4 Pound French Cannon
date: label: date made
content: 1751
label: associated date
content: 1751
notes: label: Description
content: French made cannon designed to fire 4 pound solid shot. The inscription on the barrel reads: "IUNON/UTLIMA RATIO REGUM/LOUIS CHARLES de BOURBON COMTE D'EN DUC D'AUMALE/DE 4 PLURIBUS NEC IMTAR/J BERENGER FECIT DUACI 22 JULI 175*1" which translates "The ultimate judgement of kings is Juno....For the many, not for the lower regions of Hell/made by J. Berenger at Duaci 22 July, 1751."
label: Description
content: The donor's family believed that this four pounder field gun was one of the guns presented to the United States by the Marquis de Lafayette in 1780. Research indicates it is far more likely this cannon was purchased by the state of Virginia or South Carolina. The Lafayette cannons were actually 12 pounder howitzers mounted on field carriages.
label: Description
content: This field cannon was characterized by a high degree of mobility on the battlefield. The large wheels allowed commanders to position and aim it in the field. The trajectory of the field cannon was flat--essentially, the cannon fires in the direction it is pointed--unlike howitzers which are designed for indirect fire, or shooting over obstacles.
place: label: place made
content: France
label: Associated Place
content: France
topic: label: related event
content: American Revolution
label: related event
content: Revolution and the New Nation
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.12182
label: catalog number
content: 12182
label: accession number
content: 54996
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Cannon
label: Other Terms
content: Cannon; Firearms; H; 3.50 In; Smooth Bore; Muzzle Load; Sa
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 149 in x 76 in; x 378.46 cm x 193.04 cm