Model 1857 12-Pounder Napoleon

Model 1857 12 Pound Napoleonic History

The war planners of the American Civil War were convinced of the value of artillery in their respective campaigns involving the North (Union) and the South (Confederation). Both also used smoothbore muzzle-loading guns of various calibers, capable of attacking troop concentrations and fortifications from a distance.

Apparently the most popular field gun of the war was the Model 1857 "Napoleon", which fired thousands of yards of 12-pounder shells.

Before the era of "rifled" artillery, smoothbore guns dominated the European battlefield. Smoothbore guns are numerically simpler to make, but can be surprisingly effective, especially at close range. Rifled barrels had greater accuracy at range and later replaced the smoothbore type, although they offered a slower rate of fire overall.

Nonetheless, the Model 1857 "Napoleon" 12-pounder was built in the United States by a number of foundries for the U.S. Army and originated in the French "Canon Obusier de 12" in 1853. Named General Napoleon I after Emperor Napoleon III (famous nephew), gun used by the French army during the Crimean War (1853-1856), caliber 122 mm, fired a 4.1 kg projectile (regular bullet, shells or canned bullets) at 1,440 feet per second.

This gun is a complete system - a barrel is attached to a special bracket on a two-wheeled wagon. Transport is primarily carried out by horses or pack animals, but can be relocated over short distances by a team of handlers if necessary.

The American Model 1857 "Napoleon" was the main artillery field gun of the Civil War, as both sides used the type extensively and found the gun to be very reliable and devastating at all ranges. Confederate production totaled 1,156, and Confederate production reached 501. For the latter, Confederate forces attempted to salvage as many captured Joint 1857 guns as possible due to southern manufacturing constraints. For the Federal Army, the Model 1857 was originally intended to replace the existing Model 1841 "6-pounder" field gun stock, although both guns inevitably remained in service during the war.

Confederate versions are usually identified by their "inflated" muzzle (conical shape), while many Confederate versions have a simpler shape, often omitting inflation to save material and speed up production. Depending on need and available resources, some confederate forms even appear in brass or iron, although their brittle nature makes them prone to cracking in the breech area (reinforcing straps are required).

At the Battle of Gettysburg alone, 142 of the 360 ??Union guns available were the Napoleonic Model 1857.

Bronze was commonly used to make the Model 1857 barrel, which contained both tin and copper, resulting in a relatively light and mobile gun with the powerful punch of earlier European designs. The bore is 4.62 inches, the overall barrel length is 66 inches, and it weighs just 1,230 pounds.

This requires local transportation using a heavy-duty wheeled trolley system. In addition, two-wheeled "wooden" carts were used to support the "legs" for long journeys, effectively creating a four-wheeled transport system.

A "caisson" was used to provide the seven-man rifle team with the required type of ammunition.

The Type 1857 fires different types of ammunition depending on battlefield conditions. Projectiles are named by their weight (as in "12-pounder", a 12-pounder shell), although this is not always explicitly followed - rifled guns have had their own naming problems and are starting to have more to do with aperture than Shot weight alignment.

The ground shot is a solid 12-pound bullet that is nothing more than an iron ball capable of breaking through light fortification walls and obstacles, along with the occasional limb. Cannonballs can easily take away a person's leg, arm or head and inflict more damage on a group of ranged riflemen. Thousands of iron cannonballs must have been cheap to produce, so they were plentiful in every war of the era - having been used centuries before. Another type of ammunition is the explosive "hand grenade", which contains a fairly simple fuse timer for detonating a metal casing (hand grenade) after hitting into hundreds of mid-air fragments. The delay depends on the length of the fuse used.

Shotguns are more like shotguns, spewing dozens of metal balls from the muzzle of a cannon, mainly aimed at infantry at close range. A popular canister-style projectile is the "grape projectile" - more common in naval service than on land - which contains an inventory of metal balls but lacks all containment boxes - which are held together by metal or cloth links.

A basic rifle team consists of 7 men, each trained (where possible) for the other's tasks and led by a (usually) corporal rank rifleman. Rifle crews are numbered upwards from "1" to "7" and are assigned by the commander during loading, firing and reloading. Artillerymen were specially trained men to play one of the tougher roles on the battlefield of the day - often trying to operate in the heat of battle, exposed to bad weather and enemy fire.

Daily training is especially important in order for the group to function properly and effectively as a cohesive unit.

The weapon is placed in its usual position with the horse and bow arm, then the bow arm is removed and the weapon is properly positioned in the desired position. Crew 3 ran his thumb over the launch port to prevent accidental ignition of the charge loaded before firing.

The main gunner (corporal) will aim the gun from the rear (considering sight and range) and call for action on the ammunition guide (crew #6 and #7). The projectile is then detonated and (if applicable) fuze set according to the desired range, and handed over to the runner (crew #5) who brings the projectile to the gun. Crew 2 then picked up the projectile and, after the loaded charge - inserted the projectile into the muzzle. Crew No.

1 then used a long rod to knock the projectile off the barrel. The final aiming and lifting is done by helicopter. When ready, order to break into the charging bag (crew #3) by inserting a metal needle into the launch port.

Crew 4 then added a friction primer to the vents, which attaches to the tether. As soon as the "fire" command was issued, Crew 4 pulled the rope, sparks ignited the charging bag, and the resulting force launched the projectile towards the target.

After firing, Crew 1 (using the tamper as a cotton swab at one end) wiped away any remaining burning embers from the barrel and was ready to fire again. Wet a cotton swab if possible to ensure any embers are dealt with. During the battle, the process is repeated as many times as necessary.

With each successive shot, the cannon bounced back on the wheel, held back by its weight and friction. Therefore, the cannon had to be repositioned and manually re-aimed before firing.

A well-trained and experienced crew of seven can fire up to four rounds per minute, and when coupled with a full set of artillery can unleash a brilliant salvo on enemy forces. The overall lethality of the weapon will increase or decrease given height and distance, although the effect on the target is generally good. Both sides respected the lethality of Napoleon's 12-pounder.

Effective range is about 2,000 yards.

Bronze is the metal of choice for making rifles, and the "gun" used for bronze tends to be a softer metal and has proven unsuitable for making rifle conversions. Iron is a more powerful natural alternative to rifled cannons, although these designs tend to become fragile over time, necessitating the use of various reinforcement innovations as a stopgap. Some postwar models of the 1857 were actually converted to rifled, although their original bronze manufacture made them no substitute for their iron counterparts.

Thus, the Model 1857 Napoleon became the last bronze gun adopted by the US Army.

Model 1857 12lb Napoleon Spec

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Depends on the ammo carrier.

Changes