Early US Army Napoleons at Petersburg National Battlefield
US Army 12-Pounder Napoleon, Ames Number 12, is displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield
Two early examples of US Army 12-Pounder "Napoleons" are displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield. Having handles above their trunnions, they are among the first examples of the 12-Pounder, Light, Pattern 1857 manufactured for the US Army. According to the registry in Olmstead et al., Petersburg National Battlefield displays Ames Manufacturing Numbers 1 and 12. Number 12, cast in 1861, is displayed outside. Ames Number 1, cast in 1857, is part of a display of the detritus of battle in the visitor's center.
The two Napoleons are:
US Army 12-Pounder Bronze Field Gun, Light, Pattern 1857, Ames Manufacturing Co. Number 1, cast in 1857. Number 1 weighs 1,187 pounds.
US Army 12-Pounder Bronze Field Gun, Light, Pattern 1857, Ames Manufacturing Co. Number 12, cast in 1861. Number 12 weighs 1,230 pounds.
Ames Number 1 is the oldest surviving 12-Pounder Napoleon.
12-Pounder Napoleon - Ames Number 1 - cast in 1857
The First Napoleon - (June 2nd, 2026 Update): The first US Army 12-Pounder Napoleon is displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield. Cast by Ames in Chicopee, Massachusetts in 1857, it bears on its muzzle registry number 1. Modeled on "gun-howitzers" which had been introduced in the armies of France and other European nations, it was ordered in December of 1856.
Number 1 was accepted by the US Army in March of 1857. It weighed 1,187 pounds. According to Hazlett, Olmstead, and Parks, Number 1 was found to be unsatisfactory on trials. The next order to Ames in May of 1857 for four additional "12-pounder guns (Bronze) new pattern, modified" saw the type lengthened by three inches. This increased the weight by about 40 pounds. The modification apparently proved successful as these four "Napoleons" were the model for all of those subsequently produced for the US Army. (Number 2 from this order survives at Fort Niagara.)
These first five Napoleons would be all that the US Army had in inventory at the beginning of 1861. By the end of the war, over 1,150 more were produced. The handles over the trunnions were eliminated from the design by the end of 1861. An example of an 1861 Napoleon with handles, Ames Number 12, may be seen outside of the Visitors Center at Petersburg.
At just over 1,200 pounds, the 12-Pounder Napoleon was a good deal heavier than the 6-Pounders (about 880 pounds) and 12-Pounder howitzers (about 790 pounds) which it replaced in US Army field artillery batteries. However, it was also far lighter than the pervious pattern US Army 12-Pounder field gun (about 1,750 pounds). It managed to combine the best qualities of all three types.
Ames Number 1, cast in 1857
