Saturday, 14 August 2010

The weight of ACW artillery guns

I recently had trouble finding the weights of ACW field artillery, I finally have found the weights of the gun, carriage and limber complete (ref)(ref)

8 horse teams
12 pdr (old pattern): 39.8 cwt (32 rds on the limber)
20 pdr Parrott: 39.3 cwt (24 rds)

6 horse teams
Light 12-pdr (M1857 "Napoleon"): 34.8 cwt (32 rds)
10 pdr Parrott: 28.5 cwt (50 rds)
6 pdr (M1841): 28.4 cwt (50 rds)
3" Ordnance: 27.8 cwt (50 rds)

(1 cwt = 112 lbs, or 1/20th of a long ton)

The allowances for horses are below Napoleonic standards, which would suggest eight horses for the M1857. Making matters worse, horse teams were often reduced to four, especially in the Confederate Army (where sometimes Mules were substituted!). Numbers worth knowing.

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