The largest number of identical Confederate Napoleons were those made of iron. During 1864 the Tredegar Iron Works produced 105, with another 20 early in 1865. Tredegar Iron Napoleons were reinforced by a breech band, presumably of wrough iron. These tubes look like a parrott rifle on…
The familiar Confederate Napoleon that is very recognizable is characterized by absence of muzzle swell, sensibly uniform taper of the chase, a cylindrical reinforce which reverts to the Federal standard at 15 inches in length, and a slender knob and neck variously described as “grain of…
Companion weapons to Civil War guns were Howitzers-smoothbore cannon. As a rule, they are designed to throw large projectiles with comparatively light charges of powder concentrated at the bottom of the tube by means of a chamber. They were lighter than guns of the same caliber and…
Five centuries of evolution of bronze field pieces were climaxed by a single smoothbore. One cannon was to outperform, and, during the Civil War to make obsolete, both 6-pounder guns and 12-pounder howitzers of mixed light field artillery batteries. Although officially called the “light 12-pounder gun” in…