Designed and named for the French Emperor Napoleon III, the Napoleon was the workhorse gun of the Civil War artillery. Cast of bronze, the smoothbore Napoleon was capable of firing a 12-pound solid ball, shell, case shot, or canister. Both sides deployed this versatile gun in large numbers.
The 12-pounder Napoleon
By Kennedy Hickman, About.com Guide
An African-American soldier guards a Napoleon.
Library of Congress Photograph©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.
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