“Report on Rifled Guns” - 1865 Report on Parrott Rifles by the US Navy Bureau of Ordnance
After 5 US Navy Parrott Rifles failed causing some 45 casualties during the First Battle of Fort Fisher in December of 1865, the Bureau of Ordnance was tasked with determining the cause of the failures and whether Parrott Rifles continued to be suitable for use by the United States Navy. The report is transcribed in this post.
8-Inch Parrott Rifle in Westerly, Rhode Island
An 8-Inch Parrott Rilfe is displayed outside the old Armory in Westerly, Rhode Island.
8-Inch Parrott Rifles of Forts Moultrie and Sumter
Two 8-Inch Parrott Rifles are preserved near Charleston, South Carolina. One may be found at Fort Moultrie and the other at Fort Sumter. Both were brought (along with several others of the type) in 1872 as part of modernizations to the forts. Both were buried around 1900 after they had become obsolete and it was easier to bury them than remove them.
Parrott Rifles of Forts Sumter and Moultrie
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie near Charleston, South Carolina display fourteen Parrott Rifles. These cannon were manufactured during the Civil War for the United States Army and Navy. As the United States Army restored the fortifications of Charleston in the years following the Civil War, these cannons were mounted at the two forts. In the late 19th century they were intentionally buried - too obsolete and too corroded to worth removing.