The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Twelve-Pounder Napoleon Smoothbore Cannon

The Dec. 3, 2009 HMDB (Historical Marker Database) featured this cannon and said ut was developed in France in 1853 and made in the US after 1857. It was a "mainstay" of both Confederate and Union artillery because of their maneuverability, ruggedness, dependability and effectiveness at both long and short range.

The tube (barrel) was a mixture of bronze, copper and tin and it fired a 12 pound cannon ball.

the one they were spotlighted was made in Savannah, Georgia by H. N. H. & Co. in 1863, their 178th gun.

The tube weight was 1230 pounds and it was 66 inches long. It took a charge of 2.5 pounds of gunpowder to fire it and a good crew could fire 3-4 rounds a minute. Crews usually consisted of seven men. A total of 1156 were made for the Union and 501 for the Confederacy.

Now You Know. --B-R

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