M1841 24-pounder howitzer
| M1841 24-pounder howitzer | |
|---|---|
Bronze Model 1841 24-pounder howitzer is at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Note the twin handles and the 5.82-inch bore. | |
| Type | Howitzer |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1841–1865 |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | Mexican–American War American Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Cyrus Alger & Co. N. P. Ames |
| Produced | 1841 |
| No. built | 125 |
| Variants | 1835 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,318 lb (597.8 kg) |
| Length | 65.0 in (1.65 m) |
| Crew | 9 |
| Shell weight | 18.4 lb (8.3 kg) shell 2.0 lb (0.9 kg) charge |
| Caliber | 5.82 in (148 mm) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Muzzle loading |
| Carriage | 1,128 lb (511.7 kg) |
| Rate of fire | 1 rounds/minute |
| Effective firing range | 1,322 yd (1,209 m) |
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The M1841 24-pounder howitzer was a bronze smoothbore muzzle-loading artillery piece adopted by the United States Army in 1841 and employed from the Mexican–American War through the American Civil War. It fired a 18.4 lb (8.3 kg) shell to a distance of 1,322 yd (1,209 m) at 5° elevation. It could also fire canister shot and spherical case shot. The howitzer was designed to be employed in a mixed battery with 12-pounder field guns. By the time of the American Civil War, the 24-pounder howitzer was superseded by the 12-pounder Napoleon, which combined the functions of both field gun and howitzer. The 24-pounder howitzer's use as field artillery was limited during the conflict and production of the weapon in the North ended in 1863. The Confederate States of America manufactured a few 24-pounder howitzers and imported others from the Austrian Empire.