page_title: Siege artillery in the American Civil War
section_title: Pre-war siege artillery
hierarchical_section_title: Siege artillery in the American Civil War / Pre-war siege artillery
caption_attribution_description: Line Engraving of 24-pdr siege gun on carriage in traveling position
context_page_description: Siege artillery is heavy artillery primarily used in military attacks on fortified positions. At the time of the American Civil War, the U.S. Army classified its artillery into three hundred varied types, depending on the gun's weight and intended use. Field artillery were light pieces that often traveled with the armies. Siege and garrison artillery were heavy pieces that could be used either in attacking or defending fortified places. Seacoast artillery were the heaviest pieces and were intended to be used in permanent fortifications along the seaboard. They were primarily designed to fire on attacking warships. The distinctions are somewhat arbitrary, as field, siege and garrison, and seacoast artillery were all used in various attacks and defenses of fortifications.
  The weight and size of siege artillery prevented it from regularly travelling with the armies. When needed, siege artillery and other material needed for siege operations were assembled into what was called a siege train and transported to the army. In the American Civil War, the siege train was always transported to the area of the siege by water.
context_section_description: Prior to the war, the U.S. Army had a variety of iron smoothbore siege guns (12-pounders, 18-pounders and 24-pounders) and howitzers (24-pounder and 8-inch) (Gibbon 1863, pp. 54–59). None of these pieces were used during the war as siege artillery. The advent of rifled artillery made them obsolete.
caption: Model 1839 siege gun in travelling position with limber.
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