Aranda, Olivier <br/><br/>
To pay Pitt a visit by ship: The canons of the Republic 

 -  2018.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 87 
<br/><br/> In the mobilization of the Year II lies the question as to which arms are appropriate for the soldiers of liberty. Certain among the Conventionnels attempted to create a figure parallel to that of the fantassin fighting with a bayonet: the boarding sailor. This figure, appropriated, uncritically, by the naval historiography of the nineteenth century sought to demonstrate the incompetency of republicans in naval matters. In fact, a study of sources other than parlementary documents reveals the deep interest republicans displayed for naval artillery. They tried to make the canon into a republican arm, notably under the impulse of Jeanbon Saint-André. This manifested itself by research seeking to improve military equipment. The results of the republicanization of the artillery are difficult to assess, notably during the battle of Prairial, marked as it was by a particular strategic setting. In the end, however, republicanization most probably contributed to brutalizing military conflict.