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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY |
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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY |
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 | 12-pounder iron field gun, heavy, early unknown pattern. Several guns of this and similar patterns survive, both with and without rimbases. While almost certainly made prior to 1830, some would have been available to both sides and utilized during the Civil War. Total length, various to 85 inches; Weights vary to 1,800 pounds. |
 | 12-pounder iron field gun, heavy, experimental battery of 1834. Total length, 73.3 inches; weight, 1,697 pounds; total production, 3; known survivors, 2. These guns, along with three 12-pounder and three 24-pounder iron field howitzers, were cast as a mixed battery at Columbia Foundry in 1834. |
 | 12-pounder bronze field gun, heavy, Model of 1835. Total length, 85 inches; weight, 1,800 pounds; total production, 23 by Ames and Alger; known survivors, 8. With the exception of its large (8-inch diameter) rimbases, this model is essentially identical to the Model of 1841 below. Alger and West Point Foundry cast a few similar iron guns in 1838 that were designated 12-pounder iron field gun, Model of 1836. There is one known survivor. |
 | 12-pounder bronze field gun, heavy, Model of 1841. Total length, 85 inches; weight specified as 1,800 pounds, but survivors average about 1,760 pounds. Total production, 63; known survivors, 30. Some of these smoothbore guns were rifled with 18-grooves at the beginning of the Civil War. Alger and Ames each made one as 4.62-inch rifles with 12 grooves in 1861. Both survive. NOTE: Tredegar Foundry produced at least eight of these guns as Confederate guns, five of which are known to survive. |
 | 12-pounder bronze field gun, light, Model of 1857 (Napoleon), with handles. 28 or 29 Federal Napoleons were made with handles: Alger Registry Nos.1-4, Ames Registry Nos.1-23 (and possibly No. 24), and Revere Registry No.2 (cast before No.1). 23 of these 28 or 29 are known to survive. This is the second pattern Federal Napoleon. Specifications, except for handles, are identical to those noted below. The first pattern consisted of only one specimen, Ames Registry No.1, which survives at Petersburg National Battlefield. It is three inches shorter than all subsequent Federal Napoleons. |
 | 12-pounder bronze field gun, light, Model of 1857 (Napoleon). Total length, 72.55 inches; weight, 1,220 pounds; total production for U.S. Ordnance Department, 1,130. Perhaps another 50 were sold by Ames, Greenwood and Revere directly to states; known survivors, 672 (including those with handles noted above). This is the third and final pattern of Federal Napoleons. |
 | Federal Napoleon rimbase juncture. All Federal bronze Napoleons have cylindrical rimbases that join the barrel with a sharp corner. |
 | Breech contour of Alger, Ames and Revere Napoleons. Napoleons from these three foundries have a small pad at both the top and bottom of the breech indicated by the arrows in the photo. The top pad is termed a "hausse seat" for the attachment of a pendulum hausse bracket and the bottom pad a "base plate" on which the elevating screw rested. Napoleons from Henry N. Hooper were made with only the top pad for the sight bracket. Greenwood Napoleons have neither pad. Survivors from this foundry may have holes drilled in various locations on the upper breech utilized for mounting rear sights or sight brackets. |
 | Wrought-iron Napoleon by Phoenix Iron Co. Total length, 72 inches; weight, 1215 pounds. No record has been found for production of this unique surviving specimen nor any indication of how many were made. It is the only Federal Napoleon with faired rimbases and the only Napoleon made of wrought iron. |
 | Confederate bronze Napoleon, final pattern. Total length, 72 inches; weight, 1220 pounds with large variations; production, approximately 350. Known survivors, 137. This is by far the most common form of surviving Confederate Napoleon. Those made at Augusta (approximately 100), Charleston (perhaps 10), Columbus (approximately 55) and Macon (approximately 60) Arsenals, and most made at Tredegar Foundry (122), are of this general pattern. Knob shapes vary considerably among Confederate Napoleons but generally resemble that shown in this photo. |
 | Confederate bronze Napoleon by Leeds & Co. Total length 72 inches; weight, unmarked but assumed to approximate 1220 pounds. Leeds made approximately 20 Napoleons, all closely resembling but having a smaller muzzle cavetto than the Union patterns. There are 13 known survivors. A single survivor from Quinby & Robinson is also similar to this pattern. |
 | Confederate cast-iron Napoleon. Total length, 72 inches; weight, 1250 pounds; known survivors, 9. Tredegar Foundry made 121 from January 1861 through February 1865. The reinforcing band is presumed to be of wrought iron. |
 | Confederate Napoleon rimbase juncture. Confederate Napoleons produced at Augusta Arsenal and by Leeds & Co. utilized cylindrical rimbases that joined the barrel with a sharp corner as illustrated above for Federal bronze Napoleons. All other Confederate Napoleons utilized faired rimbases with the smooth barrel juncture illustrated here. |
 | Napoleon firing demonstration at Petersburg National Battlefield |