The Williams gun was first employed during the battle of seven pines may 31 1862 it was the first gun of its time to be used successfully in battle.It was invented by a man named Captain D.R Williams CSA of Covington Kentucky the extreme range of this weapon a half pounder with a bore of 1.57 inches and a four foot barrel was 2,000 yards. The Williams gun was crewed by three men and they say that it could be fired sixty-five rounds per minute. The gunner turned the crank and aimed the piece simultaneously, the loader dropped the cartridge into the action as the breech opened and the capper placed the cap on the nipple.We are now working on making our williams gun fire and will soon be posting a video on this page.

This cannon is breechloading.