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.
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
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.
The Bronze Smoothbores of Charleston
Three bronze smoothbore cannons - A 6-Pounder Field Gun of the American Revolution, a Model 1841 12-Pounder Howitzer engraved S.C., and a 12-Pounder Mountain Howitzer at Fort Sumter - are displayed in Charleston, South Carolina.
The 9-Inch Dahlgrens of Webster, New York
Two 9-Inch Dahlgren cannons are displayed at Webster Rural Cemetery in Webster, New York. These two Dahlgrens are displayed on concrete recreations of the wooden carriages that they would have had in service aboard US Navy warships during the American Civil War. Both cannons were originally part of a shipment sent to Sackets Harbor.
The 9-Inch Dahlgren of Sackets Harbor
A US Navy 9-Inch Dahlgren is displayed alongside a 30-Pounder Parrott Rifle at Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site in Sackets Harbor, New York. Originally part of twenty such cannons sent to Sackets Harbor, the reason that these cannons were sent in 1864 remains a bit of a mystery. Sackets Harbor is a beautiful and historic site on Lake Ontario.
The Cannons at Fort Fisher
The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was fought from January 13th - 15th, 1865. This post gives an overview of the major types of heavy cannons present in the fort and aboard the fleet. The cannons pictured include Columbiads, Brooke Rifles, Dahlgren Cannons, and Parrott Rifles.
The 32-Pounders of 57 Hundredweight at Fort Fisher
Two US Navy 32-Pounders of 57 Hundredweight which were made in 1848 and 1852 at Tredegar, captured by the Confederates, banded and rifled, and mounted during the war at Fort Caswell are displayed at Fort Fisher. Three other replicas based on these cannons are mounted at the fort.
The US 24-Pounders of 45 Hundredweight in Savannah, Georgia
Two US 24-Pounders of 45 Hundredweight Numbers 81 and 83 are displayed on the former building of the Savannah Volunteer Guards at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. They may have originally been ordered for the first frigates of the US Navy including USS Constitution.
BuOrd 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds in Townsend, Massachusetts
Two US Navy Bureau of Ordnance 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds are displayed in front of Memorial Hall in Townsend, Massachusetts. Notably, one of the cannons still has a firing hammer attached on the lug at the breech.
10-Inch Confederate Columbiad at the South Carolina Military Museum
Bellona Foundry 10-Inch Columbiad Number 22 is displayed at the South Carolina Military Museum in Columbia, South Carolina. This Columbiad, cast in 1863, was part of the defenses of Charleston, sold for scrap after the war, lost in a shipwreck, and recovered and conserved in the 21st Century.
The French 36-Pounders of Fort McHenry
A French 36-Pounder, representing those taken from the French ship of the line Éole and used to arm Fort McHenry during the war of 1812, is displayed at Fort McHenry. Éole reached Annapolis after being dismasted in a storm in 1806. This French battleship saw no further service, and it was broken up in Maryland several years later.
The 150-Pounder Armstrong of Fort Fisher
A 150-Pounder Armstrong Rifle which has been displayed at West Point since 1865 was mounted at Fort Fisher during the American Civil War. A replica represents the cannon at Fort Fisher State Historic Site today.
The 32-Pounder Carronade at Fort Macon
A carronade cast for the US Navy in 1820 and carried aboard the ship of the line USS Columbus is displayed at Fort Macon on Bogue Banks near Beaufort, North Carolina. The carronade represents the six carronades shipped from the Gosport Navy Yard in 1861 to be mounted for flank defense in the counterfire galleries of the fort. The six carronades ended up being used for high angle fire during the Siege of Fort Macon in 1862.