[History] American Civil War: The Mountain Howitzer

[scottishranger]

Author: Red Harvest
Original Thread: American Civil War: The Mountain Howitzer

American Civil War: The Mountain Howitzer

The thread about Gettysburg prompted me to take another look at an odd little cannon used in the American Civil War: the mountain howitzer. This diminutive cannon is not a weapon you hear much about, but it served a useful niche purpose. The 12 lb mountain howitzer was intended to go places that normal light field artillery batteries could not. It was meant for rugged terrain where forage was scarce and narrow paths were the norm.

DESCRIPTION The model 1835 mountain howitzer was a small bronze cannon with a 37" gun tube and a very small carriage with 38" wheels. It fired 12 lb howitzer ammunition with a half size powder charge. The ammo was canister and explosive shell. Nicknames included "Bulldog" or "Bull pup."

DEVELOPMENT The 1835 mountain howitzer was copied under license from the French. Following experiences in the Napoleonic wars in rough terrain vs. Spanish forces, the French had developed the mountain howitzer specifically for this type of terrain.

CAPABILITY. The mountain howitzer provided an economical if limited artillery arm for demanding service where other light artillery could not be effectively taken. It could be packed up narrow foot paths to rocky heights. It could be carried on swift moving raids without being a cumbersome burden. It could be taken into areas where insufficient forage was available for a normal complement of horses/pack animals.

The piece could be taken from its pack mules, assembled, loaded and fired in less than a minute. One mule carried the gun tube & shafts, one mule carried the carriage and wheels, and other mules each carried two ammunition chests with eight rounds apiece. When traveling over good ground or roads, the piece was assembled on its carriage and pulled by a single mule (since pulling the load is more efficient than packing it.)

ECONOMY. It was a very economical little piece, efficient in the use of pack animals, material, powder, and men. Contrast it with the normal 12 lb howitzer.
Normal complement of men to service the piece: 5 versus 8 normally
Horses (mules for the mountain howitzer) for the guns/limber/caisson and ammo: 5 versus 12 (ignoring forge, spares, and other shared battery resources.)
Bronze: The tube weighed 220 lbs vs. 788 lbs for a normal 12 lb howitzer.
Carriages: The carriage weighed only 157 lbs and the wheels 65 pounds each (total 287 lb) while the normal howitzer had a 900 lb carriage with wheels plus a gun limber for a total of about 2500 lbs without ammunition chest. In addition there was the caisson with its own limber weighing 2,120 lbs without ammunition chests.
Powder: The mountain howitzer used a 0.5 lb charge vs. 1 lb for normal 12 lb howitzers.

DEFICIENCIES. Of course this efficiency came at a cost in performance/capability. The first major tradeoff was that the effective range was about 200 yards less. The second was that a lack of a caisson limited its ammunition to a standard of 48 rounds per gun versus 156 for the normal howitzer (and 128 for a Napoleon.) Also during Jackson's valley campaign his mountain howitzers were apparently rendered unusable because the mules proved gunshy during battle and attempted to rub off their unwanted loads.

In combat the normal effective range of the mountain howitzer was only 900 yards, and as such it was vulnerable to all other artillery including the standard 12 lb howitzer (~1,100 yards), the 12 lb Napoleon (1,600 yards), the the 6 lb Model 1841 (1,500 yards), the 10 lb parrot (2,000 yards), and the 3 inch Ordnance rifle (1,800 yards.)

The lack of range would be a serious liablity on open ground versus other artillery, but the mountain howitzer was designed for rugged terrain, often forested. It was meant for close support and it was unlikely in its intended use that there would even be any normal field artillery present or at least having a clear field of fire against it at a range exceeding that of the mountain howitzer. Of course, the short range also meant that snipers and skirmishers could often target the cannoneers as well, so servicing the piece during battle often meant direct exposure to infantry fire.

The reduced ammo capacity meant that unless reserve ammunition was available (unlikely on a raid), an actively engaged piece would run short of ammo in only a half hour or so of continuous firing. So staying power was not an asset for this weapon.

Where were they used? Mountain howitzers had been used before the Civil War during the Mexican War. Both sides used the mountain howitzer throughout the Civil War. Approximately 440 were produced by the U.S. The CSA's Tredegar foundry apparently produced 20 or so. After the war the continued utility of these pieces in frontier service was recognized and a few were again produced by the U.S.

The mountain howitzers were most often used in the Western and trans-Mississippi theaters where rough terrain and lack of forage made them handy. They were present on both sides at Pea Ridge and were used at Prairie Grove. Some saw severe service at Chickamauga. They were also used in the battles in the Indian territories during the ACW. Eight were brought along on the CSA's ill fated New Mexico invasion. Some were used in marshy/swampy terrain as well since it was easier to move them packed than regular artillery on wheels.

In the East one of the earliest uses of these cannon was at Ball's Bluff. This was a disastrous Federal raid across the Potomac that included two mountain howitzers transferred by rowboat (as well as a James rifle.) It is of note that the men serving the James rifle fled and it was then brought into action by the Union general and other field grade officers serving the piece!

Morgan's cavalry also used mountain howitzers.

In a link below there is rather extensive listing of use of these weapons in the ACW.

Sources for this description include:
1. James C. Hazlett, Edwin Olmstead, and M. Hume Parks, eds., Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War (University of Illinois Press, 2004 Revised Edition)
2. Dean S. Thomas, Cannons: An Introduction to Civil War Artillery (Thomas Publications, 1985)
3. Bull Pup: The 1841 Mountain Howitzer by Steven Grizzell
4. Jack Coggins, Arms and Equipment of the Civil War (Broadfoot Publishing Company, 2004)
5. U.S. War Dept, The 1864 Field Artillery Tactics (Stackpole Books, 2005)
6. James A. Morgan III, A Little Short of Boats: The Fights at Ball's Bluff and Edwards Ferry (Ironclad Publishing, 2004)