what is that bracket for?

[rob love]

I was thinking the same thing. It is one thing to have all your kit stowed on the shields and trails for a short run, but for the long haul I think you would want to protect them. Otherwise, they will do you no good when you are at the gunline, but the accessories are scattered along the trail.

It would be interesting to find out at what point things like the firing platform would be removed from the gun and stowed on the limber or tractor. Certainly the artillery these days do not leave things like trail spikes, cleaning rods, or aiming posts on the trails of the guns during movement.