The Claremont, New Hampshire Soldiers’ Memorial
Two USN Bureau of Ordnance 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds are displayed in Claremont, New Hampshire
Two US Navy Bureau of Ordnance 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds are displayed in Broad Street Park in Claremont, New Hampshire between a bandstand and a monument memorializing the Union dead of Claremont. The two cannon are of a type commonly seen beside monuments in New England. The monument, however, seemed to have a story to tell. This is what I’ve found.
The Claremont Monument
Whereas many communities would note erect a monument until the final years of the 19th century, the monument is notable for its early date of installation - October 19th, 1869. It is inscribed with 73 names and the words “Erected in Honor of the Soldiers of Claremont who Died in the Rebellion of 1861-1865 by their Fellow Citizens.”
Following the 1869 dedication, a booklet was printed which contained the speeches given at the dedication. An orator spoke of the military history of New Hampshire. Three New Hampshire Governors spoke. A Colonel spoke the the cause for which the troops had fought. It is a fascinating document. The booklet has been digitized by the Library of Congress and is available here: https://www.loc.gov/item/18002968/
Two passages from the introductory pages of the booklet share how the monument came about:
“At the close of the war, in April, 1865, the Claremont Auxiliary Sanitary Commission found in their treasury about one hundred and sixty dollars, which by vote of the members was placed at interest as a Soldiers' Monument fund, to be used when a sum should be obtained, which with this, would pay for a suitable memorial to the fallen heroes of the town. About fifty dollars were left after paying the expenses of a Fourth of July celebration, in 1865, and this amount the committee of arrangements voted to appropriate to the same object. At the annual town meeting, in March, 1867, it was voted to appropriate one thousand dollars for a Soldiers' Monument, provided that five hundred dollars should be raised by contribution or otherwise. Subscription papers, with a condition that no one should pay more than one dollar, were circulated by ladies in each school district, and about six hundred dollars were obtained. Heads of families generally paid one dollar, and children of all ages twenty-five cents. Thus almost every individual at that time in town contributed something towards this memorial, and there was not far from eight hundred dollars obtained, besides the thousand dollars voted by the town. At the annual town meeting, in March, 1868, it was voted to appropriate two thousand dollars to this object, provided that one thousand dollars should be raised by contribution or otherwise. (pg. 3)
After considering and rejecting many plans, they were fortunately placed in correspondence with Martin Milmore, of Boston, who, by reason of his devotion to art, conformed to their means, and they were enabled to contract for the beautiful, and, as they believe, most appropriate Memorial Statue, which we are assembled to-day to dedicate with fitting ceremonies.” (pg. 6)
At its conclusion, the booklet lists the names and places of each death. I share them here as something of a memorial to them and a record of their service and sacrifice. (Mistakes in transcription are mine).
COLONEL ALEXANDER GARDINER. Mortally wounded at the Battle of Opequan Creek, near Winchester, Va., September 19, 1864. Died of wounds, October 5, 1864.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM HENRY CHAFFIN. Killed at the battle of Opequan Creek, near Wincester, Va., September 19, 1864.
LIEUTENANT RUEL G. AUSTIN. Wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, 1863. Died of wounds at Baltimore, Md., July 26, 1863.
LIEUTENANT CHARLES 0. BALLOU. Killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862.
LIEUTENANT ROBERT HENRY CHASE, Killed at the battle of Ream's Station, Va., August 25, 1864.
LIEUTENANT SAMUEL BROWN LITTLE. Wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862. Died of wounds at Falmouth, Va., December 24, 1862.
LIEUTENANT GEORGE NETTLETON. Wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862. Died of wounds December 23, 1862.
LIEUTENANT HENRY S. PAULL. Killed at the battle of Opequan Creek, near Winchester, Va., September 19, 1864.
LIEUTENANT WILLIAM DANFORD RICE. Supposed killed at Poplar Grove Church, Va., September 30, 1864.
DANIEL S. ALEXANDER.* Killed at the battle of Drury's Bluff, Va., May 13, 1864. OSCAR C. ALLEN. Died of disease at Philadelphia, October 2, 1862.
JAMES P BASCOM. Died of disease at Falmouth, Va., December 25, 1862.
SAMUEL 0. BENTON. Killed at the battle of Ream's Station, Va., August 16, 1864.
HORACE BOLIO. Killed at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 2., 1863.
AMOS F. BRADFORD. Died of Diphtheria, at Paris; Ky., November 10, 1863.
JOSIAH S. BROWN. Killed at the battle of Fredricksburg, Va., December 13, 1862.
JAMES BURNS. Killed at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., .July 3, 1863.
CHARLES F. BURRILL. Killed at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1863.
CHARLES E. BALLOU. Died at Washington, D. C, of disease, February 18, 1864.
LUTHER A. CHASE. Killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1802.
WYMAN R. CLEMENT. Died of disease, at Washington, D. C, August 1, 1861.
JOSEPH CRAIG. Killed at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1863.
ALBERT G. DANE. Died while prisoner, at Salisbury, N. C, February 3, 1865.
ZIBA L. DAVIS. Died of disease at Falmouth, Va., January 12, 1863.
JAMES DELMAGE. Killed at the battle of Fair Oaks, Va., June 1, 1862.
EDWARD E. FRENCFL * Wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June l9, 1864. Died of wounds, September 7, 1864.
JOHN GILBERT. Killed at the battle of Deep Run, Va., Aug. 16, 1864.
FREDERICK W. GODDARD. Died of disease, at Pemberton Square Hospital, Boston, July 3, 1863.
CHARLES B. GRANDY. Died of disease, at Washington, D. C, October, 1861.
DAVID H. GRANNIS. Died of disease at Milton Head, N. C, March 4, 1863.
CHESTER F. GRINNELS. Killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862.
CHARLES A. HART. Killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862.
ELISHA M. HILL. Died of wounds received in battle, October 27, 1862.
DAMON E. HUNTER. 47 Mortally wounded at the battle of Fair Oaks, Va., June 1, 1862. Died June 22, 1862.
WILLIAM L. HURD. Killed at the battle of Lee's Mills, Va., April 16, 1862.
JOHN S. M. IDE. Killed in an engagement at Yorktown, Va., April 5, 1862.
JOSEPH W. KELLEY. Died of disease on passage from Fortress Monroe to Washington, in May, 1862.
WALTER B. KENDALL. Killed in front of Petersburg, Va., June 16, 1864.
J. FISHER LAWRENCE. Died of disease at Port Royal. S. C, August 8, 1862.
CHARLES B. MARVIN. Killed at the battle of Antietam, September IT, 1862.
NOAH D. MERRILL. Died of wounds received in battle, September 16, 1862.
EDWARD F. MOORE. Killed in the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1863.
HORATIO C. MOORE. Moi-tally wounded in the battle of James Island, S. C, June 16, 1862. Died June 19, 1862.
RANSOM M. NEAL. Died of disease at Hilton Head, S. C, October 30, 1862.
EVERETT W. NELSON. Wounded and taken prisoner at Fort Wagner, July 18, 1863. Died July 24, 1863.
CRARLES H. NEVERS. Killed in battle at White Oak Swamp, Va., June 30, 1862.
FREDERICK A. NICHOLS. Mortally wounded near Bermuda Hundred, June 16, 1864. Died next day.
LYMAN F. PARRISH. Died of disease at Manchester, N. II., February 20, 1863.
WILLIAM E. PARRISH. Wounded and taken prisoner in the battle of the Wilderness, and is supposed to have died at Andersonville.
JOEL AV. PATRICK. Died of disease, at Claremont, August 15, 1862.
JOSEPH PENO. Killed at the battle of James Island, S. C, June 16, 1862.
CHARLES E. PUTNAM. Killed at the battle of Williamsburg, Va., May 5, 1862.
GEORGE H. PUTNAM. Killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 186J.
GEORGE READ. Died of disease, at Newark, N. J., September 9, 1862.
HENRY W. PATRICK. Died of disease, at Claremont, August 20, 1868.
EDGAR T. REED. Shot while attempting to arrest a deserter, in the autumn of 1864.
WILLIS REDFIELD. Died of yellow fever, at Newbern, N. C, October- 11, 1864.
CHARLES D. ROBINSON. Killed at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862.
GEORGE E. ROWELL. Pied of disease, at Baltimore, Md., April 10, 1864.
GEORGE W. RUSSELL. Mortally wounded at the battle of Antietam, Va., September 17, 1862, and died next day.
ARD SCOTT. Taken prisoner at Darbytown, Va., October 1, 1864. Died of starvation and exposure, at Salisbury, N. C, November 20, 1864.
CHARLES N. SCOTT. Killed at the battle of Fair Oaks, Va., June 1, 1862.
EDWARD E. STORY. Died of disease, at Hatteras Inlet, March 4, 1862.
ANDREW J. STRAAV. Wounded at the battle of Dull Kuu, A'a., .July 21, 1861, and is supposed to have died in the hands of the enemy.
ROLAND TAYLOR. Mortally wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1S62, and died a few days afterward.
HORACE A. TYRRELL. Died of disease, on his way home, after discharge, December 30, 186,'). HARVEY M. WAKEFIELD. Died of disease, July 5, 1862.
GEORGE 0. WEBB. Died of disease, at Camp Fair Oaks, Va., June 15, 1S62.
CHARLES W. WETHERBEE. Killed at the battle of Fair Oaks, Va., June 1, 1862.
JOHN F. WHEHLER. Taken prisoner at the battle of Bull Run, Va., July 21, 1861. Exchanged, and died on shipboard between Salisbury, N. C, and New York.
NORMAN F. WHITMORE. Died of disease occasioned by wounds, at Jacksonville, Fla., June 9, 1864.
AUGUSTUS E. WOODBURY. Taken prisoner at Olustee, Fla., February 10, 1864, died at Andersonville, Ga., June 23,1S64.
SAMUEL S. CARLETON. Died at Claremont, January 23, 1867, of wounds received in battle.
The two Bureau of Ordnance 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds
The two cannons are mounted on iron display pedestals which resemble carriages in some respects. The details on the two cannons are as follows:
Registry Number 238 manufactured by Seyfert, McManus, and Company in 1865. Original weight is marked as 4,551 pounds. Foundry number is 275.
Registry Number 242 manufactured by Seyfert, McManus, and Company in 1865. Original weight is marked as 4,537 pounds. Foundry number is 289.
A large number of BuOrd 32-Pounders were acquired by local communities for display near monuments in the period from about 1890 to 1910. Likely the Claremont 32-Pounders would have been placed during this time period as well.
This type of cannon was designed by the Bureau of Ordnance in 1864 due to a perceived need for lightweight 32-Pounders. In the 1840s and 1850s, relatively light weight 32-Pounders of 27-Hundredweight, 33-Hundredweight, and 46-Hundredweight had been designed to equip the upper decks of US Navy ships. During the Civil War, these lighter 32-Pounders had been used to equip the many merchant ships which had been taken into service and had not been designed for heavy cannon.
The resulting 32-Pounder of 4,500 Pounds borrowed the general shape from Admiral Dahlgren’s 9-Inch, 10-Inch, and 11-Inch cannons. However, the 32-Pounders, like the similar 8-Inch Shell guns of 6,500 Pounds, had a simplified ring cascabel. Few if any of this type of cannon would have seen any service during the Civil War.
