a hammer (I've seen pictures on the net), any crew member could drive the spike into the touch-hole if necessary. Assuming the artillarist had enough time to completely drive the spike home, the gun was unusable until the touch-hole could be re-drilled - presumably at a foundary where cannon were manufactured, or at a well-stocked rearward machining area where the operaters had experience at this sort of thing. In addition to re-drilling the touch-hole, the barrell itself probably had to be de-burred at the inner touch-hole area to remove any iron splinters protruding into the barrell (a hot splinter at the touch-hole could rip open a powder bag and set it off, just as the cannoneers are ramming their load home

 
 
************************************
The standard method was to drive an iron spike with a soft tip into the vent, then run the rammer down the tube hard to bend the tip of the spike so that it couldn't be easily removed. Rat-tail files could also be used or whatever was handy.

There were various ways of clearing a spike. It was more straightforward in iron guns because the vent would be bouched with copper, and therefore could be drilled out. Another way was to drill a new vent. Quickmatch, powder and wadding could be used to blow the obstruction out.

Many ways were used to temporarily or semi-permanently disable, such as carrying off all the friction primers, carrying off implements, destroying/removing fuses, removing/damaging parts of the elevation mechanism, removing trunnion caps, etc., taking an axe to the carriage, burning the carriage, knocking spokes out of the wheels, wedging a round in the bore, loading a round in the bore without powder, knocking off the trunnions with a sledge, etc.

It would be prudent to spike when the position was going to be overrun even with the use of canister AND the pieces couldn't be limbered up and taken off.

Note: Much of this is a compilation of material in Philip Cole's, Civil War Artillery at Gettysburg, a very useful reference.

 
 
*****************************************
 The method for unspiking a gun was all but impossible in the field, one method was to file a notch on either side of the touch hole and a special tool was inserted that could grab the edge of the file, nail etc and pull it out. Rock Island Arsenal has one of these tools, looks somewhat like a set of long handled needle nose pliers. As was explained to me it is a process that takes half a day or more.[/size]

****************************