12-pound "Napoleon"

The 12-pound “Napoleon”

12-lb. Napoleon
From Gibbon, The Artillerist's Manual

The most popular smoothbore cannon used during the battle of Chickamauga (and most of the Civil War) was a twelve-pound cannon title the “Napoleon.” This cannon was titled after Napoleon III of France. Projectiles were mostly named after their weight, a 12-pounder means that it shot a twelve pound cannonball. This dangerous weapon was widely used because of its safety, dependability, and precision. This dangerous artillery weapon’s rage was over 1,500 yards very accurate. The Napoleon was very popular in Europe but wasn’t introduced to America until 1857. The gun is easily distinguishable due to its flared barred end called a muzzle-swell. Also this cannon had many benefits, the Napoleon was cast in bronze; it weighed almost 1,300 pounds and was difficult to move across the battlefield. This required using a horse or a carriage system to transport the guns. A typical gunnery crew was made up of 7 men, led by a higher ranking gun man. Each gunner had a specific job that correlated to his number (1-7), this skill required hours of training so there wouldn’t be many accidents during battle.  An experienced groups of gunmen could fire four rounds per minute, proving this to be a very reliable asset for the Battle of Chickamauga.

Author: Jessica Strickland, April 21, 2015