There were many different types of artillery used by the Confederates and the Union during the Civil War. One type of cannon was the Howitzer. The could fire it's ammunition in more of an arc form, but it would fire a shorter distance. This did have an advantage when used during the seige of a fort. It could possibly fire over the walls better than other cannons. It fired shells and other explosive items as ammunition. Another type was the Parrot cannon. It was an unreliable type of artillery. This was because that the bore would usually weaken, causing the cannon to explode. A favorite among artillery workers was the Napoleon. The cannon was smooth-bored and had a bronze barrel. It usually lasted longer than other types. One type of ammunition used by the cannons was called the "hotshot" cannonball. This was an incendary device that could set fire to many items when it hit the target. Cannonballs were good for hitting closely-knit groups. Another type of ammunition was the canister shot. It fired nearly 30 30 lead balls at once. The lead balls were about the size of musket balls. Case shots were another type of artillery ammunition. They would fire cannonballs filled with sharp metal. They were also known as shrapnel cannonballs. They were named this after Henry Shrapnel. One type of shrapnel used would have a fuse to explode in the air above the enemy. This was devastating because the shrapnel would cut them. The wounds would then get infected because of poor antistetics, causing the men to die of infections. The other shrapnel type would explode when it met a target. Most of the fuses for shrapnels were made of paper, soft metal, or wood. Though they were often unreliable because they would explode too quickly. Today, shrapnel refers to a fragment of a bullet or shell. Many of the artillery leapt at least a foot back when fired. The gunners them selves could be injured or killed in the recoil. The blasts of the cannons could also deafen the gunners. Each large gun traveled behind a limber. The artillery usually moved with a legion called a battery. The Northern batteries usually carried two Howitzers and four other cannons. An example of the artillery's effectiveness is at Malvern Hill. The Confederates appeared to be winning until the artillery's large cannon was set-up. It literally decimated regiment after regiment of Confederates soldiers.
