Canon de 12 Gribeauval

Canon de 12 Gribeauval
Canon de 12 Gribeauval, An 2 de la République ("Year II of the Republic", i.e. 1793-1794), Les Invalides
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	France
Wars	American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars
Production history
Designer	Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval
Designed	1765
Specifications
Weight	2,172 lb (985 kg)
Barrel length	7 ft 7 in (231 cm)
Crew	15 men, 6 horses
Caliber	121 mm (4.8 in)
Barrels	1
Carriage	2,192 lb (994 kg)
Rate of fire	1 round per minute
Effective firing range	Shot: 900 m Canister: 600 m
Maximum firing range	1,800 m (1,969 yd)

The Canon de 12 Gribeauval or 12-pounder was a French cannon and part of the system developed by Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval. There were 1.079 English pounds in the Old French pound (French: livre), making the weight of shot nearly 13 English pounds. The 12-pounder was the heaviest cannon in the French field artillery; the others were the light Canon de 4 Gribeauval and the medium Canon de 8 Gribeauval. Superseding the previous Vallière system, the Gribeauval system was adopted in 1765 and its guns were first used during the American Revolutionary War. The greatest use of Gribeauval guns came during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. During the latter wars, the 12-pounder was often employed in corps artillery reserves. 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). Gribeauval cannons fired canister shot for close-range work and round shot at more distant targets. In 1803 the Year XI system was introduced, but it only partly replaced the Gribeauval system which was not completely replaced until the Valée system was set up in 1829.

The Gribeauval system, and the Canon de 12, was first used for major operations in the American Revolutionary War, in Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau's French expeditionary corps, from 1780 to late 1782, and especially at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. The system had been adopted by the French army on 15 October 1765 but kept secret from foreign powers and conservative officers of the French Royal Army. 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. In the event, the 1-pounder was quickly abandoned. The Canon de 12 Gribeauval was used extensively during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.