George Koehler

George Frederick Koehler
George Koehler from the The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, 1789 by John Trumbull
Born	14 January 1758 Woolwich, England
Died	29 December 1800(1800-12-29) (aged 42) Jaffa, Ottoman Empire
Nationality	British
Net worth	£7,600

George Frederick Koehler (14 January 1758 – 29 December 1800) was a British artist, soldier and engineer. He is known for creating a gun that recoiled allowing it to fire down the side of a mountain without sending the gun carriage flying into the air. The Koehler Depressing Carriage is still commemorated today in Gibraltar where it was an important defence during the Great Siege of Gibraltar.

Koehler was born in 1758 and baptised in Woolwich. His father was a bombardier who had been born in Germany. He became a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in January 1780.

Kœhler is still remembered for his invention of a gun-carriage allowing the axis of the gun to be depressed to an angle of seventy degrees. This was demonstrated during the Great Siege of Gibraltar on 15 February 1782 at Princess Royal's Battery. This new carriage enabled the defending guns to take advantage of the height of the Rock of Gibraltar. Although not a new idea it was ingenious and the invention of the sliding carriage allowed the gun to recoil without pulling the gun carriage into the air. This idea was later built into more conventional gun carriages. Colonel John Drinkwater in his accounts claimed that the gun hit its target 28 times out of 30 when aimed at the Spaniards' San Carlos Battery. He was a first lieutenant when he made the invention but he became a brevet-major the following year. He joined the Governor of Gibraltar's staff and despite the poor first impressions he first made he was to become a confidential aide de campe with Charles Holloway. By 1800 he was a brevet Colonel.

Koehler was later awarded the Governor's sword for his action during a famous sortie against the Spanish.

Koehler, Sir George Augustus Eliott, Charles Holloway, George Mackenzie, Thomas Trigge and General William Green are amongst those recorded as the principal officers serving in the siege who were painted by George Carter for the City of London. The National Portrait Gallery have an oil sketch but the final painting is at the National Army Museum.