M1841? 12-pdr Mountain Howitzer

[Rhea Cole]

Every year the "Black Powder Parks" gather on an army artillery range for training. You can imagine the menagerie of Spanish, British, Revolutionary, Civil War artillery represented. Gatling guns have come, as well.

NPS volunteers train with blanks from day one. Everybody performs each of 6 positions with a shot fired every time.

At the NPS training they live fire. It rained for days during one of the training weeks. A 12 pound mountain howitzer was set up on an asphalt parking area. The recoil sent it skittering like a water bug… it then bounded off down a steep 20 foot embankment to dangle in some saplings above a raging creek. They didn't call them grasshoppers for nothing!

Everybody dresses in their period uniforms. If you have ever worn Jefferson Davis brogans I do not have to describe the Three Stooges retrieve a cannon process that followed. If not… slick as goose s—-t comes to mind.

 

[LHR Lead]

As an aside (and in case anyone's interested) of the 12 original mountain howitzers, 3 went to Florida, 2 went to Fort Monroe, and the other 7 went into storage at Watervliet.

I only have two identified from the original 12. #3 is in Carson City, NV and #6 is in Sheldon, IA. I have 13 with no information available, including two marked as stolen.

 

[LHR Lead]

Here's a thought: it wasn't until 1841 that Secretary Poinsett approved the use of bronze over iron for field artillery. Several reasons delayed its acceptance that included cost, Congressional pressure, and foundry capability. This, despite Ordnance Department preference going back to the 1832 Board. So, perhaps M1841 refers as much to the metal as it does to the individual pieces.

I think there is a document somewhere that says "we entered 1841 as a place-holder until we could find the proper date and they sent it to the printers before we could fix it."

 

[Doc_Ralph]

Every year the "Black Powder Parks" gather on an army artillery range for training. You can imagine the menagerie of Spanish, British, Revolutionary, Civil War artillery represented. Gatling guns have come, as well.

NPS volunteers train with blanks from day one. Everybody performs each of 6 positions with a shot fired every time.

At the NPS training they live fire. It rained for days during one of the training weeks. A 12 pound mountain howitzer was set up on an asphalt parking area. The recoil sent it skittering like a water bug… it then bounded off down a steep 20 foot embankment to dangle in some saplings above a raging creek. They didn't call them grasshoppers for nothing!

Everybody dresses in their period uniforms. If you have ever worn Jefferson Davis brogans I do not have to describe the Three Stooges retrieve a cannon process that followed. If not… slick as goose s—-t comes to mind.

Yeah for our live fire in almost heaven WVA…we made sure our howitzer was well blocked and shot into an embankment. It is a rush to see that happen!

 

[TLHS]

The US Army model 1841 was a field gun. There was a mountain howitzer that was adapted by the US Army in 1837, 2 different pieces. I have built many of the howitzer, the carriage and tube are what makes it a mountain howitzer. The only gun I own now is my 1841 Field Gun.View attachment 520562View attachment 520563

Questions: Is the gun pictured your "1841 Field Gun"? Is that the same as a Mountain Gun with a 3" bore? Who is the maker of your Gun? Thanks.