Also known as: 8-inch mortar.
| Type | Heavy siege mortar |
|---|---|
| Bore | 8 inches |
| Fire | High-angle plunging fire |
| Role | Siege bombardment |
A siege-train mortar
The 8-inch siege mortar was one of the mortars of the heavy siege train, throwing an 8-inch shell in a high, plunging arc over the enemy's parapets. Smaller than the 10-inch siege mortar, it was still a substantial bombardment weapon fired from a heavy bed.
In the siege lines the 8-inch and 10-inch mortars dropped their shells among works, troops, and magazines that direct fire could not reach.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.