M1841 12-pound Howitzer - 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: WM9E2X
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/08/2010
Views: 6
An information card near this cannon reads:
M1841 12-pound Howitzer
1847
The howitzer was designed for firing explosive shells with a relatively small powder charge. The inside of the barrel has two diameters - a narrow one at the breech end for the powder charge and a wider one at the muzzle end for the shell. Howitzers were largely replaced in the Union Army by the Napoleon early in the Civil War. This howitzer was made by the Ames Company in 1847.
This howitzer "tube" is mounted without its carriage. The vast majority of carriages that are seen throughout the world of 19th century artillery has been completely replaced and rebuilt. The wood of the carriage tends to be completely worn away by time. A new trend that is seen in many National Park Service sites is to replace the carriage with one made of metal, either steel or aluminum. As is here, the true piece of interest is the tube, and the carriage left to the elements will have to be replaced after a certain amount of time.
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.