The Napoleon Gun
The type of gun which starred in many of John Pelham's most daring exploits was the Napoleon -- or more formally, the “twelve-pounder gun, model 1857.” This bronze cannon, frequently seen at national battlefield parks, was a favorite with both Northern and Southern artillerists for a number of reasons. One, it was not as heavy as other twelve-pounders, hence another of its names, the “light twelve-pounder.” Two, it fired both solid shot and explosive shell, taking the place of both gun and howitzer. Thus it sometimes is referred to as a “gun-howitzer,” though because it does not have a “chamber” it is technically just a gun. Third, it can be fired quicker than the rifled pieces. Indeed, the weapon seems to be designed just for someone like Pelham who moved and fired rapidly. Fourth, it was less prone to “self-destruct” than other pieces, some of which had an alarming tendency to burst.
The Napoleon was developed in France in the 1850's with the idea of creating a medium-weight piece to replace the gun and the howitzer, and was named not for Napoleon Bonaparte but for the man who urged its development, Louis Napoleon. The United States adopted and modified it; even in 1861 it was still experimental. The West Point manual, Instruction for Field Artillery, published first in 1861, speaks of the twelve-pounder light gun: “This gun is still upon trial. It is not chambered, but can be used both as a gun and howitzer, thus greatly simplifying the ammunition required for a battery. In batteries composed of both guns and howitzers, the fire of one class is often more or less sacrificed to that of the other. This evil is obviated by the use of the light 12-pounder, which will probably be adopted for all mounted batteries, to the exclusion of the others, and be superseded in its turn by rifled cannon of great power and range.”
What did it look like? The shape varied. Early Napoleons had “dolphins”, or handles, above the trunions which disappeared in later models. The basic Union Napoleon is a graceful tube weighing over 1200 pounds; its carriage weighed over 1100 pounds, not including the limber. Confederate pieces often do not have the flaring muzzle, losing some of the beauty of the piece; also, due to scarcity of raw material, some Confederate Napoleons were cast of iron and had a breech band which suggests the shape of a stubby Parrott. Generally the piece was a smoothbore, but further experi¬mentation resulted in a few rifled pieces. The Napoleon fired a 12¬pound solid shot as well as canister, case and explosive shell, with an effective range of 1680 yards -- almost a mile. Given American terrain, that range was as much as was necessary most of the time.
Pelham's association with the Napoleon began during the Peninsula Campaign, when he was given a captured one. At Cold Harbor it stood alone against eight Federal guns, eliciting for its commander rare praise from Stonewall Jackson. Later it was damaged and replaced by two other Yankee Napoleons. One was there at Barbee's Crossroads in November 1862 when Pelham was surrounded by the Federal cavalry; his Creole contingent, the “Napoleon detachment,” as he called them, repelled the enemy to the exultant chorus of “The Marseillaise.” And any student of Pelham knows of his finest hour, when after its companion Blakely had been disabled, Pelham's lone Napoleon held off the advance of an entire Federal division at Fredericksburg, ensuring its commander eternal fame as “the gallant Pelham.”
Certainly John Pelham's reputation as a skillful artillerist would not have been diminished had he never used a Napoleon, but is it mere chance that the piece so often seemed to be there at perilous positions? Was it a pet piece, a talisman of sorts--or was it because it was a very effective weapon that perfectly suited Pelham's tactics?
This article first appeared in Volume 1, No. 3 of The Cannoneer.
Sources:
Warren Ripley, Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War.
Charles G. Milham; Gallant Pelham: American Extraordinary.
