The Model 1857 Napoleon 12 Pounder Cannon Was Widely Used by Both Sides in the Civil War

Union and Confederate armies used several types of guns in field artillery units in the Civil War. One of the more commonly used and effective field artillery pieces was the Model 1857 12 Pounder, often referred to as the Napoleon 12 Pounder. It was named after Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, who himself became emperor of France. Napoleon III helped develop the gun and the tactics of using it.

Model 1857 Napoleon 12 Pounder Cannons at Petersburg National Battlefield, VIrginia

Most Napoleons were smoothbore muzzle-loading cannons made of bronze, though a few Confederate Napoleons were made of cast iron. The bronze tubes had a bore length of 63.6 inches and a bore diameter, or caliber, of 4.62 inches. The  gun tube and carriage it was attached to weighed about 2350 pounds. When transported in the field, the cannon was attached to a limber that carried an ammunition chest. A team of six horses moved the cannon and limber unit.

The Model 1857 could fire a 12.3 pound solid shot (thus the name 12 pounder) with a 2 ½ pound charge of gunpowder about 1600 yards at a five degree elevation. These guns could also fire other types of ammunition. Shell was a hollow projectile filled with black powder with a fuse attached. The fuse length was cut to time the explosion of the shell. The fuse was lit by the flash from firing of the gun. Case shot, or spherical case, was a hollow shell filled with 78 iron balls and a powder charge inside with a fuse attached to it. Case shot was used at long range against infantry, ideally timed to explode right over the top of the enemy. Canister was a metal can containing about 25 metal balls one inch to an inch and a half in diameter. The metal can opened up when fired, sending out the metal balls like a giant shotgun shell. Canister was used at close range against advancing infantry.

Though there were few 1857 Napoleons at the start of the war, production of these versatile weapons ramped up quickly on both sides. They became one of the predominant cannon in field artillery batteries  in all theatres of the war. Many can be found today at national battlefields and historic sites.

Model 1857 Napoleon 12 Pounder Cannons at Stones River National Battlefield, Tennessee

Sources:

Arms and Equipment of the Civil War by Jack Coggins

Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War by James C. Hazlett, Edwin Olmstead, and M. Hume Parks