Also known as: 24-pounder.
| Type | Heavy smoothbore siege and garrison gun |
|---|---|
| Bore | 5.82 inches |
| Projectile | About 24 pounds |
| Role | Siege and fortification |
Heavy siege gun
The 24-pounder gun was one of the standard heavy smoothbores of siege and garrison service, firing a 24-pound solid shot from a 5.82-inch bore, along with shell and heavy canister. Too heavy for the ordinary field battery, it served in fortifications, siege lines, and coastal works.
Its shot could batter masonry and earthworks at close range, and in the siege trains it worked alongside mortars and, increasingly, the rifled guns whose accuracy was displacing the smoothbores for breaching.
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.