The Bronze Smoothbores of Charleston
Three bronze smoothbore cannons can be seen on display in Charleston, South Carolina. While only the 12-Pounder Mountain Howitzer displayed at Fort Sumter has a connection to Seacoast Artillery, all three cannons may be of interest to the readers of this page.
12-Pounder Mountain Howitzer at Fort Sumter
12-Pounder Mountain Howitzer Number 254 manufactured by Cyrus Alger and Co. in 1863 displayed at Fort Sumter
The defenders of Fort Sumter had to defend against attacks such as the boat assault launched by the US Navy on September 8th, 1863. On that night four hundred sailors and marines landed and attempted to storm the fort. Light artillery such as the mountain howitzer could be used against such attacks. While 12-Pounder Mountain howitzers were present at Fort Sumter during the American Civil War, it is unlikely that this specific howitzer was present.
12-Pounder Mountain Howitzer at Fort Sumter - likely an 1865 photo. Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2018666891/
12-Pounder Mountain Howitzer at Fort Sumter. Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2018666885/
Additional Photos of the 12-Pounder Mountain Howitzer
Model 1841 12-Pounder Howitzer
Model 1841 12-Pounder Howitzer displayed at the Charleston Museum in Charleston, South Carolina
Model 1841 12-Pounder Howitzer displayed at the Charleston Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. Made by Ames in Chicopee, Massachusetts in 1851, this howitzer has a Palmetto tree flanked by the state's initials on the top of the barrel. I believe I've seen a photo of a tube at Shiloh with a similar engraving - perhaps a 6-Pounder? Does anyone have photos of that cannon and/or know if these two have a shared history? The howitzer was for many years displayed on a plinth (now empty) at White Point Garden ("The Battery").
Engraving of a Palmetto Tree and S.C. - initials of South Carolina - on the top of the barrel of the 12-Pounder Howitzer in the Charleston Museum
Additional Photos of the 12-Pounder Howitzer in the Charleston Museum
6-Pounder Field Gun Cast in 1775 in Philadelphia
6-Pounder Bronze Field Gun of the American Revolution at the Charlesotn Museum
Even though my focus is on 19th Century Naval and Seacoast Artillery, this Bronze 6-Pounder Cast in 1775 in Philadelphia is in the running for my favorite cannon. It is displayed at the entrance to the Charleston Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. As the interpretive sign notes, it was one of a pair preserved at Charleston. Given the tremendous need for bronze in the early 1860s, it is remarkable that it wasn't sent to Tredegar for recasting into a modern piece. I believe its mate is now displayed at the Society of the Cincinnati's museum in Washington, D.C.
Comments on the Facebook version of this post indicated that the four white plugs on the muzzle are a legacy of the fact that this cannon was mounted muzzle down at Magnolia Cemetery. Commenters also remembered that the two cannons had been stolen from the cemetery in the 1970s. The thieves attempted to sell the guns for scrap.
The cannon is beautifully decorated with the initials “US” for the United States. This is a wonderfully preserved example of United States artillery of the American Revolution.
