Iron, brass, and bronze, mainly. There may have been some steel in the artillery pieces, too. The carriage of the piece was made of tough wood.
Modern day artillery in the present century is highly sophisticated, has advanced power and advanced accuracy. The US Civil War, 1861 to 1865, clearly did not use "modern day" artillery.
howitzer artillery peices were not used in the civil war they actually started production in 1963 so no they werent in the civil war
Generally speaking, artillery in the US Civil War was used in the most effective manner by concentrating their fire at targeted units of enemy forces. They lost their effectiveness if the guns were distributed piecemeal along an infantry line. The targeted focus became even more effective if the artillery pieces could be coordinated into a cross fire against prime enemy targets. As battlefield situations often changed rapidly, this called for commanders to agree on what targets the combined cross fires should be used.
Only if they are celebrating 4th of July (Independence day) so yes, they can be used for fun. There are even pieces of music that include places for artillery rounds to be fired, the most famous is the 1812 Overture.
While both sides used all the weapons they could get, the mortar was used more against fixed positions, such as a fort or City, where artillery pieces were used in rapidly changing battles (they were more mobile). The Union Army used a 13 inch mortar during the siege of Petersburg VA.
The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle loading rifled artillery weapon used in the American Civil War. It was invented by Robert Parker Parrott.
a weapon used in the war
The Confederate Artillery under the command of Col Alexander numbered some 150 pieces, mostly 12 pound Napoleon smoothbores and a lesser amount of 3 inch parrot rifled cannon. The Union Artillery, under the command of General Hunt, numbered some 230 pieces more or less with most being the 3 inch rifles.
They used balloons for aerial reconnaissance (spying on each other) & artillery adjustments (Artillery spotting).
An artillery volley is a military tactic where a group of artillery pieces fire simultaneously or in rapid succession. It is typically used to deliver a concentrated and overwhelming amount of firepower on a specific target or area. The purpose of an artillery volley is to suppress the enemy, inflict casualties, and create chaos or confusion on the battlefield.
The artillery used pro-slavary rebels in the Civil War was usually two tone. The barrel was painted black and the wooden frame work was usually painted dark green.