!½ to 4lb er light pieces were very popular in Africa- most originated as ships guns (for use in the crows nest) or from Turkey where the 'Cammel' troops used them. The Turkish guns had a flint lock side ignition but the ex naval pieces were fired by using a slow match. Mostly they were used as oversized 'buck shot' guns. In Africa .50 cal balls were pretty much standard. In Turkey they used larger shot (more effective on horses and camels)- I gather a charge by Camel mounted troops was much harder to stop than a similar horse charge. The only thing other than buck shot (small grape shot) that they ever fired was incendiary shot of one form or another. In a land where the 'natives' houses were made from thin wooden forms covered with thatch (grass)...if you could punch a hole through the wooden stockade that typically surrounded most villages and set a hunt alight, the whole village would go up.
the best example of this occurred in 1893 when the matebele with limited support by some Boers equipped with a 2lb and 4lb light cannon attacked the 'tswana military village of palape. The Matebele were only equipped with spears and the 'Tswana mostly had guns. about half of the 'Tswana were also horse mounted whereas only the Boers had horses on the other side. The 'Tswana retreated into the town and secured the gate, confident that the combination of deep ditch, high stockade, superior numbers and firearms would keep them safe. The Boers set the town alight though and in the confusion the 'tswana lost everybody in the blase or killed as they tried to jump over the stockade. They lost nearly 100,000 men women and children to 12,000 matebele and 20 Boers.
