Congreve, William

British engineer. Artillery officer and inventor who greatly advanced the development of black powder rockets for military purposes. His rockets were commonly used in the British Army in the first half of the 19th Century.

William Congreve of Great Britain was an artillery officer and inventor who was best known for his work on black powder rockets that could be used for bombardment of enemy fortifications. He based his rocketry on the pioneering work of Indian prince Hyder Ali, who had successfully used them against the British in 1792 and 1799 at Seringapatam. Congreve's rockets were used in the Napoleonic Wars and in the War of 1812