| M1841 6-pounder field gun | |
|---|---|
 M1841 6-pounder field gun at Antietam National Battlefield | |
| Type | Smoothbore cannon |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1841–1868 |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | Mexican–American War American Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Cyrus Alger & Co. N. P. Ames |
| Produced | 1841 |
| No. built | over 1,100 |
| Variants | 1835, 1838, 1840 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 880 lb (399.2 kg) |
| Length | 60.0 in (152.4 cm) |
| Crew | 9 |
| Shell weight | 6.1 lb (2.8 kg) shot 1.25 lb (0.6 kg) charge |
| Caliber | 3.67 in (93 mm) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Muzzle loading |
| Carriage | 900 lb (408.2 kg) |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,439 ft/s (439 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1,523 yd (1,393 m) |
The M1841 6-pounder field gun was a bronze smoothbore muzzleloading cannon that was adopted by the United States Army in 1841 and used from the Mexican–American War to the American Civil War. It fired a 6.1 lb (2.8 kg) round shot up to a distance of 1,523 yd (1,393 m) at 5° elevation. It could also fire canister shot and spherical case shot (shrapnel). The cannon proved very effective when employed by light artillery units during the Mexican–American War. The cannon was used during the early years of the American Civil War, but it was soon outclassed by newer field guns such as the M1857 12-pounder Napoleon. In the U.S. Army, the 6-pounders were replaced as soon as more modern weapons became available and none were manufactured after 1862. However, the Confederate States Army continued to use the cannon for a longer period because the lesser industrial capacity of the South could not produce new guns as fast as the North.