I believe 8 is the common number of guns in a battery
A unit of a military artillery is a Battery, not a Company. While the actual number of artillery pieces varies depending on organization and type of artillery, frequently a battery has 5-6 pieces.
big guns, battery, cannon, ordnance, gunnery
Long guns, hand guns, artillery
Artillery . :]
Artillery=Guns OR Cannons The term Guns in the military refers to Artillery. Rifles, machineguns, pistols, are called Small Arms.
There were various types of artillery and various size units. This is for a Field Artillery Battalion that served within an Infantry Division. Each FA Battalion that operated 105mm field Howitzers consisted of 3 batteries of 4 guns each. Each battery, identified as Battery A, B & C, had about 100 men. Then there was the HQ Battery, the Service Battery(which was smaller or about 80 men). My Dad's unit in Italy, the 328FA Battalion, had an extra battery, Battery D, added to it that consisted of self-propelled artillery. Then later, they went to a 6-gun battery, but this was not common. See this link: http://www.custermen.com/ItalyWW2/ArmyOrg/OrgChart/Charts.htm
Simmonds' Battery Kentucky Light Artillery ended in 1865.
Gas and artillery warfare. Artillery --> Guns.
Are you referring to small arms (rifles, pistols, sub-machine guns, machine guns) or artillery? Correctly, only artillery pieces are refered to as "Guns". If this is what you mean, they were used in many ways, to support the infantry by laying-down barrages on enemy positions before an attack, breaking up enemy attacks, reducing strong points and in counter-battery fire against enemy gun positions. Guns were also used in specialist anti-tank and anti-aircraft roles.
K Battery Royal Artillery was created in 1809.
P Battery Royal Artillery was created in 1805.
Battery 'A' Kentucky Light Artillery was created in 1861.