Also known as: heavy 12-pounder.
| Type | Bronze smoothbore gun |
|---|---|
| Bore | 4.62 inches |
| Projectile | About 12 pounds |
| Note | The heavy pattern was cumbersome; the Napoleon was the light form |
From heavy gun to Napoleon
The 12-pounder gun fired a 12-pound ball from a 4.62-inch bore and hit harder than the 6-pounder, but the older heavy pattern was so weighty that it was awkward to move with a field army. It was more often found in siege trains and fixed positions than in the field.
The problem was solved by the Model 1857 gun-howitzer, the Napoleon, which kept the 4.62-inch bore and the 12-pound projectile in a lighter, more mobile piece. The Napoleon became the standard smoothbore of the war and displaced the older heavy 12-pounder.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- Gibbon, John. The Artillerist's Manual. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1860.