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How do guns, howitzers, and mortars differ in their firing trajectories?
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artillery
Learn about the types of artillery used in the American Civil War.
In military artillery, weapons are categorized by their design and the specific firing trajectories they employ:
- Guns: These are cannon designed specifically to fire projectiles along a flat trajectory.1
- Howitzers: These are shorter pieces engineered to throw explosive shells in an arcing trajectory.1
- Mortars: These are very short weapons designed for high-trajectory fire, typically at elevations greater than 45 degrees. This high-angle capability allows them to drop bombs into protected areas, such as enemy trenches.12
While guns prioritize a direct, flat path, howitzers and mortars utilize varying degrees of curved trajectories to reach targets that may be obscured or shielded from direct fire.12