Twelve-pound cannon

They formed the main armament of smaller frigates, and were used on the upper decks of larger vessels, where their relatively lighter weight would not be a problem.

They were commonly found on the quarterdeck of British ships of the line such as HMS Victory, though their main weapons were the larger 24- and 32-pound cannons, capable of shattering the hulls of enemy warships and killing the gun crews with a deadly shower of splinters.

[6] In 1853, France introduced the Canon obusier de 12, a 12-pounder capable of using either shells, shot or canisters.

Napoleon cannon remained in service during the Victorian period,[7] seeing action in the American Civil War.

These fired shells and shot that weighed between 10 and 300 pounds, though the Napoleons remained the most common field guns in Confederate hands.