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These weapons were designed specifically for used by cadets at military academies and were not intended for actual field service.
They were smaller and lighter than service model 6 Pdr guns, and were mounted on non-standard reduced size carriages.
They were used by the Arkansas and Georgia Military Institutes, and most notable by the Virginia Military Institute.
The V.M.I. guns were christened the "Four Apostles" (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) by William Pendleton because "they spoke a powerful language."
Thomas (later "Stonewall") Jackson used the Four Apostles to teach artillery principles to his V.M.I. students.
At the outbreak of war, a shortage of artillery in the South caused the Four Apostles to be assigned to William Pendleton's battery, the The Rockbridge Artillery.
They saw service with that battery for several years before being returned to Richmond, where they were captured at the end of the war.
After the war they were returned to V.M.I. where they remain today.
The 6 Pdr Bronze Cadet Gun was manufactured by Cyrus Alger & Co., of Boston, Massachussetts.
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