M1841 12-pounder howitzer

M1841 12-pounder Field Howitzer
M1841 12-pounder field howitzer is seen at Gettysburg National Military Park looking toward Big Round Top.
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1841–1868
Used by	United States
Wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War
Production history
Manufacturer	Cyrus Alger & Co. N. P. Ames Eagle Foundry, Cincinnati William D. Marshall & Co.
Produced	1841
No. built	over 251
Variants	1835 (26), 1838 (24), Confederate (118 bronze and 96 cast iron)
Specifications
Mass	785 lb (356.1 kg)
Length	53.0 in (1.35 m)
Crew	9
Shell weight	8.9 lb (4.0 kg) shell 1.0 lb (0.5 kg) charge
Caliber	4.62 in (117 mm)
Barrels	1
Action	Muzzle loading
Carriage	900 lb (408.2 kg)
Effective firing range	1,072 yd (980 m)

The M1841 12-pounder field howitzer was a bronze smoothbore muzzle-loading artillery piece that was adopted by the United States Army in 1841 and employed during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. It fired a 8.9 lb (4.0 kg) shell up to a distance of 1,072 yd (980 m) at 5° elevation. It could also fire canister shot and spherical case shot. The howitzer proved effective when employed by light artillery units during the Mexican–American War. The howitzer was used throughout the American Civil War, but it was outclassed by the 12-pounder Napoleon which combined the functions of both field gun and howitzer. In the U.S. Army, the 12-pounder howitzers were replaced as soon as more modern weapons became available. Though none were manufactured after 1862, the weapon was not officially discarded by the U.S. Army until 1868. The Confederate States of America also manufactured and employed the howitzer during the American Civil War.

For the related M1841 12-pounder mountain howitzer, see this article.