Also known as: field howitzer.
| Trajectory | Higher angle than the gun |
|---|---|
| Charge | Lighter than the gun's |
| Projectile | Shell, case, and canister |
| Role | Reaching sheltered targets |
Plunging fire between gun and mortar
The howitzer was a short cannon that combined some of the qualities of the gun and the mortar. With a lighter charge and a higher angle of fire than the gun, it lofted a comparatively large, thin-walled shell to reach troops and positions behind cover, while remaining mobile enough to serve in the field.
Bronze field howitzers of 12-, 24-, and 32-pounder size served in the prewar batteries, and the howitzer's role of throwing shell was later combined with the gun's in the Napoleon gun-howitzer.
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.
- Gibbon, John. The Artillerist's Manual. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1860.