The personnel of the French artillery was for a long time retained, together with the engineers, under the general direction of the “Grand Master of Cross-bows.”  In 1420 the master-general of artillery was made independent of the grand-master of cross-bows; but previous to the reign of Louis XIV., the artillery troops had no organization as a separate corps.  In 1668 six companies of canoniers were created, and soon after two companies of bombardiers.  In 1693 the first regiment of fusiliers was changed into a royal regiment of artillery, and both the canoniers and bombardiers were eventually incorporated with it.  The staff of artillery, towards the close of this reign, was composed of one grand-master, sixty lieutenants, sixty commissaries, and eighty officiers-pointeurs.  In 1721 the artillery was divided into five battalions and stationed at Metz, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Perpignan, and La Fere, where they established schools of theory and practice.  In 1756 the artillery was organized into seven regiments, each regiment having its own separate school.  This organization continued without any remarkable change till the Revolution.

During the earlier campaigns of the French Revolution it is impossible to trace out the changes that took place in army organization, every thing was then so irregular and confused, the troops of different arms being frequently united together.  In the campaign of 1792 there were some six or seven regiments of foot artillery, and ten companies of horse.  This arm was greatly increased during the subsequent campaigns, and its organization was completely remodelled by Napoleon on his elevation to the head of the government.  The personnel of the artillery was then composed of a general staff, nine regiments of foot and six of horse.  In 1815 it was reduced to eight regiments of foot and four of horse.

The personnel of artillery in modern army organization is divided into four classes:  the staff, guards, artificers, and troops.

I. The Staff, or Ordnance, as it is called in our service, is charged with the construction of all the materials of artillery, and the collection of powder and military stores.  As the lives of persons using these materials, and, in a considerable degree, the success of war, depend upon the nature and quality of the stores thus manufactured and collected, it is obvious that the members of this branch of the artillery service should possess high and peculiar qualifications.  In the French army the artillery staff is composed of two hundred and eighty-three officers of different grades:  also twenty-four officers of the general staff are attached to this service.  In our army the ordnance is composed of twenty-eight officers of different grades.