Keeping idle hands busy

I just realized this question makes no sense whatever. :hmmm:

I am thinking that the term '12 pounder" is what caught your attention. The smoothbore bronze artillery piece that fired 12 pounder (2.75 inch) ammunition was named in honor of Napoleon III. The howitzer in the picture, the "chunky" one, also fired 12 pounder ammunition. 12 pounder ammunition is a standard size and like most artillery ammunition was not unique to a specific type of gun.

The breechloading Whitworth is an exception in that it did not fire a standardized round. It fired an octagonal bolt that fit into the grooves in the barrel. The Whitworths came in different sized ammunition ranging from the 12 pounder field artillery piece of about 3 inches (about 74mm) to heavy artillery of eight inches. Like their rifle, Whitworths were highly accurate and long ranged.
 
Yes, I think I was fusing two ideas into one...

I got some photos of some Whitworths at Gettysburg too. The literature says they were advanced for their time and did not hold up well to "conditions in the field."

3710822648_f063ef5c31.jpg
 
Yes, I think I was fusing two ideas into one...

I got some photos of some Whitworths at Gettysburg too. The literature says they were advanced for their time and did not hold up well to "conditions in the field."

3710822648_f063ef5c31.jpg

The bolts needed a high level of machine tooling that was not availabe in the south so that keeping the rifled gun supplied with ammunition after the initial British made supply was expended made these guns very unreliable. I suppose this was the unreliable field aspect.

The Union also had few Whitworth 12 ounders. One broke its axel during the Grieson raid and was abandoned. The gun was recaptured months later after a run in with local militia. These guns were very expensive and would have been quite the prize.
 
Were they still a prize after the homemade ammunition aspect reared its head? If you can't get workable ammunition for it, it seems like it would be a very large, expensive paperweight.
 
Were they still a prize after the homemade ammunition aspect reared its head? If you can't get workable ammunition for it, it seems like it would be a very large, expensive paperweight.

The round or bolt would wobble in flight and lose much of its accuracy and range. Yet to a group of militia to find such a treasure was a gift beyond measure, even though they only had it for a few months. During that time, they were "somebody, they were contenders" as compared to rival militia. (and a nod to Brando for the paraphrase)

Yes the Confederate withdrew them from active service. Another example of the problem the CSA faced in war making materials that involved precision work. The state of the art Whitworths became , as you said, expensive paperweights.


The Northern machine shops could and did turn out excellent ammunition for the few guns they had, but withdrew the guns, despite their superior worth, as Union Ordnance did not want to mix up the logisitics of maintaining oddball types of guns and munitions. Made things more efficient.

The Confederate Ordnance Board had no such luxury of standardized guns and ammunition. They had to use what they could get their hands on.
 
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