| abstract | - The Field Gun is generally considered to be the smallest of standard artillery pieces, designed specifically for manoeuvrability and support of infantry. The carriage itself (particularly during the Napoleonic Wars) was given larger wheels than would otherwise be mounted onto the carriage, improving the turning circle and speed of the Field Gun around the field. The Field Gun has evolved to use a variety of caliber and ammunition types. From the original iron cannon balls to the emergence of shells the Field Gun has evolved to fire virtually any type of ammunition at infantry within a reasonable range. A Field Gun is often referred to, wrongly, as a Howitzer the difference being that the Howitzer is capable of being aimed at any angle, while the Field Gun was normally limited to the range of adjustment on it's carriage.
- The Field Gun has come out in the following versions:
- A field gun is an artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march and when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances (field artillery), as to opposed guns installed in a fort (garrison artillery/coastal artillery), or to siege cannon or mortars which were too large to be moved quickly, and would be used only in a prolonged siege. Perhaps the most famous use of the field gun in terms of advanced tactics was Napoleon's use of very large wheels on the guns that allowed them to be moved quickly even during a battle. By moving the guns from point to point during the battle, enemy formations could be broken up to be handled by the infantry wherever they were massing, dramatically increasing the overall effectiveness of the infantry.
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