Contacts
|
DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2025.29.22.006 «UNICORNS» FROM VLADIKAVKAZ
Tsutsiev, Aslan A.
Kavkaz Forum. 2025. Issue 22.
Abstract:
The proposed article is the first scientific publication of the cast-iron barrels of Russian “unicorn” howitzers, produced in 1817 at the state factories of Kamensk-Uralsky and Nizhne-Isetsk, stored in the funds of the National Museum of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The work presents a brief history of the «unicorns» as a special type of Russian smoothbore artillery weapons, starting from the moment of their first combat use in 1757 until their complete decommissioning by the Russian Imperial Army in 1906, and provides their technical characteristics. The publication provides the first information on the barrels of the «unicorns» of the 1805 model, stored in Vladikavkaz. The date and place of their production are determined based on the stamps on the guns; photographs and information are provided on all the «unicorns» of 1817 production known to date. One of them is installed in the Odoevsky Square in the Lazarevskoye village (Sochi), four more are in the National Navy Museum in Rochefort-sur-Mer, France. The latter were taken by the French troops during the Crimean War from Sevastopol as war trophies. An opinion has been expressed about the use of specimens from the National Museum of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania as anti-assault guns on the bastions of the Vladikavkaz fortress.
Keywords: history of artillery, cast-iron guns, «unicorns», Vladikavkaz fortress, National Museum of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania.
Language: Russian
Download the full text
 For citation: Tsutsiev, A.A. «Unicorns» from Vladikavkaz. KAVKAZ-FORUM. 2025, iss. 22 (29), pp. 105-117 (In Russian). DOI 10.46698/VNC.2025.29.22.006 ← Contents of issue |
| © 2025 Kavkaz forum | |||