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 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.
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 Trophy Park
Norfolk Navy Yard Trophy Park in Portsmouth, Virginia displays a number of Dahlgrens and Parrott Rifles from the mid 19th Century US Navy. Some are displayed as they were manufactured. Others received modifications and conversions in the 1870s. Many thanks to Flickr user Jimmy for the permission to use these photos.
The 11-Inch Dahlgrens of USS Monitor
Two 11-Inch Dahlgrens carried by USS Monitor are undergoing preservation in the Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Visitors can see the original cannon from a viewing gallery overlooking the conservation lab, and they may see recreations of the turret in the gallery.
10-Inch Rodman and 8-Inch Rodman Rifle Conversions at Fort Monroe
Three 10-Inch Rodmans (two of which were converted to 8-Inch Rifles after the Civil War) are displayed at Fort Monroe in Virginia.
3-Inch Ordnance Rifle at Fort Monroe
A US Army 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle is displayed at Fort Monroe in Virginia.
The Lincoln Gun - Prototype 15-Inch Rodman at Fort Monroe
The “Lincoln Gun”, the prototype 15-Inch Rodman gun is preserved at Fort Monroe in Virginia.
12-Pounder Dahlgren Rifled Howitzer and 6-Pounder Model 1841 at Portsmouth, Virginia
Outside the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum in Portsmouth, Virginia are a Dahlgren Rifled 12-Pounder Boat Howitzer and a US Army 6-Pounder Field Gun, Model 1841.
9-Inch Dahlgrens of the Mariners’ Museum
Two 9-Inch Dahlgren guns are on display at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia. One was aboard CSS Virginia in her battle with USS Cumberland. The other served aboard USS Richmond.
8-Inch US Navy Bureau of Ordnance Shellgun of 6,500 pounds near Yorktown, Virginia
8-Inch US Navy Bureau of Ordnance Shellgun of 6,500 pounds is displayed near Yorktown, Virginia
6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle in Richmond, Virginia
A 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle is displayed at The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar in Richmond, Virginia