| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Is Uk: | yes |
| 3-pounder Whitworth rifle | |
| Used By: | United States |
| Wars: | American Civil War |
| Part Length: | 6 ft |
| Weight: | 208 lbs |
| Range: | 9,500 yards (9,688 claimed) |
| Breech: | 1.5 inches |
| Designer: | Joseph Whitworth |
| Manufacturer: | Joseph Whitworth |
The 3-pounder Whitworth rifle was a small caliber field gun deployed during the mid-19th century. Designed by Joseph Whitworth, the gun was most notably used during the American Civil War.
The 3-pdr rifle was designed by British manufacturer Joseph Whitworth in the early 1850s. Along with Whitworth's 12-pdr rifle, the artillery piece was considered for adoption by the British government's Board of Ordnance, eventually losing out to the Armstrong gun.[1] During the American Civil War the weapon was imported and saw service in the Union army and possibly[2] in the Confederate army. In service, the rifle was sometimes referred to as a mountain gun, though this might stem from a confusion over caliber sizes.[3]
From a design standpoint, the weapon was unique. Like all of Whitworth's designs, the weapon had a hexagon-ally rifled barrel. It was also a breechloader, an unusual feature for the time. The piece had exceptional range and accuracy, being capable of firing a 3-pound shell over 9,500 yards.[4] However, the small size of the shell limited its bursting charge, consequently reducing the number of fragments formed when the shell detonated. According to a 1860 New York Times article covering Whitworth's weapons, the relatively small 3-pdr had superior range compared to his larger rifled guns.[5]