The 12-pdr. Mountain Howitzer was a mountain gun used by the United States Army during the mid-Nineteenth Century, from 1837 to about 1870. It saw service during the Mexican–American War, the American Indian Wars, and during the American Civil War (primarily in the more rugged western theaters.)
ARTILLERY PROFILE
NOTES ON THE 12-PDR. MOUNTAIN HOWITZER
The 12-pdr. Mountain Howitzer is a type of bronze smoothbore, optimized for firing explosive shells as well as spherical case and canister. Its range was 1,005 yards at 5° elevation with a charge of 1/2 pounds of black powder when firing shell. The original carriage design allowed the piece to be broken down into three loads for pack animal transport: the tube carried on one animal, carriage and wheels by another, and ammunition on the third.
The Mountain Howitzer was designed to be light weight and highly portable. Because of this and its ease of disassembly it did not require roads for transportation making it well suited to Indian fighting and mountain warfare.
They were used by artillery and infantry units, but their lightweight and mobility also made them well suited for cavalry units.
In addition to the pack carriage, a prairie carriage was also created for traditional draft using only two horses. This versatility permitted their use with mounted forces in areas where roads were little more than paths.
These small Howitzers provided artillery support for forces where it would otherwise be unavailable. However, their shorter range made them unsuitable for dueling with other field artillery. During the Civil War the Howitzer earned the nickname of the Bulldog, giving the impression it would not back down from a fight. The Indians also had a nickname for it: "The Gun that Booms Twice," referring to the fact that Spherical Case shot exploded a certain distance after it was fired, causing another explosion after the initial one which launched the round.
FOR FURTHER READING
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ARTILLERY PROFILE
- Model: 12-pdr. Mountain Howitzer
- Type: Lightweight and Highly Portable Smoothbore Howitzer
- In Service With:
- U.S. Army
- C.S. Army
- Purpose: Highly mobile and easy to transport artillery for use where typical field artillery wouldn't be practical
- Rarity: Common to Uncommon
- Special Notes: Referred to as a Model 1835 or a Model 1841 depending on the source, they were nicknamed 'Bull Pups' by many gunners.
- US Casting Foundry:
- Cyrus Alger, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ames, Chicopee, Massachusetts
- CS Casting Foundry:
- Tredegar Iron Works, Richmond, Virginia
- Columbus Arsenal, Columbus, Georgia
- Years of Manufacture: 1835 to 1870
- Tube Composition: Bronze
- Purchase Price in 1861: $ $165.00 (US)
- No. Purchased/Used During the Civil War: approx. 400 to 500
- Bore Diameter: 4.62 inches
- Powder Chamber: 3.3 inches
- Bore Length: 30.9 inches
- Rifling Type: no grooves
- Trunnion Diameter: 2.7 inches
- Tube Length: 38 inches
- Tube Weight: 220 lbs.
- Carriage Type:
- Pack Carriage (280 lbs.)
- Prairie Carriage (720 lbs.)
- Total Weight:
- (Gun & Pack Carriage): about 500 lbs.
- (Gun & Prairie Carriage): about 940 lbs.
- Horses Required to Pull: With Prairie Carriage, 2
- Pack Animals Required to Move: With Pack Carriage, 3 - one for the Carriage, one for the Barrel, and one for the Ammunition
- No. of Crew to Serve:
- 6 men on Pack Carriages
- Up to 8 men on Prairie Carriages
- Standard Powder Charge: 0.5 lbs. Cannon Grade Black Powder
- Projectiles Types: explosive shells, spherical case, canister
- Projectiles Weights: 8.9 lb. round explosive shells or spherical case shot
- Muzzle Velocity: Shells - 1,054 ft/sec.
- Effective Range (at 5°): up to 900 yards ( miles)
- Projectile Flight Time (at 5°): 3 seconds
NOTES ON THE 12-PDR. MOUNTAIN HOWITZER
The Mountain Howitzer was designed to be light weight and highly portable. Because of this and its ease of disassembly it did not require roads for transportation making it well suited to Indian fighting and mountain warfare.
In addition to the pack carriage, a prairie carriage was also created for traditional draft using only two horses. This versatility permitted their use with mounted forces in areas where roads were little more than paths.
These small Howitzers provided artillery support for forces where it would otherwise be unavailable. However, their shorter range made them unsuitable for dueling with other field artillery. During the Civil War the Howitzer earned the nickname of the Bulldog, giving the impression it would not back down from a fight. The Indians also had a nickname for it: "The Gun that Booms Twice," referring to the fact that Spherical Case shot exploded a certain distance after it was fired, causing another explosion after the initial one which launched the round.
FOR FURTHER READING
- Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War, by Olmstead, Hazlett, & Parks, Univ of Delaware Press, 1988.
- Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War, by Warren Ripley, Battery Press, 1984.
The American Mountain Howitzer
In my survey of the field and siege howitzers used in the Civil War, I’ve thus far neglected the smallest of the Federal regulation howitzers. What the 12-pdr Mountain Howitzer Model 1835 la…
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Model 1835 Mountain Howitzer
I introduced the mountain howitzer class and traced some of the history in an earlier post. Today I will detail the standard mountain howitzer used during the Civil War. As mentioned before, the M…
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Confederate Mountain Howitzer
I mentioned in an earlier post that the Confederates produced a small quantity of Model 1835 Mountain Howitzers during the Civil War. Based on surviving examples, Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond a…
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