| Caliber | Elevation | Range in yards |
|---|---|---|
| 18-pounder siege and garrison | 5° 0" | 1,592 |
| 24-pounder siege and garrison | 5° 0" | 1,901 |
| 32-pounder seacoast | 5° 0" | 1,922 |
| 42-pounder seacoast | 5° 0" | 1,955 |
| 8-inch Columbiad | 27° 30" | 4,812 |
| 10-inch Columbiad | 39° 15" | 5,654 |
| 12-inch Columbiad | 39° 0" | 5,506 |
Ranges of United States naval smoothbores of 1866
| Caliber | Point-blank range in yards | Elevation | Range in yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32-pounder of 42 cwt | 313" | 5° | 1,756 |
| 8-inch of 63 cwt | 330" | 5° | 1,770 |
| IX-inch shell gun | 350" | 15° | 3,450 |
| X-inch shell gun | 340" | 11° | 3,000 |
| XI-inch shell gun | 295" | 15° | 2,650 |
| XV-inch shell gun | 300" | 7° | 2,100 |
Ranges of United States naval rifles in 1866
| Caliber | Elevation | Range in yards |
|---|---|---|
| 20-pounder Parrott | 15° | 4,400 |
| 30-pounder Parrott | 25° | 6,700 |
| 100-pounder Parrott | 25° | 7,180 |
In accuracy and range the rifle of the 1860's far surpassed the smoothbores, but such tremendous advances were made in the next few decades with the introduction of new propellants and steel guns that the performances of the old rifles no longer seem remarkable. In the eighteenth century, a 24-pounder smoothbore could develop a muzzle velocity of about 1,700 feet per second. The 12-inch rifled cannon of the late 1800's had a muzzle velocity of 2,300 foot-seconds. In 1900, the Secretary of the Navy proudly reported that the new 12-inch guns for Maine-class battleships produced a muzzle velocity of 2,854 foot-seconds, using an 850-pound projectile and a charge of 360 pounds of smokeless powder. Such statistics elicit a chuckle from today's artilleryman.
SIEGE CANNON
Field counterpart of the garrison cannon was the siege gun—the "battering cannon" of the old days, mounted upon a two-wheeled siege or "traveling" carriage that could be moved about in field terrain. Whereas the purpose of the garrison cannon was to destroy the attacker and his matériel, the siege cannon was intended to destroy the fort. Calibers ranged from 3- to 42-pounders in eighteenth century English tables, but the 18- and 24-pounders seem to have been the most widely used for siege operations.
