More Popular Congreves

As far as I can tell, the Congreve was a small personal rocket used by the British army in the Napoleanic Wars. After the wars, the rocket design spread throughout the world, even deep into Central Asia by the mid-19th century. Curiously, very little is heard about these weapons, and by 1914 they are completely gone. So, what would have happened had they been more popular? Better artillery? Early space program?

Alasdair Czyrnyj said:

As far as I can tell, the Congreve was a small personal rocket used by the British army in the Napoleanic Wars. After the wars, the rocket design spread throughout the world, even deep into Central Asia by the mid-19th century. Curiously, very little is heard about these weapons, and by 1914 they are completely gone. So, what would have happened had they been more popular? Better artillery? Early space program?

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The main problem with the congreves is that they were surpassed by conventional artillery. Plus, they weren't what you'd call accurate. Though they were effective psychological weapons, as troops would try to evade them franticly.

I totally 2nd what DOMINUS NOVUS said- Congreve rockets as used by the British Horse Arty and RN thruout the Napoleonic Wars were more suited to scaring horses than for any accurate rocket bombardment, as demonstrated at such engagements as Fort McHenry where they won fame with 'the rocket's red glare' in the Star-Spangled Banner, and with their limited use in the Peninsular and at Waterloo. IIRC the only major damage inflicted by the Congreve rockets was at the siege of Copenhagen in 1807, when they ignited much of the city since the poor areas were made of such combustible material. Congreves IMHO can perhaps be compared to later British wonder weapons which proved inadequate, such as the 'Panjandrum' explosive wheel designed to destroy German beach obstacles at D-Day, which just proved too hard to steer and control correctly.