The Napoleon Cannon (1800's-1900's)

      The Napoleon cannon was a 12-pound cannon (meaning that it fired a 12 pound cannon-ball) that was widely used in the American Civil War. It could be loaded with either ball, shell, or grape shot (multiple small metal balls packed together in a bag, which, when fired, gave the effect of a shotgun).


      The Napoleon was named after the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, who was a former artillery officer. This cannon was admired because of it reliability, safety, transportability, and killing power. It was very versatile, because it excelled at striking down both long range and close range targets. Both the South and North sides in the Civil War used this cannon extensively, and over 1,500 were made for both sides. Between the Union and the Confederates, this accounted for nearly 40% of the artillery units. This cannon was made out of metal with base made out of wood.

In the image below is a 12 pound metal ball that would be fired from the Napoleon.