Dictator: The 13-Inch Mortar of Petersburg
In 1864 a 13-Inch Seacoast Mortar, Pattern 1861, was used by the United States Army in the siege of Petersburg. The mortar was mounted on a railcar - named the Petersburg Express - and used against Confederate fortifications. The fame of this heavy mortar may be greater than it's impact upon the siege. Whether the "Dictator" is among the approximately thirty 13-Inch Mortars which survive to the present is a matter of conjecture.
The 6.4-Inch Brooke at Historic Tredegar
A Double Banded 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle is displayed outside of Historic Tredegar Ironworks in Richmond, Virginia where it was originally manufactured in 1862.
The Brooke in Richmond is marked with the Tredegar foundry number 1633 and as weighing 9,400 pounds as manufactured. Number 1633 was cast at Tredegar on or about July 26th, 1862.
The Whitworth Rifles of the Naval Battery on Morris Island
Four 5-Inch Whitworth Muzzle Loading Rifles were captured by the US Navy when the Blockade Runner S.S. Princess Royal was captured by USS Unadilla off of Charleston. Two of the four survive. One at West Point bearing a plaque stating that it was used on Morris Island. The other is at the Washington Navy Yard where it may have been tested in the experimental battery there.
24-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight at Fort Pulaski
A Medium 24-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight cast in 1826 at Bellona Foundry may be seen on the parapet of Fort Pulaski. This type of cannon was designed for the Boston-class sloops of the US Navy in the 1820s. This cannon is recorded as serving aboard USS Fairfield.
24-Pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer at Petersburg, Virginia
24-Pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer Number 388 is displayed at the Petersburg National Battlefield. According to the research reflected in Olmstead et al., this particular boat howitzer was aboard USS Granite City when that ship was captured by Confederate infantry and artillery at Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana. I do not know what subsequent Confederate service the howitzer saw nor what brought it to Petersburg.
4.62-Inch Gorgas Rifle at Stony Creek, Virginia
A 4.62-Inch Siege Rifle cast by Bellona Foundry (near Richmond) in 1862 may be found in Stony Creek, Virginia. Weight of 5,360 pounds is stamped on the breech. The right trunnion reads "BF / JLA" (Bellona Foundry / Junius L. Archer).
Olmstead et al. identifies this cannon as a "Gorgas Rifle", a type manufactured by both Tredegar and Bellona. This example is the only known survivor of the type. As noted in "The Big Guns", this rifle is nearly identical to the 4.62-Inch "Gibbon and Andrews" rifle found at Fort Branch except for the latter rifle being banded and therefore eight hundred pounds heavier.
The 32-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight at Petersburg
A 32-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight of the type manufactured for the US Navy beginning in 1846 for use as the main battery aboard smaller sloops is displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield. The 32-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight is a chambered cannon - meaning the chamber in the barrel where the propellant charge is placed is of smaller diameter than the 6.4-Inch diameter of the main portion of the barrel.
30-Pounder Parrott Rifle at Petersburg
US Army 30-Pounder Parrott Rifle Number 227 (manufactured in 1863 at the West Point Foundry, 4,155 Pounds as manufactured) is displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield.
A Brooke Smoothbore at Dutch Gap on the James River
Four photos of the same heavy Brooke Smoothbore seem to have been taken at the same time. The cannon was emplaced overlooking the James River at the Dutch Gap.
The 8-Inch Siege Howitzer of USS Pawnee
Two 8-Inch Siege Howitzers, Model 1841 (Olmstead et. al say "Pattern 1840") at the Washington Navy Yard.
Both were used in an attempted ambush of USS Marblehead on the Stono River on Christmas Day, 1863. One was subsequently carried as a pet aboard USS Pawnee.
The 10-Inch Dahlgren of USS Cumberland
USS Cumberland, the first ship to be sunk in the Battle of Hampton Roads, carried a 10-Inch Dahlgren as her forward pivot gun. That cannon kept firing against CSS Virginia until Cumberland sank. Artifacts recovered from the wreck of USS Cumberland and displayed at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum are also shown in this post.
The Cannons of the North Carolina State Capitol
A number of statues and monuments dot the grounds of the historic North Carolina State Capitol (built 1833-1840) in Raleigh, North Carolina. This post looks at the cannons which flank those statues.
The monuments cannons covered in this post are:
The Statue of George Washington and the Edenton Cannons
The US Army 8-Inch Siege Mortars and the Statue of North Carolina Presidents
The 4-Inch Fawcett and Preston Rifle
The 32-Pounders of 57 Hundredweight now at Fort Fisher
Fort Johnson in 1865
Fort Johnson, which dated to colonial times, had fired the "signal" mortar round at the beginning of the Bombardment of Fort Sumter, and which had been a major component of the defenses of Charleston harbor - especially after the reduction of Fort Sumter, was photographed in 1865. These photos, available in high resolution on the Library of Congress website, show the four heavy cannons facing the shipping channel, along with carriages, implements, projectiles, and more.
The 4.62-Inch Gibbon and Andrews Rifle of Fort Branch
The only (known) surviving 4.62-Inch Gibbon and Andrews Rifle is part of the remarkable collection of original artillery at Fort Branch near Hamilton, North Carolina. This Confederate siege rifle was recovered from the Roanoke River at Fort Branch in 1977 having been submerged since the fort was destroyed and abandoned in April of 1865. It was recovered still mounted on the remains of its siege and garrison carriage which is also on display in the Fort’s museum.
Early 8-Inch Confederate Columbiad at Fort Pulaski
An early 8-Inch Confederate Columbiad is displayed on the parapet of Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Georgia. While it resembles the US Army “New Columbiad” of 1857/1858, it is the only known example of its specific type to survive.
The 5-Inch 40 Caliber Mark 2 Gun of USS Olympia
5-Inch BLR Mark II Number 79 was manufactured at the Washington Navy Yard in 1904. As the single 5-Inch 40 Caliber gun now aboard the Protected Cruiser Olympia, it represents the gun deck battery of ten 5"/40s that USS Olympia carried at the time of the Battle of Manilla Bay.
The Mersey Gun at the Washington Navy Yard
The “Mersey Gun”, a 12-Inch Smoothbore manufactured from wrought iron by the Mersey Ironworks of Liverpool, England was ordered as a replacement for the “Peacemaker” which disastrously burst aboard USS Princeton in 1844. It is displayed at the Washington Navy Yard.
2.9-Inch Blakely Rifles at the South Carolina Military Museum
Two 2.9-Inch Blakely Rifles recovered in 1974 from the wreck of SS Georgiana are displayed at the South Carolina Military Museum in Columbia, South Carolina. Georgiana was attempting to run the blockade into Charleston on March 19th, 1863 when she was intercepted by blockading vessels including the Yacht America, USS Housatonic, and USS Wissahickon.
Sunday Aboard USS Richmond in 1890
A set of six photos taken aboard USS Richmond on a Sunday - likely in 1890 - show a wealth of details about the Old Steam US Navy. The high resolution photos show facial expressions, equipment, arms, and more aboard a ship little changed since its service in the American Civil War.
The 7-Inch Blakely Rifle of CSS Florida
A 7-Inch Blakely Rifle carried aboard the Confederate Navy Cruiser CSS Florida and a 7.5-Inch Blakely Rifle which was mounted in a fortification are displayed as trophies at the Washington Navy Yard.