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{{Short description|Type of artillery missile}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
[[File:William Congreve in 1807.png|thumb|right|Portrait of William Congreve with a background scene of rocket fire during the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|British bombardment of Copenhagen]], painted by [[James Lonsdale (painter)|James Lonsdale]]]]
[[File:Battle of Grochów 1831.JPG|thumb|[[Battle of Olszynka Grochowska|Battle of Grochów]] 1831, painting of [[Bogdan Willewalde]] ca. 1850. Above the fighters, Polish Congreve rockets can be seen exploding.]]
[[File:22 560 Vinkhuijzen Book illustrations of Historical description of the clothes and weapons of Russian troops.png|thumb|A [[Russian Armed Forces|Russian soldier]] depicted using the Congreve rocket]]

The '''Congreve rocket''' was a type of [[rocket artillery]] designed by British inventor [[Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet|Sir William Congreve]] in 1808.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Aviation |first=David W. |last=Wragg |isbn=9780850451634 |edition=1st |publisher=Osprey |year=1973 |page=97}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Walker Jr. |first=William |url=https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.28396 |title=Memoirs of the distinguished men of science of Great Britain living in the years 1807–8, and Appendix |publisher=E. & F.N. Spon |year=1864 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=34–35|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.28396 }}</ref>
The design was based upon [[Mysorean rockets|the rockets]] deployed by the [[Kingdom of Mysore]] against the [[East India Company]] during the [[Second Anglo-Mysore War|Second]], [[Third Anglo-Mysore War|Third]], and [[Fourth Anglo-Mysore War]]s. Lieutenant general [[Thomas Desaguliers]], [[colonel commandant]] of the [[Royal Artillery]] at Woolwich, was impressed by reports of their effectiveness, and undertook several unsuccessful experiments to produce his own rocket weapons. Several captured Mysorean rockets were sent to Great Britain following the annexation of the Mysorean kingdom into [[Company rule in India|British India]] following the death of [[Tipu Sultan]] in the [[Siege of Seringapatam (1799)|siege of Seringapatam]].<ref name=Narasimha>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37179995 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727034357/https://www.nal.res.in/pdf/pdfrocket.pdf |title=Rockets in Mysore and Britain, 1750–1850 A.D. |last=Narasimha |first=Roddam |date=27 July 2011 |archive-date=27 July 2011 |publisher=National Aeronautical Laboratory and Indian Institute of Science.}}</ref>

The project was continued chiefly with William Congreve, who set up a [[research and development]] programme at the [[Royal Arsenal|Woolwich Arsenal]]'s laboratory. After development work was complete the rockets were manufactured in quantity further north, near [[Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills|Waltham Abbey, Essex]]. He was told that "the British at Seringapatam had suffered more from the rockets than from the shells or any other weapon used by the enemy."<ref>Von Braun W, Ordway III F. I. ''History of rocketry and space travel'', Nelson</ref> "In at least one instance", an eyewitness told Congreve, "a single rocket had killed three men and badly wounded others."<ref name="Ley E 1958">Ley E (1958). ''Rockets, missiles, and space travel'', Chapman & Hall, London</ref> The rockets were used by the British, the [[Russian Empire|Russians]], [[Austrian Empire|Austria]], and [[Paraguay]] during the nineteenth century.

==Indian rockets==
{{see also|Mysorean rockets}}

The king of Mysore, [[Tipu Sultan]] and his father [[Hyder Ali]]<ref>Werret, Simon (2012). "Technology on the Spot: The Trials of the Congreve Rocket in India in the Early Nineteenth Century" in ''Technology and Culture'' 53, no. 3 (2012): 598–624. Accessed 6 July 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41682702.</ref> developed the military tactic of using [[Human wave attack|massed wave attacks]] supported by rocket artillery against enemy positions. In 1792, Tipu Sultan wrote a military manual called ''[[Fathul Mujahidin]]'', in which two hundred artillerymen specialising in rocket artillery were prescribed to each Mysorean brigade (known as ''cushoons''). Mysore had between sixteen and twenty-four ''cushoons'' of infantry. The areas of towns where rockets and fireworks were manufactured were known as "''taramandal pet''" ("galaxy market").<ref name=Narasimha/>

The rocket men were trained to launch their rockets at an angle calculated from the diameter of the cylinder and the distance of the target. In addition, wheeled rocket launchers were used in war that were capable of launching five to ten rockets almost simultaneously.<ref name=Narasimha/>

Rockets could be of various sizes, but usually consisted of a cylindrical housing of soft hammered iron about {{convert|8|inch}} long and {{convert|1.5|to|3|inch}} in diameter, closed at one end, which was strapped to a shaft of bamboo about 4&nbsp;ft long. The iron tube acted as a combustion chamber and contained well-packed black powder to act as the propellant. A rocket carrying about one pound of powder could travel almost {{convert|1000|yard}}. In contrast, rockets in [[Europe]] were not iron cased and could not take large chamber pressures. As a consequence European rockets were not capable of reaching distances anywhere near as great.<ref>Biography, Mysore History [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929195356/http://www.tigerandthistle.net/tipu312.htm Tipu]</ref>

Hyder Ali introduced the first iron-cased rockets in warfare.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fought |first1=Stephen Oliver |last2=Guilmartin |first2=John F. |title=Rocket and missile system |journal=Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2008 |quote=Hyder Ali, prince of Mysore, developed war rockets with an important change: the use of metal cylinders to contain the combustion powder}}</ref>

Hyder Ali's father was the ''naik'' or chief constable at [[Budikote]], and he commanded 50 rocketmen for the [[Nawab of Arcot]]. There was a regular rocket corps in the Mysore Army, beginning with about 1,200 men in Hyder Ali's time.<ref name=Narasimha/>

===Second Anglo-Mysore War===

At the [[Battle of Pollilur]] (1780) during the [[Second Anglo-Mysore War]], Colonel [[William Baillie (East India Company officer)|William Baillie]]'s ammunition stores are thought to have been detonated by a hit from one of Tipu Sultan's [[Mysorean rockets]], which contributed to the British defeat.

===Third Anglo-Mysore War===

In the [[Third Anglo-Mysore War]] in 1792, there is mention of two rocket units fielded by Tipu Sultan, 120 men and 131 men respectively. Lieutenant Colonel Knox was attacked by rockets near Srirangapatna on the night of 6 February 1792, while advancing towards the [[Kaveri]] River from the north. The rocket corps ultimately reached a strength of about 5,000 in Tipu Sultan's army. Mysore rockets were also used for ceremonial purposes. The [[Jacobin Club of Mysore]] sent a delegation to Tipu Sultan, and 500 rockets were launched as part of the gun salute.

===Fourth Anglo-Mysore War===

During the [[Fourth Anglo-Mysore War]], rockets were again used on several occasions. One of these involved [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Colonel Arthur Wellesley]], later famous as the First [[Duke of Wellington (title)|Duke of Wellington]] and the hero of the [[Battle of Waterloo]]. Quoting Forrest:<blockquote>"At this point (near the village of Sultanpet, Figure 5) there was a large tope, or grove, which gave shelter to Tipu's rocketmen and had obviously to be cleaned out before the siege could be pressed closer to Srirangapattanam Island. The commander chosen for this operation was Col. Wellesley, but advancing towards the tope after dark on 5 April 1799, he was set upon with rockets and musket-fires, lost his way and, as Beatson politely puts it, had to "postpone the attack" until a more favourable opportunity should offer. Wellesley's failure was glossed over by Beatson and other chroniclers, but the next morning he failed to report when a force was being paraded to renew the attack.<ref>Forrest D (1970) ''Tiger of Mysore'', Chatto & Windus, London</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>"On 22 April [1799], twelve days before the main battle, rocketeers worked their way around to the rear of the British encampment, then 'threw a great number of rockets at the same instant' to signal the beginning of an assault by 6,000 Indian infantry and a corps of Frenchmen, all directed by Mir Golam Hussain and Mohomed Hulleen Mir Mirans. The rockets had a range of about 1,000 yards. Some burst in the air like shells. Others, called ground rockets, on striking the ground, would rise again and bound along in a serpentine motion until their force was spent.</blockquote>According to one British observer, a young English officer named Bayly:<blockquote>
"So pestered were we with the rocket boys that there was no moving without danger from the destructive missiles ...". He continued: "the rockets and musketry from 20,000 of the enemy were incessant. No hail could be thicker. Every illumination of blue lights was accompanied by a shower of rockets, some of which entered the head of the column, passing through to the rear, causing death, wounds, and dreadful lacerations from the long bamboos of twenty or thirty feet, which are invariably attached to them'."</blockquote>
During the decisive British victory [[Siege of Seringapatam (1799)|at Srirangapattanam]] on 2 May 1799, a British shot struck a magazine of rockets within Tipu Sultan's fort, causing it to explode and send a towering cloud of black smoke up from the battlements, with cascades of exploding white light. Baird led the final attack on the fort on the afternoon of 4 May, and he was again met by "furious musket and rocket fire" – but it did not help much. The fort was taken in about an hour's time; in another hour or so, Tipu had been shot (the precise time of his death is not known) and the war was effectively over.<ref>Narasimha Roddam (2 April 1985) National Aeronautical Laboratory and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560017 India, Project Document DU 8503,[http://nal-ir.nal.res.in/2382/01/tr_pd_du_8503_R66305.pdf  ''Rockets in Mysore and Britain, 1750–1850 A.D.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927182042/http://nal-ir.nal.res.in/2382/01/tr_pd_du_8503_R66305.pdf |date=2007-09-27 }}</ref>

After the fall of [[Srirangapatna]], 600 launchers, 700 serviceable rockets, and 9,000 empty rockets were found. Some of the rockets had pierced cylinders to allow them to act like incendiaries, while some had iron points or steel blades bound to the bamboo. These blades caused the rockets to become very unstable towards the end of their flight, causing the blades to spin around like flying scythes, cutting down all in their path.

==William Congreve==

Congreve began in 1804 by buying the best rockets on the London market, but found that their greatest range was only 600 yards. After spending several hundred pounds of his own money on experiments, he was able to make a rocket that would travel 1,500 yards. He then applied to Lord Chatham (the responsible minister in charge of the Ordnance Department) for permission to have some large rockets made at Woolwich. Permission was granted and several six-pounder rockets made on principles he had previously ascertained achieved a range of full two thousand yards. By the spring of 1806, he was producing 32-pounder rockets ranging 3,000 yards.
Congreve enjoyed the friendship of [[George IV|the Prince Regent]], who supported his rocket projects and in whose household he served as an [[equerry]] from 1811. The Prince Regent was also the [[Elector of Hanover]], and he was awarded the honorary rank of [[lieutenant colonel]] in the Hanoverian army's artillery in 1811. In 1813, Congreve declined the offer to command the Rocket Corps with rank in the Regiment of Artillery.
 
Congreve registered two patents and published three books on rocketry.

==Design==
[[File:Congreve rockets.gif|thumb|Congreve rockets from Congreve's original work]]

The initial rocket cases were constructed of cardboard, but by 1806 they were made from sheet iron. The propulsion was of the same ingredients as gunpowder, the mixture of which varied with the different sizes of rocket. The warheads had side-mounted brackets which were used to attach wooden sticks of differing lengths, according to the sizes of rocket.

The propulsion mechanism relied on controlled deflagration of black powder within the iron case, with high-pressure gases expelled through a constricted nozzle producing reactive thrust. Exhaust velocities were estimated at 200-300 metres per second, though actual muzzle velocities proved lower due to inefficiencies in the solid propellant grain and nozzle design.<ref>https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2000-B82-The-Hale-Rocket-and-Rocket-Launcher-The-.pdf</ref> Inconsistent burn rates, arising from variations in powder composition and packing density, resulted in unpredictable acceleration profiles and contributed significantly to range variability.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congreve rocket {{!}} Military Weapon, Firearm, Explosive {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/Congreve-rocket |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

The wooden stabilising stick, typically 15-20 feet in length, interacted with airflow to generate corrective aerodynamic torques that partially countered inherent instabilities such as corkscrewing, though this passive system could not eliminate erratic trajectories entirely.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1968-03-01 |title=The Congreve War Rockets, 1800-1825 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1968/march/congreve-war-rockets-1800-1825 |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=U.S. Naval Institute |language=en}}</ref> In an attempt to eliminate the cumbersome stick, Congreve patented a tail-mounted revolving fin design around 1823 intended to provide spin stabilisation, but trials demonstrated insufficient effectiveness and stick-guided variants remained predominant.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rocketry and Space in India. Origins. From Hyder Ali to Vikram Sarabhai |url=https://www.astronauticsnow.com/indiarocketry/index.html |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=www.astronauticsnow.com}}</ref>

Rocket sizes were designated by the calibre of the tube, using the then-standard British method of using weight in [[Caliber#Pounds as a measure of cannon bore|pounds as a measure of cannon bore]]. Larger diameter rockets also had correspondingly longer tubes.<ref name="vanriper">{{cite book|title=Rockets and Missiles: The Life Story of a Technology|author=A. Bowdoin Van Riper|publisher=JHU Press|page=16}}</ref>

By 1813, the rockets were made available in three classes:
* '''Heavy''' – carcass/explosive rockets, 100- and 300-pounders; between five and six feet in length, with a stick length of 25–27 feet. Considered too cumbersome to use effectively in the field.<ref name="vanriper"/>
* '''Medium''' – 24- to 42-pounders; two to four feet in length, with a stick length of 15–20 feet
* '''Light''' – 6- to 18-pounders; 16–25 inches in length, with a stick length of 8–14 feet
The medium and light rockets could be case shot, shell, or explosive.

===Warhead variants===

Congreve rockets employed three primary warhead types: incendiary "carcasses" filled with combustible mixtures of saltpetre, sulphur and resin designed to ignite fires on impact; explosive warheads using black powder charges within spherical or ogival casings for fragmentation effects against fortifications; and shrapnel variants incorporating pre-formed fragments or balls for anti-personnel use.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1968-03-01 |title=The Congreve War Rockets, 1800-1825 |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1968/march/congreve-war-rockets-1800-1825 |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=U.S. Naval Institute |language=en}}</ref> 

Fuzes were wooden or composition types, separately ignited from the propellant and adjustable in length to delay detonation for airburst effects, enabling explosions at predetermined altitudes based on empirical timing of flight duration.<ref>https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sir-William-Congreve-2nd-Baronet</ref> These designs prioritised psychological impact and area denial over precision, with yields constrained by black powder's relatively low energy density compared to later high explosives.

The 32-pounder was generally used for longer range bombardment, while a 12–pounder case shot was generally used for support of infantry and cavalry, with an extreme range of some 2,000 yards. The rockets could be fired from a wheeled bombarding frame, from a portable tripod, or even from a shallow trench or sloping bank. One in three horse artillerymen carried a launching trough for ground firing.

In December 1815, Congreve demonstrated a new design of rocket that had the rocket stick screwing centrally into the base of the case. This remained in service from 1817 until 1867, when it was replaced by the [[William Hale (British inventor)#Rocketry|Hale rocket]] which required no stick and used clockwise rotation to impart stability in flight.

In a ca. 1816 article (written before the 1816 Anglo-Dutch attack on Algiers), a description of the rockets is followed by mention of 1-ton rockets being taken aboard that fleet. It is suggested that "the impetus of their prodigious weight would force them indifferently through earth and mason-work."<ref>{{cite news | title=Congreve Rockets | newspaper=The Quebec Mercury | url=https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3661231 | date=26 November 1816 | page=380 | via=Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec | accessdate=19 June 2025}}</ref>

Contrary to popular belief, rockets could not out-range the equivalent smooth bore guns of the period. In real terms, the maximum effective range for the 12-pounder rockets and for the six-pounder gun was some 1,400 yards or about 1,280 meters. However, the rate of fire with rockets could be higher than the equivalent muzzle loading ordnance.  The absence of weighty ordnance meant that fewer horses were required. Captain [[Richard Bogue]] needed just 105 horses for his troop, compared with the 220 of Captain [[Cavalié Mercer]]'s troop.

Rockets could be easily carried and readily deployed, particularly over difficult terrain or in small boats. This was amply demonstrated by the Royal Marine Artillery. The 12-pounder deployed at very close range was a fearsome weapon, as was seen at the battles of [[Battle of the Göhrde|Göhrde]] and [[Battle of Leipzig|Leipzig]] in 1813, as well as the crossing of the [[Adour]] and the [[Battle of Toulouse (1814)|Battle of Toulouse]] in 1814.

[[File:Leipzig, 32-pounder Congreve rocket.jpg|thumb|upright|32-pounder rocket {{circa}}1813]]

The lack of specific accuracy with the larger rockets at long range was not a problem if the purpose was to set fire to a town or a number of moored ships; this was shown with the attack on the French Fleet in Aix and Basque roads and at the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|bombardment of Copenhagen]]. As Congreve himself had warned, however, they were of little use against fortified places, such as against [[Fort McHenry]], because of the lack of combustible structures.

Accuracy at medium range remained a problem. This is illustrated by Mercer's description of [[Mercer's Troop|G Troop Royal Horse Artillery]] during the retreat from [[Battle of Quatre Bras|Quatre Bras]] on 17 June 1815:

{{blockquote |text=The rocketeers had placed a little iron triangle in the road with a rocket lying on it. The order to fire is given – port-fire applied – the fidgety missile begins to sputter out sparks and wriggle its tail for a second or so, and then darts forth straight up the chaussée. A gun stands right in its way, between the wheels of which the shell in the head of the rocket bursts, the gunners fall right and left… our rocketeers kept shooting off rockets, none of which ever followed the course of the first; most of them, on arriving about the middle of the ascent, took a vertical direction, whilst some actually turned back upon ourselves – and one of these, following me like a squib until its shell exploded, actually put me in more danger than all the fire of the enemy throughout the day.<ref>[[Cavalié Mercer|Mercer, Cavalié]], ''Journal of the Waterloo Campaign kept throughout the campaign of 1815'', first published 1870, Da Capo Press 1995, {{ISBN|0-306-80651-7}}, p. 153</ref>}}

==Performance and evaluation==

===Advantages===
The Congreve rocket offered significant tactical advantages in mobility and deployment speed. Requiring only lightweight frames or troughs for launch, they could be assembled and fired by small crews within minutes, far more rapidly than the cumbersome carriages and teams needed for field artillery.<ref>https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-congreve-rocket-britannias-red-glare/</ref> Their adaptability extended to naval applications, where rockets could be launched from ship rails or small boats without the recoil stability issues that plagued cannon fire at sea.<ref>https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1968/march/congreve-war-rockets-1800-1825</ref>

The psychological effects of the rockets proved particularly valuable. Their audible ignition produced a distinctive shrill whistle, whilst visible smoke trails created an aura of unpredictability that induced panic, especially amongst troops and cavalry unfamiliar with the weapon. Eyewitness accounts from battles such as Leipzig in 1813 describe how massed rocket salvos caused horses to bolt and infantry to scatter due to the novel sensory effects rather than direct casualties.<ref>http://www.theobservationpost.com/blog/?p=618</ref>

The sealed composition offered superior storage stability compared to loose gunpowder, with service records confirming functionality after prolonged warehousing even in damp maritime environments where conventional powder charges frequently failed.<ref>https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1968/march/congreve-war-rockets-1800-1825</ref>

===Limitations===
The rocket's accuracy was severely compromised by inherent design flaws. Aerodynamic instability and sensitivity to wind resulted in trajectory deviations often exceeding tens of yards even at moderate ranges around 1,200 yards.<ref>https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2000-B82-The-Hale-Rocket-and-Rocket-Launcher-The-.pdf</ref><ref>https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/42754/how-accurate-was-rocket-artillery-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries</ref> Range tests and battlefield reports consistently showed dispersions that could reach hundreds of yards, with hit rates on specific targets far below 10% under controlled conditions.<ref>https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-congreve-rocket-britannias-red-glare/</ref> This unreliability confined their utility to indiscriminate area bombardment rather than precision strikes.

Reliability issues further undermined operational effectiveness, with frequent misfires, duds and erratic flight paths stemming from inconsistent gunpowder composition and rudimentary construction methods.<ref>https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/AUPress/Books/B_0093_HOLLEY_TECHNOLOGY_MILITARY_DOCTRINE.pdf</ref> Testing of similar systems yielded serviceability rates of approximately 60%, highlighting systematic defects in ignition and structural integrity.<ref>https://warhistory.org/%40msw/article/rocket-artillery</ref>

===Comparative effectiveness===
Compared to conventional artillery, Congreve rockets demonstrated markedly inferior precision. Historical tests indicated cannons achieved dispersion patterns typically under 10-20 yards at 1,000 yards range, whilst rockets scattered over hundreds of yards under similar conditions.<ref>https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-congreve-rocket-britannias-red-glare/</ref> Despite this, rockets offered advantages in rate of fire, with volleys of 10-12 projectiles per minute per launcher compared to 2-3 rounds for a field gun.<ref>https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1968/march/congreve-war-rockets-1800-1825</ref>

Data from Waterloo recorded negligible structural damage to fortifications despite mass salvos, with most impacts causing superficial fires rather than decisive casualties.<ref>https://www.waterlooassociation.org.uk/2018/05/27/congreve-rockets/</ref> Comparative evaluations highlighted rockets' niche utility in rapid area-denial barrages, though their mean effective range of 1,500-2,000 yards yielded hit probabilities below 5% on point targets versus artillery's 20-30%.<ref>https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-congreve-rocket-britannias-red-glare/</ref> Dud rates of 10-20% from powder inconsistencies further limited their tactical equivalence to guns, confining them to supplementary roles.<ref>https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1968/march/congreve-war-rockets-1800-1825</ref>

A critical assessment of their combat record reveals that whilst rockets enhanced mobility and psychological disruption, their lethality remained secondary to terror effects. One analysis noted that across nearly three years of widespread deployment in the Napoleonic Wars and War of 1812, confirmed enemy casualties from rockets totalled remarkably few, underscoring high failure rates and reliance on psychological rather than kinetic impact.<ref>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/rockets-inspired-francis-scott-key-180952399/</ref>

==Use of Congreve rockets==

===Napoleonic Wars===
[[File:Congreve rocket img 2950.jpg|thumb|Tip of an early Congreve rocket of the Napoleonic Wars, on display at Paris Naval Museum]]
[[File:Plate 11. The Throwing of Rockets from Men of War Boats.jpg|thumb|"Use of rockets from boats" – An illustration from William Congreve's book]]

The main user of Congreve rockets during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] was the [[Royal Navy]], and men from the Royal Marine Artillery became experts in their use. The navy converted [[HMS Galgo (1801)|HMS ''Galgo'']] and [[HMS Erebus (1807)|''Erebus'']] into rocket ships. The army became involved and was represented by various rocket detachments that changed into the two Rocket Troops, Royal Horse Artillery, on 1 January 1814.

In the autumn of 1804, the government decided upon an attack [[Raid on Boulogne|on Boulogne]] for the first test. [[Sidney Smith (Royal Navy officer)|William Sidney Smith]] was chosen to lead the expedition, accompanied by Congreve. Strong winds and rough seas hampered the operations on both the 20th and 21st, and the attack was not successful.

In April 1806, Rear Admiral Sidney Smith took rockets on a little-known mission to the Mediterranean to aid Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples in their struggle against the French. It was perhaps at Gaeta, near Naples, that Congreve's rockets had their first successful debut in battle. The second Boulogne rocket expedition, however, is more famous and is usually considered the first successful attempt.

On 8–9 October 1806, Commodore [[Edward Owen (Royal Navy officer)|Edward Owen]] attacked the French flotilla at [[Boulogne-sur-Mer|Boulogne]]. Captain William Jackson aboard [[HMS Musquito (1804)|HMS ''Musquito'']] directed the boats firing 32 pound Congreve rockets. As night drew in on the channel, 24 cutters fitted with rocket frames formed a line and fired some 2,000 rockets at Boulogne. The barrage took only 30 minutes. Apparently the attack set a number of fires, but otherwise had limited effect. Still, it was enough to lead the British to employ rockets on a number of further occasions.

In 1807, [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|Copenhagen]] was bombarded by more than 14,000 missiles in the form of metal balls, explosive and incendiary bombs from cannons and mortars, and about 300 Congreve rockets. The rockets contributed to the conflagration of the city.<ref>Rolf Scheen, ''Flådens ran: tabet af den dansk-norske flåde 1807'' (Copenhagen 2007)</ref><ref>Congreve accompanied the expedition with 16 civil employees of the Ordnance Department</ref>

The lighter, six-pounder battlefield rockets had been sent on the second Egyptian campaign in 1807, a further field trial which proved to be unsuccessful.

Congreve accompanied [[Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald|Lord Cochrane]] in the fire-ship, rocket, and shell [[Battle of Basque Roads|attack on the French Fleet in Aix and Basque roads]] on 11 April 1809.

The [[Walcheren Campaign]] in 1809 saw the deployment of {{HMS|Galgo|1801|6}}, a merchant sloop converted to a warship and then converted to fire Congreve rockets from 21 "rocket scuttles"' installed in her broadside. This rocket ship was deployed at the naval bombardment of Flushing, where they wrought such havoc that General Monnet, the French commandant, made a formal protest to Lord Chatham against their use.<ref>Richard Glover ''Peninsular Preparations'', p. 70</ref>  Congreve was also present at this engagement and commanded five land frames.

In 1810, [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Wellington]] agreed to a field trial of Congreve's new 12-pounder rocket carrying case shot. It was not successful and was withdrawn.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:The Rocket Brigade at Leipzig.jpeg|thumb|left|400px|The Rocket Brigade at Leipzig, 18 October 1813.<br /> Artist: David Rowlands]] -->

In May 1813, a detachment which had been training with rockets at Woolwich under Second Captain [[Richard Bogue]] RHA was inspected by a committee of Royal Artillery officers who recommended that it be tried in combat. On 7 June 1813, Bogue's unit was designated the "Rocket Brigade". At the same time as being granted its new title, The Rocket Brigade was ordered to be augmented and to proceed on active service, with orders to join the Army of the North commanded by [[Charles XIV John|Bernadotte, the Crown Prince of Sweden]]. Using the modified 12-pounder at low trajectory from ground firing-troughs, the brigade saw action at the [[Battle of the Gohrde|Battle of Gohrde]] and at the [[Battle of Leipzig]] on 18 October 1813,<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last=Brett-James|first=Antony|title=Europe against Napoleon|year=1970|isbn=0333112733|pages=185–189|publisher=Macmillan |lccn=79-125309}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Rocket Brigade at Leipzig 1813 – The Decisive Psychological Weapon?|url=http://www.theobservationpost.com/blog/?p=618|access-date=2015-07-06|work=The Observation Post| date=2 November 2013 }}</ref> where it was successfully employed to attack the French stronghold of Paunsdorf, occupied by five French and Saxon battalions.<ref name=":0" /> Captain Bogue was however killed by a sharpshooter in the subsequent cavalry charge, and the village of Paunsdorf was eventually retaken by the French [[Imperial Guard (Napoleon I)|Imperial Guard]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dalberg-Acton|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x7A8AAAAIAAJ&q=Paunsdorf+%22Old+Guard%22&pg=PA539|title=The Cambridge Modern History|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=1906|volume=IX|location=Cambridge|pages=539|language=en}}</ref> In the continuing campaign, the Rocket Brigade was also used in the sieges of Frederiksfort and Glückstadt, which surrendered on 13 December 1813 and 5 January 1814, respectively.  On 1 January 1814, the unit assumed the title of the "2nd Rocket Troop RHA" and on 18 January it received orders to join the force under the orders of Sir Thomas Graham in Holland.

In September 1813, Wellington agreed, with much reservation, that rockets could be sent out to join the army in Spain. On 3 October 1813, another Royal Artillery detachment embarked from Woolwich, trained in firing rockets. This group was called the "Rocket Company" and consisted of almost sixty men under Captain Lane. On 1 January 1814, together with another detachment under Captain Eliot, it assumed the title of the "1st Rocket Troop RHA". Captain Lane's rockets were very successfully deployed at the [[Battle of Garris|crossing of the Adour]] on 23 February 1814 and in the final battle in the Peninsular War at the [[Battle of Toulouse (1814)|Battle of Toulouse]] on 10 April 1814. Later that year, they were sent to be part of the disastrous expedition against the American Army at New Orleans, in Louisiana.

By the time of the [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo campaign]] on 30 April 1815, the command of the 2nd Rocket Troop was formally taken over by Captain Whinyates. Wellington remained averse to rockets, so Whinyates took just 800 rockets into the field, as well as five 6-pounder guns; it would appear that the rockets replaced the usual howitzer in the structure of the troop.<ref name="Ley E 1958"/>

===War of 1812===
[[File:Firing Congreve Rockets PAH7444.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|1814 depiction of rockets being fired]]

The Royal Marine Artillery used Congreve rockets in several engagements during this conflict.<ref name="congreve">{{cite web|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/group/WarOf1812/message/10450 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412050650/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WarOf1812/message/10450 |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 April 2013 |title=Congreve Rockets |last=Hobbs|first=Ray |date= 19 March 2001 |access-date=30 March 2013 |quote=Ray Hobbs, quoting from Donald Graves' book, lists the engagements where Congreve rockets were used during the War of 1812}}</ref> [[Royal Marines Battalions (Napoleonic Wars)|Two battalions of Royal Marines]] were sent to North America in 1813. Attached to each battalion was a rocket detachment, each with an establishment of 25 men, commanded by lieutenants Balchild and [[John Harvey Stevens]].<ref>Heidler, p. 23</ref> Both rocket detachments were embarked aboard the transport vessel ''Mariner''<ref name="War of 1812 :: The Battle of Big Sandy Creek">{{cite web|url=http://www.wcny.org/warof1812/the-battle-of-big-sandy-creek-the-great-rope-carry#_edn2 |title=Rocket men, by Gary M. Gibson |publisher=wcny.org |access-date=2013-01-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213012556/http://www.wcny.org/warof1812/the-battle-of-big-sandy-creek-the-great-rope-carry |archive-date=2013-02-13 }}</ref><ref name="Microform Digitization - Library and Archives Canada">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-119.02-e.php?PHPSESSID=vmlr30ulr4gj1ouhseh9lsia83&sqn=172&q2=25&q3=1559&tt=1559 |title=George Glasgow to George Prevost, 22 October 1813, NAC, RG8, C.731 pp. 54–59, roll C-3244 |publisher=collectionscanada.gc.ca |access-date=2013-01-25}}</ref>  Rockets were used in the engagements at [[Battle of Fort Oswego (1814)|Fort Oswego]] and [[Battle of Lundy's Lane|Lundy's Lane]].<ref>Tucker, p. 30</ref>

The British used the Congreve rocket on U.S. soil for the first time in an attack on Lewes, Delaware, on 6 and 7 April 1813.  The town was bombarded for 22 hours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.memorialdayfoundation.org/delaware/the-bombardment-of-lewis-memorial-marker.html|title = The Bombardment of Lewes Memorial Marker | publisher=The Memorial Day Foundation | accessdate=6 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SX8Y71-dQHkC&q=%22congreve+rocket%22+%2B+lewes&pg=PT548|title=Searching for the Forgotten War – 1812: United States of America|isbn=9781456867553|last1=Carstens|first1=Patrick Richard|date=2011|publisher=Xlibris Corporation }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=19308|title = The Bombardment of Lewes Historical Marker | publisher=The Historical Marker Database | accessdate=6 October 2022}}</ref>

A third battalion of Royal Marines arrived in North America in 1814, with an attached rocket detachment commanded by Lieutenant John Lawrence, which subsequently participated in the [[War of 1812#Chesapeake campaign|Chesapeake campaign]]. During this campaign, the British used rockets at the [[Battle of Bladensburg]] to rout the American forces (which led to the capture and [[Burning of Washington|burning]] of [[Washington, D.C.]]), and at the [[Battle of North Point]].<ref>Malcolmson, p. 479</ref>

It was the use of ship-launched Congreve rockets by the British in the bombardment of [[Fort McHenry]] in the US in 1814 that inspired a phrase in the fifth line of the first verse of the United States' [[national anthem]], "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]": "the rockets' red glare". {{HMS|Erebus|1807|6}} fired the rockets from a 32-pound rocket battery installed below the main deck, which fired through portholes or scuttles pierced in the ship's side.

In Canada, rockets were used by the British at the [[Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814)|Second Battle of Lacolle Mills]], 30 March 1814. Rockets fired by a detachment of the [[Royal Marine Artillery]], though inaccurate, unnerved the attacking American forces, and contributed to the defence of the [[blockhouse]] and mill.<ref name="Elting176">John R. Elting, ''Amateurs to Arms'', p. 176</ref><ref>Nicolas, Paul Harris: ''Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces'', Volume 2, p. 253</ref>  Rockets were used again at the [[Battle of Cook's Mills]], 19 October 1814.  An American force, sent to destroy General [[Gordon Drummond]]'s source of flour, was challenged by a contingent of infantry which was supported by a light field cannon and a frame of Congreve rockets.  The rockets succeeded in discouraging the Americans from forming lines on the battlefield.

Captain Henry Lane's 1st Rocket Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery embarked at the end of 1814 in the transport vessel ''Mary'' with 40 artillerymen and 500 rockets and disembarked near [[Battle of New Orleans|New Orleans]].<ref>Heidler, p. 121</ref> Lieutenant Lawrence's rocket detachment took part in the final land engagement of the War of 1812 at [[Fort Bowyer]] in February 1815.<ref>Tucker, p. 249</ref>

===Bombardment of Algiers (1816)===

Algiers had been the centre for pirates for some years, and her fleet had reached considerable proportions. Things reached a head after a particular atrocity; following the U.S success in the Second Barbary War, Britain decided to stamp out their activities, and the Netherlands agreed to assist. The combined fleet was composed of six British ships of the line and four frigates, plus five Dutch frigates; there were also 37 gun boats, 10 mortar boats, and eight rocket boats. Lieutenant JT Fuller and 19 other ranks from the Rocket Troop accompanied the expedition, together with 2,500 rockets, and were engaged alongside the Royal Marine Artillery.

In the [[bombardment of Algiers (1816)|bombardment of Algiers]] the rocket boats, gun boats, and mortar boats engaged the enemy's fleet moored inside the harbour. "It was by their fire that all the ships in the port, with the exception of the outer frigate, were in flames which extended rapidly over the whole arsenal, storehouses and gun boats, exhibiting a spectacle of awful grandeur".<ref>Official Dispatch of Edward Pellew, Lord Exmouth</ref>

The following day, the [[Omar Agha|Dey]] capitulated and accepted all the surrender terms.<ref>{{cite book |last=Osler |first=William |title=The Life of Admiral Viscount Exmouth |year=1841 |pages=395 |quote=A treaty was signed on 24 September 1816. The Dey freed 1,083 Christian slaves and the British Consul and repaid the ransom money}}</ref>

===Whale hunting (1821)===
On her voyage to the Greenland whale fishery in 1821 {{ship||Fame|1786 ship|2}} carried Congreve rockets. Sir William Congreve equipped her with rockets at his own expense to test their utility in whaling hunting. The Master General of Ordnance and the First Lord of the Admiralty had Lieutenant Colquhoun and two Marine artillerymen accompany the rockets. Captain Scoresby wrote a letter from the Greenland fishery in June reporting that the rockets had been a great success.<ref>"Ship News". ''Morning Chronicle'' (London), 25 July 1821; Issue 16307.</ref> Subsequent reports made clear that the rockets were fired from about 40 yards and were highly effective in killing whales that had already been conventionally harpooned.<ref>"The Congreve  Rocket". ''Morning Post'' (London), 6 October 1821; Issue 15775.</ref>

A separate trial took place on another whaler. A letter from Captain Kay, of the ship ''Margaret'', of London, dated 7 September, addressed to Lieut. Colquhoun, R.A., says:

<blockquote>I have taken the liberty of inclosing you an account of a few trials I have made of Congreve's Rockets. Fearing the harpooners would not fire it correctly, I had determined to try its effect myself, and it was not until the 8th June that an opportunity presented. Early on that morning a whale, of the largest size, was discovered near the ship; I immediately pursued it, and when sufficiently near, fired a rocket into its side; the effect it had on the fish was tremendous{{snd}}every joint in its body shook, and, after lying for a few seconds in this agitated way, it turned on its back and died. It appeared on flinching, that the rocket had penetrated through the blubber and exploded in the crann (sic) near the ribs; the stick and lower part of the rocket was taken out entire, the upper part was blown to pieces. My next attempt was on the 9th July, on a whale of the same size as the former, but owing to the rapid motion of the fish, and a heavy swell of the sea, which rendered the boat unsteady, the rocket entered below the middle part of the body, in consequence of which its effect was considerably lessened, its frame, however, was much shook by the explosion, and it immediately sunk, but rose again, blowing an immense quantity of blood: it was then struck with a harpoon, and killed with lances. On flinching, part of the stick of the rocket could only by found; it therefore appears probable that the rocket had burst in the inside of the fish.<ref>{{cite news|title= Congreve Rockets|newspaper= Morning Post |date= 25 September 1822|page= 1}}</ref></blockquote>

In December Lieutenant Colquohon demonstrated the use of the rockets at Annapolis, Maryland. A newspaper story gave a detailed account of the experiments he performed.<ref>"Whale Fishery – Congreve Rockets". ''Maryland Gazette and Political Intelligencer'' (Annapolis), 20 December 1821; Issue 51.</ref>

===First Anglo-Burmese War===

A new shipment of Congreve rockets – which the Burmese had never seen – were used in the closing phase of the [[First Anglo-Burmese War#Battle of Yangon .28May.E2.80.93December 1824.29|Battle of Yangon (May–December 1824)]] and in the subsequent battle of Danubyu (March–April 1825) where rocket fire stopped [[war elephant|fighting elephant]]s.

===Congress Poland and November Uprising===

Having witnessed the effects of incendiary rockets on grain warehouses of [[Free City of Danzig (Napoleonic)|Danzig]] in 1813, artillery captain [[Józef Bem]] of the [[Congress Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] started his own experiments with what was then called in Polish ''raca kongrewska''. These culminated in his 1819 report ''Notes sur les fusées incendiaires'' (German edition: ''Erfahrungen über die Congrevischen Brand-Raketen bis zum Jahre 1819 in der Königlichen Polnischen Artillerie gesammelt'', Weimar, 1820). The research took place in the [[Warsaw Arsenal]], where captain Józef Kosiński also developed the multiple-rocket launchers adapted from [[horse artillery]] [[gun carriage]].

The 1st Rocketeer Corps was formed in 1822 under the command of [[brigade general]] {{interlanguage link|Pierre Charles Bontemps|fr}} and received its launchers in 1823. The unit received its [[baptism of fire]] during the [[Polish–Russian War 1830–31]].
The rocket salvos fired by captain Karol Skalski's rocketeers during the twilight hours of the [[Battle of Olszynka Grochowska]] (25 February 1831) disrupted the Russian cavalry charges and forced them to retreat, which changed the tide of battle.
The rockets were also used several times (over a thousand stockpiled) by Polish [[freedom fighter]]s during the final [[Battle of Warsaw (1831)|Battle of Warsaw]] (September 1831) in defence of the city.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Szczygielska|first1=Małgorzata|title=Rakietnicy konni Królestwa Polskiego|url=http://www.ksopit.pl/sladami_kopyt/legendarne_formacje_kawalerii/rakietnicy|access-date=25 March 2016|language=pl|year=2013}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Portuguese Civil War===

Congreve rockets were employed extensively by both Liberal and Miguelite forces<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Rocketry in Latin America in the 19th Century: A Historical Survey |url=http://epizodyspace.ru/bibl/inostr-yazyki/iaa/2009/Winter_Rohrwild_Rocketry_in_Latin_America_in_the_19th_Century.pdf |journal=AAS History Series |volume=30}}</ref>

===Opium Wars===

Congreve rockets were used from the bombardment of the Canton ports, by [[Nemesis (1839)]] in January 1841,<ref name=Ward>{{Cite book |last=Fay |first=Peter Ward |title =The Opium War 1840–1842 |publisher=Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press |year=1975 |pages=260–263 }}</ref> to their use at the [[Battle of Palikao]], in September 1860.

===New Zealand Wars===

During the period of the [[New Zealand Wars]], British forces used rockets against Māori fortifications, along with cannons and mortars, to limited effect.<ref name="population">{{cite book |last=Belich |first=James |title=Making Peoples |publisher=Penguin Press |year=1996 |location=Auckland |page=178 }}</ref>

[[File:Storming of John Heki's pah, New Zealand, on the 8th. of May 1845 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Royal Navy rocket brigade at the Battle of Puketutu, May 1845]]
During the [[Battle of Puketutu]], 8 May 1845, a [[Royal Navy]] rocket brigade made up of Lieutenant Charles Randle Egerton, [[HMS North Star (1824)|HMS ''North Star'']],<ref name="TNL1845"/>{{rp|78}}<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Egerton, Charles Randle |last=O'Byrne |first=William R. |year=1849}}</ref> commanding, Lieutenants Alleyne Bland, HMS ''Racehorse'',<ref name="TNL1845">{{cite book |title=The Navy List Corrected to the 20th December, 1845 |publisher=John Murray |location=London |date=1846 |url=https://archive.org/details/navy-list-1846/page/n83/mode/2up |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>{{rp|81}}<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Bland, Alleyne |last=O'Byrne |first=William R. |year=1849}}</ref> and Leeds, HEICS ''Elphinstone'', directing the rockets, and eight seamen, fired 12 rockets at Te Kahika [[pā]], with a view to driving the defenders out.<ref>{{cite news |last=Merrett |first=James |title=Remarks on the Battle |work=Wellington Independent |volume=I |issue=24 |date=21 June 1845 |page=1 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WI18450621.2.5}}</ref> In consequence of the rocket-tube being positioned too close, rockets flew over and half-a-mile beyond, one struck the earth in front of the pā and exploded, and another struck high up on the palisade, went through, and apparently ignited two places. The defenders soon extinguished fires.<ref>{{cite news |title=Another Account |work=The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle |volume=4 |issue=171 |date=14 June 1845 |page=59 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NENZC18450614.2.13}}</ref><ref name="WI18450621.2.11">{{cite news |last=Merrett |first=J. |title=Continued Narrative of the Heki Campaign |work=The Wellington Independent |volume=I |issue=24 |date=21 June 1845 |page=2 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WI18450621.2.11}}</ref>

It was mentioned, some-time later, that the rocket brigade had forgotten to bring the quadrant, without which taking aim was impossible.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Zealand Spectator, and Cook's Straits Guardian |work=The New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian |volume=I |issue=37 |date=21 June 1845 |page=2 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZSCSG18450621.2.5}}</ref> Though the defending chief [[Hōne Heke]] believed these rockets could do no harm, allied Maori, in a discussion of events with the interpreter, J Merrett, agreed with the opinion that had the rockets succeeded in setting fire to the pā, the siege would have been over by mid-day.<ref name="WI18450621.2.11"/>

[[File:The bombardment of ruapekapeka pa.jpg|thumb|Royal Navy rocket brigade at the bombardment of Ruapekapeka pā, January 1846]]
At the [[Battle of Ruapekapeka]], December 1845–January 1846, Egerton's rocket brigade, located at the British main camp, operated two of HMS ''North Star'''s rocket-tubes—24-pounder and 12-pounder. They accurately fired rockets into Ruapekapeka pā on 31 December 1845 and each day thereafter.<ref>{{cite news |title=To his Excellency Governor Grey. Camp before the Ruapekapeka, Kawiti's Pa, January 5, 1846 |work=The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle |volume=4 |issue=207 |date=21 February 1846 |page=203 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NENZC18460221.2.11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=To his Excellency Governor Grey. Camp before the Ruapekapeka, Kawiti's Pa, January 9, 1846 |work=The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle |volume=4 |issue=207 |date=21 February 1846 |page=203 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NENZC18460221.2.12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Official Despatches |work=The New-Zealander |volume=1 |issue=38 |date=21 February 1846 |page=4 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18460221.2.12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The War in New Zealand |work=The Illustrated London News |volume=9 |issue=218 |date=4 July 1846 |page=4 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_illustrated-london-news_1846-07-04_9_218/page/n3/mode/2up}}</ref> Captain [[Thomas Bernard Collinson]], [[Royal Engineers|RE]], later remarked:

<blockquote>
During this time some trial shots were made from the 650 yards with guns and 24-pounder rockets; the latter rather failed; they must have been bad rockets, as Colonel Despard supposes, otherwise these weapons are most useful in such service for firing ''into'' pahs; and from their portability, a great many can be carried with a body of troops without delaying them.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Collinson |first=Thomas Bernard |title=2. Remarks on the Military Operations in New Zealand |journal=Papers on Subjects Connected with the Duties of the Corps of Royal Engineers |volume=New Series 3 |pages=5–73 |publisher=John Weale |location=London |date=1853 |url=https://www.nzsappers.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/PapersVol3NS.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|69}}
</blockquote>

On 10 January 1846 all batteries opened fire all day, creating two small breaches in the outer stockade. A watercolour by Major [[Cyprian Bridge (British Army officer)|Cyprian Bridge]] or Sergeant John Williams, [[58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot|58th Regiment]], depicts two rocket-tubes in action on that day.<ref>{{citation |last1=Bridge |first1=Cyprian |last2=Williams |first2=John |author-link=Cyprian Bridge (British Army officer) |title=Ruapekapeka, N.Z. January 1846. The bombardment |date=10 January 1846 |url=https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/56844 |via=[[Hocken Collections]]}}</ref>

===American Civil War===

The Confederate forces reportedly experimented with Congreve rockets.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

===Triple Alliance War===

During the [[Paraguayan War|war between Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina against Paraguay]] (1865–1870), the Paraguayans deployed Congreve rockets in several battles including: the [[Battle of the Riachuelo]] (11 June 1865) when land-based rockets were used against Brazilian naval forces without success; the [[Battle of Paso de Cuevas|Battle of Paso de las Cuevas]] (12 August 1865) when the Paraguayans used artillery and rockets against a passing fleet of 12 Brazilian ships and one Argentinian ship; the [[Battle of Pehuajó|combat of Corrales]] (31 January 1866) when Paraguayan rockets were used against Allied infantry and cavalry; the [[Battle of Tuyutí]] (24 May 1866) when Paraguayan forces used them to attack advancing allied cavalry; the [[Battle of Yataytí Corá]] (10 July 1866) where Paraguay used two launchers of 68-pound rockets; and again in Yataytí Corá (20 January 1867) when Paraguayan rockets caused a fire in the Argentinian camp. The Brazilian Navy employed them during the [[Battle of Curupayty|Battle of Curupayti]] (22 September 1866), trying to destroy the reinforced Paraguayan trench field, but the rockets fell short.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

===Crimean War and Indian Rebellion of 1857===

During the [[Crimean War]] (1853–1856) and the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Rebellion]] of 1857, marines and sailors from the Royal Navy used Congreve rockets. "Bluejackets" armed with rockets from {{HMS|Shannon|1855|6}} and {{HMS|Pearl|1855|6}}, under the command of [[William Peel (Royal Navy officer)|Captain William Peel]], were among the Naval Brigade participating in the force led by Sir Colin Campbell at the Second Relief of Lucknow. There is an eye-witness narrative of the taking of the heavily-fortified [[Imambara Shah Najaf|Shah Najaf mosque]] written by William Forbes Mitchell: at a late stage ''Captain Peel had ... brought his infernal machine, known as a rocket battery, to the front, and sent a volley of rockets through the crowd on the ramparts.''.<ref name="Forbes-Mitchell">{{cite book |last1=Forbes-Mitchell |first1=William |title=Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny |date=1910 |publisher=Macmillan & Co |location=London |page=81 |isbn=9788120616417 |url=https://archive.org/details/reminiscencesofg00will/page/80/mode/2up |access-date=27 June 2020 |ref=Forbes-Mitchell}}</ref> After a second salvo from the rocket battery, many of the rebels fled and the mosque was finally taken by storm. When Forbes-Mitchell entered the enclosure he found only numerous dead defenders. According to a modern historian, "Peel's rockets had tipped the scale and the Shah Najaf fell to the British just as they had been about to fall back".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Spilsbury |first1=Julian |title=The Indian Mutiny |date=2007 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |location=Great Britain |isbn=978-0-2978-5630-6 |chapter=Chapter 10 – Campbell's March}}</ref>

==Surviving rockets==

As a weapon, Congreve rockets remained in regular use until the 1850s, when they were superseded by the improved spinning design by [[William Hale (British inventor)#Rocketry|William Hale]].  In the 1870s, Congreve rockets were used to carry rescue lines to [[ship|vessels]] in distress, gradually superseding the [[Manby Mortar|mortar of Captain Manby]] that had been in operation from 1808 and rockets designed by John Dennett (1780–1852) that had been deployed in the late 1820s. These were first used to carry out a rescue in 1832 and used in the ''Irex'' rescue as late as 1890.<ref>{{cite web|title= Dennet|url= https://iwhiddenheroes.org.uk/john-dennett-1780-1852/|website= www.ihiddenheroes.org.uk|date= 18 January 2018|access-date= 19 March 2021}}</ref>

A wide variety of Congreve rockets were displayed at [[Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum]]<ref>At the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich under catalogue numbers 20/6 to 20/16 and 20/47; at the Royal Engineers Museum, Chatham under accession number 5501.4.3</ref> in South-East London, ranging in size from {{convert|3|to|300|lb}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Beckland |first=Millard |title=Congreve and his works |journal=Journal of the British Interplanetary Society |volume=45 |pages=281–284 |publisher=British Interplanetary Society |year=1992 }}
</ref>
The [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]] has two eighteenth-century Indian war rockets in its collection. The [[Musée national de la Marine]] in Paris also features one rocket. The Stonington Historical Society in [[Stonington, Connecticut]], has one rocket in their collection that was fired at the town by the British in August 1814 during the Battle of Stonington. The Museum of Artillery at the Rotunda in Woolwich holds a surviving example of Congreve's whaling rocket adaptation, complete with launcher, representing his 1820-21 experimental work with Lieutenant Colquhoun.<ref>https://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/inostr-yazyki/iaa/1993/Turvey_Congreve_Rocketry_Revisited.pdf</ref>

Other examples in the United States can be seen at The [[Smithsonian Museum|Smithsonian National Museum]]<ref>Catalogue number 77229M</ref> and the Fort McHenry Museum.<ref>Exhibit reference FMOC 2150</ref> The [[Wittenburg]] Museum in Germany has a later-era rocket, and there is a reproduction of it in the [[Leipzig]] Museum; there is also one in a private collection in Leipzig.

[[Puke Ariki]] hold a corroded example of a Congreve / Boxer rocket used by British forces during the [[First Taranaki War]] (1860–1861) in New Zealand, found in a swamp at Manukorihi; the village destroyed in 1860.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rocket, Congreve |website=Puki Ariki |location=New Plymouth |publisher=New Plymouth District Council |date=2025 |url=https://collection.pukeariki.com/objects/21172/rocket-congreve |access-date=8 March 2025}}</ref>

==Published descriptions==
[[File:Congreve Rocket Patch 1832.jpg|thumb|Congreve rocket patch, from Portugal campaign, 1832–33. Patch belonged to [[Christopher Brandon, Superintendent of Police, Dartford]]. Note this patch was flown into Earth orbit by Jared Isaacman, commander of the SpaceX [[Polaris Dawn]] spaceflight in Sept. 2024]]

* In the 1790s the [[Fathul Mujahidin]] was published. It is a military manual that was written by [[Tipu Sultan]], a ruler of the [[Kingdom of Mysore]], who was considered to be the father of [[rocket]] [[artillery]] in [[battle]] for his use of iron-cased rocket artillery against the [[British Army]] in 1792, which is considered a technological evolution in [[military history]].<ref name="Henty,1902">{{cite book |title=The tiger of Mysore – A story of the war with Tippoo Saib |last=Henty |first=G. A. (George Alfred) |year=1902 }}</ref> The [[Siege of Seringapatam (1792)|siege of Seringapatam]] was the final battle of the [[Third Anglo-Mysore War]].
* In 1804, Congreve published: ''A concise account of the origin and progress of the rocket system''.
* ''A Concise Account of the Origin and Progress of the Rocket System'', by William Congreve, son of the arsenal's commandant, was published in 1807.<ref>{{DNB Cite|wstitle=Congreve, William (1772–1828)}}</ref>
* In 1814, Congreve published: ''The details of the rocket system''.
* Congreve, William, Sir. (1827) ''A Treatise on the General Principles, Powers, and Facility of Application of the Congreve Rocket System''. (London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green).
* ''The First Golden Age of Rocketry: Congreve and Hale Rockets of the Nineteenth Century'', [[Frank H. Winter]], Smithsonian Institution Press, 1990. {{ISBN|0-87474-987-5}}.
* CE Franklin ''British Rockets of the Napoleonic and Colonial Wars 1805-1901''. Spellmount Ltd. {{ISBN|978-1-86227-313-9}}
* Werrett, Simon. 'William Congreve's Rational Rockets.' ''Notes & Records of the Royal Society'' 63 (2009): 35–56

==In popular culture==

* The words "Rocket's red glare" in the US anthem "[[Star-Spangled Banner]]" refer to a Congreve rocket barrage.
* In ''[[Age of Empires III]]'', the British civilisation has rockets as a unique unit based on the Congreve rocket.
* In ''[[Mount & Blade: Warband#Napoleonic Wars|Mount and Blade: Napoleonic Wars]]'', British rocket artillery are a playable class.
* In ''[[Empire: Total War]]'', Congreve rockets are a usable artillery unit.
* In [[Bernard Cornwell]]'s novel ''[[Sharpe's Enemy]]'', and its [[Sharpe's Enemy (TV programme)|television adaptation]], Congreve rockets appear and are instrumental in the victory at the end. Cornwell also describes the historical firing of a rocket during the [[Waterloo campaign]] in his later novel ''[[Sharpe's Waterloo]]''.
* In [[George Macdonald Fraser]]'s novel ''[[Flashman at the Charge]],'' [[Harry Flashman]] uses Congreve rockets captured from the Russians to help repel a Russian assault in Central Asia.
* In [[Timothy Mo]]'s novel about the foundation of [[Hong Kong]], ''An Insular Possession'', Congreve rockets are used by Captain Elliot from the steamer ''Nemesis'' against Chinese forts on the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]].
* ''[[Death to the French]]'', a novel by [[C. S. Forester]]. On pages 111 to 113, a graphic fictional description of the action on 13 November 1810 when they tried unsuccessfully to fire the French dockyard at Santarem with rockets.
* In the TV series ''[[The Terror (TV series)|The Terror]]'', Congreve rockets are carried by [[Franklin's lost expedition]] and used in a skirmish.
* In [[Tessa Dare]]'s [[Regency Romance]], The Duchess Deal (2017), the hero protagonist, the Duke of Ashbury, has survived severe injury by a malfunctioning Congreve rocket at [[Waterloo campaign|Waterloo]] (chapter 17).
* In [[The Old Man and the Lisa]], an episode of the TV series, [[The Simpsons]], [[Mr. Burns]] attempts to right his finances by investing heavily in a Congreve rocket company, among other outdated technologies.

==References==
;Citations

{{Reflist}}

;Bibliography

* Franklin, Carl E. (2005). ''British Rockets of the Napoleonic and Colonial Wars 1805–1901''. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Spellmount. {{ISBN|1-86227-313-8}}
* Graves, Donald E. (1989). ''Sir William Congreve and the Rockets' Red Glare – Historical Arms Series, No. 23''. Bloomfield, Ontario. Museum Restoration service. {{ISBN|0-919316-23-9}}
* Heidler, David Stephen & Jeanne T. (2004). ''Encyclopedia of the War of 1812''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. {{ISBN|1-59114-362-4}}
* Malcolmson, Robert. (2009). ''The A to Z of the War of 1812''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-7004-8}}
* Nicolas, Paul Harris (1845). ''Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces, Volume 2 [1805–1842]''. London: Thomas & William Boone. {{oclc| 	758539027}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{BritishEmpireWeapons}}
{{Early firearms}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Congreve Rocket}}
[[Category:English inventions]]
[[Category:Rocket artillery]]
[[Category:Early rocketry]]