Also known as: 18-pounder.
| Type | Heavy smoothbore siege and garrison gun |
|---|---|
| Bore | About 5.3 inches |
| Projectile | About 18 pounds |
| Role | Siege and fortification |
A siege-class smoothbore
The 18-pounder gun belonged to the heavier siege and garrison guns rather than the field batteries, firing an 18-pound solid shot from a bore of roughly 5.3 inches. Guns of this weight were used in fortifications and siege trains where they need not be moved quickly.
By the time of the Civil War the 18-pounder was an older pattern, and its role in battering and long-range fire was increasingly filled by rifled guns and by the larger 24- and 32-pounder smoothbores.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.