ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Coehorn

Alright, imagine you are playing with a toy cannon. The cannon is small and can be held in your hands. This toy cannon is called a coehorn.

Now, a coehorn is basically a small, easily movable cannon that is used to shoot things. It is named after a military engineer named Menno van Coehoorn who invented it a long time ago.

The coehorn cannon is made up of a few parts. First, there is the barrel, which is a long tube that the cannonballs go through when they are shot. The barrel is attached to a base or platform that holds it steady and helps it aim in the right direction.

To shoot the coehorn, you need gunpowder. This is a special type of explosive powder that makes things go boom. Gunpowder is put into the back of the barrel, right before the cannonball.

Now, the cannonball is a round ball made of heavy metal, usually made of iron or brass. It is placed at the front end of the barrel.

To shoot the cannon, you need to light the gunpowder on fire. This creates a very big explosion inside the barrel. When the explosion happens, it quickly pushes the cannonball out of the barrel and sends it flying through the air.

Coehorns were mainly used in battles a long time ago when soldiers would line up in big groups and shoot at each other. They were especially helpful when soldiers needed to shoot things that were far away, like enemy soldiers hidden behind walls or fences.

The coehorn cannon was handy because it was small and easy to move around. Soldiers could quickly set it up in different spots and shoot the enemy. It was like having a little portable weapon that could be used just about anywhere.

So, in summary, a coehorn is a small cannon that shoots cannonballs. It was invented a long time ago and was used in battles to shoot things that were far away. It worked by packing gunpowder into the back of the barrel and lighting it on fire, which created a big explosion to shoot the cannonball out.