Why were bows referred to as "Indian Artillery"?
Upvote:0
Agree with it being derogatory satire, but I think the label comes from artillery being an augment to the main effort, or attack, in battle.
In many cases artillery is used as indirect-fire, something that arcs - like the way you see bows and arrows used in Braveheart, GOT, or most mid-evil films. Bow and arrows do have the effectiveness to be used as direct-fire, where they are shot straight at the enemy.
Unlike the bow and arrow, artillery usually has a significant impact, like modern Howitzers, older cannons, or even older catapults and trebuchets. The punch line being the bow and arrow was the strongest weapon the Native Americans had.
Upvote:8
Indian here means "Red Indian" or Native American. His readers would be aware that Indians used bows and arrows so the writer is mocking the duelists' choice of weapons by calling it "Indian artillery" (and of course mocking the primitiveness of Indians). It's just a joke.
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