M1857 12-pound Gun-Howitzer "Napoleon" (s/n 15) - Field Artillery Museum - Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Posted by: gparkes
N 34° 39.943 W 098° 23.111
14S E 556330 N 3836145
The Field Artillery Museum located at Fort Sill in Oklahoma has a lot of very interesting items just waiting to be discovered by you.
Waymark Code: WM9DNY
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/06/2010
Views: 5
An information card near this cannon reads:
M1857 12-pound Gun-Howitzer, "Napoleon"
1861
Named for its developer, Emperor Napoleon III of France, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, the 12-lb. Napoleon was the most commonly used gun of the Civil War. This gun, serial number 15, was made by the Ames Company in 1861 and is one of the estimated first thirty-six produced. The distinctive handles on top of the barrel were eliminated from all later Napoleons soon after the beginning of the war.
A visitor to almost any Civil War battlefield will have a Napoleon on display. The pure amount of remaining Napoleon cannons demonstrates the sheer numbers of cannons around during the war. In its part, it was responsible for a share of the 630,000 American's who died shaping this nation into a united country.
Admission is free, and access to Fort Sill can be done through the visitor's gate. Be sure to have your license, registration and proof of insurance available, because you are almost certain to be asked for. From the gate, you can ask for direction. At you first stop, you can get a map of important sites on the base. Be sure to go to plan additional time to go to the Indian Cemeteries. There you will find the graves of different Indian Tribes, including Geranimo. There are many sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, from the old fort, cemeteries, and aviation related locations. Fort Sill can easily be a place to visit for a couple hours, or for the entire day.