| Canon de 8 Gribeauval | |
|---|---|
 The Canon de 8 Gribeauval, was the intermediate size between the Canon de 12 Gribeauval (left) and the Canon de 4 Gribeauval (right). | |
| 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 | |
| Mass | 1,286 lb (583 kg) |
| Barrel length | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) |
| Crew | 13 men, 4 horses |
| Caliber | 100 mm (3.9 in) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Carriage | 1,851 lb (840 kg) |
| Rate of fire | 2 rounds per minute |
| Effective firing range | Shot: 800 m Canister: 550 m |
| Maximum firing range | 1,500 m (1,640 yd) |
The Canon de 8 Gribeauval or 8-pounder was a French cannon and part of the Gribeauval system developed by Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval. The Old French pound (French: livre) was 1.07916 English pounds, making the weight of shot about 8.633 English pounds (or 8 lb 10 oz). The 8-pounder was the medium weight cannon of the French field artillery; the others were the light Canon de 4 Gribeauval and the heavy Canon de 12 Gribeauval. Replacing the older Vallière system, the Gribeauval system was introduced in 1765 and the guns were first employed during the American Revolutionary War. The most extensive use of Gribeauval guns was during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The 8-pounder could be found in divisional reserves, advanced guards or army artillery reserves. Emperor Napoleon began to phase out the 8-pounder by increasing the proportion of 12-pounders in his artillery. The emperor began switching calibers to the handier 6-pounder piece, utilizing captured guns as well as newly designed French cannons. The Year XI system began in 1803, but it only partly replaced the Gribeauval system which was not entirely suppressed until the Valée system was introduced in 1829.