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.
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.
The Cannons of Fort Macon
Fort Macon on Bogue Banks in North Carolina is a beautifully preserved and restored Third System fort which has been operated as a state park since 1924. Over the last decades the Friends of Fort Macon have raised money to rearm the fort and in so doing has made a very significant contribution to the historical interpretation of the fort. For those who are interested in American Seacoast Artillery, Fort Macon is a fascinating site to visit.
USS Constitution - Frigate of the United States Navy
USS Constitution, a sailing frigate built in 1797 for the United States Navy, is in active commission at Boston, Massachusetts. She shows the culmination of the 18th Century frigate: powerful and fast. She is a wooden city at sea, able to provide for her 400 crew for months at a time as she cruises the world’s oceans. As an active duty ship, she is still crewed by sailors of the United States Navy. As this website shows the development of naval and artillery technology during the 19th century, Constitution shows the beginning point.
Early US Navy 24-Pounder in Georgetown, South Carolina
An early US Navy 24-Pounder is displayed in Joseph Rainey Park in Georgetown, South Carolina. This cannon may have been authorized by the same act of Congress which authorized USS Constitution and the other “Six Frigates”.
Cannons of Fort Moultrie
Fort Moultre, on Sullivan’s Island near Charleson, South Carolina, displays two Model 1829 32-Pounders and a Model 1819 24-Pounder. Fort Moultrie, the site of a 1776 victory and much fighting during the Civil War, shows the entire history of American seacoast defense from 1776 to 1945.