ships were launched between 1861 and 1862. Originally designed for use in Cochinchina, they were built in wood and equipped with 4 ft batteries. Writings Paixhans wrote, among others: Considérations sur l'état actuel de l'artillerie des places (1815) Nouvelle force maritime (Paris 1822), in which he envisioned a fleet protected by armour and equipped with explosive shells. Force et faiblesse militaires de la France (1830) Constitution militaire de la France (Paris 1849) Retraite de Moscou (Metz 1868) Notes 19th-century French inventors Military history of France 1783 births 1854 deaths French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars École Polytechnique alumni