The Napoleon 1857 cannon was high tech for its time. Now you can see this old girl in action right here.
The Napoleon 1857 was ahead of its time during the Civil War and changed a lot of the way it was fought. Certainly, some Civil War buffs might take issue with the way these guys are using it, but they're just trying to show what it can do.
Here' s what it looks like in action:
The Smithsonian Channel said in the video: "Before the Civil War, the Napoleon 1857 was considered the best piece of smooth bore light artillery on the battlefield."
That thing isn't very accurate, though!
While purists will see a few problems with the way they were firing the old beast (like using a fuse and a torch to light it), that was just for the purpose of giving a demonstration. Still it seems like if you're going to film firing such a historical piece, you may as well get a proper crew and do it right.
In any event, thanks to the Smithsonian Channel for sharing this great video!
https://rumble.com/embed/u7gve.v3tr9n/
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