Grasshopper cannon

• Name — Grasshopper cannon • Origin — Kingdom of Great Britain • Type — Field gun (light battalion gun) • Is Artillery — yes • Service — c. 1770s–early 19th century • Used By — Kingdom of Great Britain Sultanate of Mysore • Wars — War of the Regulation; American Revolutionary War; War of 1812 • Manufacturer — Royal Arsenal (Woolwich) and contractors • Design Date — late 18th century • Production Date — late 18th century • Mass — c. 200 lb (c. 90 kg) (barrel; varies by pattern) • Part Length — c. 37 in (c. 94 cm) (barrel; varies by pattern) • Caliber — 3-pounder (firing a ~3 lb / 1.4 kg Round shot) • Cartridge — Round shot; grapeshot; canister shot • Carriage — Bracket/Split trail carriage with detachable shafts (manhandled by crew) or towed by a limber • Range — c. 400–800 yd (c. 370–730 m) (varies with elevation and charge)

Grasshopper guns were commonly described in contemporary usage as "brass" guns, but were typically cast in bronze (a copper–tin alloy). The higher strength of bronze allowed thinner construction than comparable iron guns and, in the event of a catastrophic failure, a bronze piece was more likely to split rather than shatter.

The weapon was intended to be highly mobile for close infantry support. In British service in North America, light 3-pounders were moved by their crews using ropes and wooden shafts in a handcart-like manner, and could also be towed when fitted to a limber system. One documented set of informal terms distinguished a 3-pounder pulled by a limber ("butterfly") from a configuration in which shafts attached directly to the carriage ("grasshopper"); the nicknames were discouraged in official returns.

The gun fired a 3-pound (about 1.4 kg) solid iron ball and could also fire anti-personnel ammunition such as grape or canister, with ammunition often prepared as fixed cartridges (powder charge attached to the projectile) for rapid loading. A well-drilled crew could maintain a relatively high rate of fire for a field piece in this class.

In 1771 at the Battle of Alamance, William Tryon and his men had 2, 3 pounder grasshopper cannons as well as several swivel guns. Their use proved decisive in the battle and the regulators were routed. This was the first major armed rebellion against the British since Bacon's Rebellion.

Light British 3-pounders were employed as battalion guns in the American Revolutionary War. At the Battle of Cowpens (1781), two British light 3-pounder "grasshopper" cannons accompanied Tarleton’s force and were captured near the end of the action. At the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781), British 3-pounder "grasshopper" cannons provided covering fire as the British advanced into contact.

A light "grasshopper" cannon was used on the southern Appalachian frontier during the Chickamauga Wars. In the Battle of Flint Creek (January 10, 1789), John Sevier initiated the attack with the discharge of a grasshopper cannon, but reported that the defenders of the encampment "killed the people who were serving our artillery." Sevier also wrote that militia ammunition had been "much damaged by the snow" during the march through heavy snow and extreme cold, prompting him to abandon prolonged gunfire and shift to close combat.

Verbruggen-pattern 3-pounders remained in use into the War of 1812 in British and provincial service in Canada, including documented employment in operations along the Niagara and St. Lawrence corridors. At the Battle of Queenston Heights (1812), provincial artillery units were equipped with 3-pounders described in contemporary/near-contemporary accounts as "grasshopper" artillery.

Surviving British bronze 3-pounders of Verbruggen-related patterns are held in multiple museum collections in North America, including examples identified as Townshend- and Congreve-pattern guns.