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Whitworth

The Whitworth was a Civil War artillery piece that was imported from England by both sides during the Civil War.

Only the South actually used this gun during the war however.

Whitworth cannon

It was a rifled Civil War cannon that fired an elongated 12-pound shell.

There was one thing about this gun that made it so unusual. The unusual thing was that it was a breechloader.

Most every other gun during this time period were muzzle loaders.

This really made this weapon stand out and is the forerunner to today’s modern artillery.

The gun was extremely accurate and could fire a solid shot beyond 2,800 yards. The guns also made a distinctive shrill as the shot flew overhead.

This gun certainly had its problems though. The main problem with this gun was the fact that breech loaders were in their infancy at this time so there were a lot of mechanical difficulties with the breech mechanism on the gun.

This made it unpopular with both sides during the conflict and is the reason why it was a rarity on any battlefield.

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