Cossack Sled Guns During the Napoleonic Wars

This week I have finished converting a few figures to make an unusual unit for the Retreat from Moscow.  Russian Cossack units, apparently employed an innovative solution to winter warfare: sled-mounted light artillery. These "sled guns" helped maintain Russian mobility and firepower across the frozen battlefields. Standard artillery carriages often failed in deep snow and extreme cold. From what I can find, these small-caliber guns — typically 2- or 3-pounders or small licornes — were mounded onto wooden sledges. These sleds, fitted with runners instead of wheels, enabled the guns to move swiftly across snow and ice. 

The sled designs varied from simple flatbeds to reinforced frames capable of absorbing recoil. Often, sled guns were hauled by small horse teams and fired directly from the sled, sometimes anchored to stabilize against recoil. Cossack sled guns fit seamlessly into their hit-and-run style of warfare. Small detachments used these guns to ambush French supply columns, harass stragglers, and raid lightly defended posts. Their light weight made them ideal for fast attacks and rapid withdrawals.

During the 1812 retreat from Moscow, sled guns would have contributed to the constant harassment of the Grand Armée. Although not powerful enough to shatter major formations, the psychological impact of mobile artillery attacks in the depths of winter was significant. French morale, already collapsing under starvation and exposure, deteriorated further under the constant threat of sudden artillery fire. 

The gun in this model is scratch built, utilising two small prussian artillery pieces and their carriages to make one sled gun. The sled itself is made from parts of the gun carriages and is a rough approximation of the custom built sleds described and illustrated in the picture above. For crew I used cossacks from Wargame Foundry's Seven Years War range, replacing a rifle with a sponge/rammer and a sword with a slow-match.

If you want to see more, check out my latest YouTube Short showcasing this model. And if you want to see more of the 1812 Retreat from Moscow project that Ray and I are working on check out this video on my channel.