Because of their physical and psychological effect, Emperor Napoleon increased the number of 12-pounders in his artillery and fondly called the cannons his belles filles (beautiful daughters).

The system included 4-, 8- and 12-pounder field pieces, the Obusier de 6 pouces Gribeauval (6-inch howitzer), and the 1-pounder light cannon.

Despite this, the army's chief artillery officer Joseph Florent Vallière rigidly opposed upgrades to his father's system.

[4] Stubborn resistance by Vallière and other reactionaries held back the full adoption of the new system until 1776.

Gribeauval designed lighter gun barrels and the carriages, so that his cannons were about half the weight of the Vallière pieces.

Other innovations were an elevating screw, a calibrated rear gunsight and interchangeable parts for gun carriages.

[7] In 1829 France adopted the Valée system which reduced the calibers of field artillery to 8- and 12-pound cannons and 24-pound and 6-inch howitzers.

[8] Six artillerists were adequate to serve a cannon, but to achieve maximum rates of fire larger crews were needed.

Additional crewmen brought fresh ammunition to load, kept matches burning and the touch hole clear, repositioned the gun after firing, observed the fall of shot, drove the ammunition wagon (caisson) and held the horses.

[15] One source stated that the barrel of the 12-pounder weighed 1,800 pounds (816 kg) or 150 times the projectile weight.

[17] A second authority stated that the width of the bore was 121 millimetres (4.8 in) and the barrel length was 7 feet 7 inches (2.3 m).

[19] French 8- and 12-pounders used a special arrangement where the barrel of the cannon was shifted backward about four calibers in order to better distribute the weight while the gun was being moved.

[7] By the First French Republic, artillery was recognized as one of the three main combat arms, alongside infantry and cavalry.

[14] Under Napoleon batteries usually included eight pieces and the 12-pounder was often employed in army and corps artillery reserves.

If compelled to unlimber under fire, a battery approached its selected position from a flank to present the thinnest target.

Round shot was most effective when used against troops formed in column and to a lesser extent against those deployed in line.

Most soldiers despised long-range artillery fire because they could not shoot back with shorter-ranged muskets.

The British protected their troops from round shot by placing them behind ridgelines when possible, but all other nations normally posted their soldiers in the open.

A canister round contained a large number of musket balls that, when fired, spread out and flew in the direction of the target.