Federal 12-Pounder Canister

Originally published May 2023 · pp. 25

Federal 12-Pounder Canister — lead photograph from the original article

Top plate Solder seam

Cast iron shot

Grooves to tie cartridge bag on to Wooden sabot Bottom plate

Diameter: 4.50 inches (left), 4.45 inches (right) Bore Diameter: 4.62 inches

Length: 8.05 inches (left), 5.37 inches (right) Weight: 14.6 pounds (left), 10.4 pounds (right)

This is the most common 12-pounder canister used during the Civil War. It was intended to be fired from a 12-pounder smoothbore cannon such as the Model 1857 Napoleon. The standard 12-pounder cast iron canister balls ranged from 1.46 to 1.49 inches in diameter with a mean weight of .43 pound (6.88 ounces) each. Twenty-seven cast iron canister balls were stacked in four layers, packed in sawdust, with the top center ball omitted so the iron top plate would fit properly. The 12-pounder canister had an initial muzzle velocity of 1,262 feet per second with a 2 pound service charge when fired from a 12-pounder field gun. The non-excavated canister on the left is courtesy The Atlanta History Center, Thomas S. Dickey Sr. Civil War Collection; the canister on the right is reassembled from battlefield recoveries.