Also known as: 24-pounder howitzer.
| Type | Bronze smoothbore field howitzer |
|---|---|
| Bore | 5.82 inches |
| Ammunition | Shell, spherical case, and canister |
| Role | Heavy field howitzer for high-angle fire |
Heavy field howitzer
The 24-pounder field howitzer was the largest of the bronze field howitzers, throwing shell and heavy canister from a 5.82-inch bore. Like the smaller howitzers it used a comparatively light charge to loft its projectiles at a high angle, reaching troops behind cover.
Its weight put it at the heavy end of what could accompany a field battery, and in the prewar organization the 24-pounder howitzer paired with the 12-pounder gun much as the 12-pounder howitzer paired with the 6-pounder gun.
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.