Also known as: grasshopper.
| Type | Light bronze field gun |
|---|---|
| Era | Eighteenth century |
| Nickname | For hopping on firing |
A light gun of an older war
The grasshopper was a light bronze field gun of the eighteenth century, a small piece that could be carried by hand or on light carriages. Its nickname came from the way so light a gun jumped, or hopped, on its mount when fired.
Guns of this kind belonged to the artillery of the Revolutionary era rather than the Civil War, and the term is part of the longer history of American light field artillery.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: cannon identification pages, manuals, and reports.