USS Keokuk’s Dahlgren and the Rodman Carriage
11-Inch Dahlgren from USS Keokuk on display at White Point Garden in Charleston, South Carolina. I believe that the carriage is a US Army Model 1859 wrought iron carriage intended for a 10-Inch Rodman.
10-Inch Rodmans at Fort Moultrie near Charleston, South Carolina
Sockets on the breech of a 10-Inch Rodman at Fort Moultrie
I believe that the these sockets on the post on this carriage were used with some sort of lever to raise and lower the Rodman cannon that this carriage was intended for. With the Dahlgren, the post only serves to support the breech-heavy cannon.
Fort Moultrie 10-Inch Rodmans: "Hey, anyone know who has our carriages?"
USS Keokuk 11-Inch Dahlgren: "Nope. I've got absolutely no idea..."
After learning about the differences between ratchets on the breeches of Columbiads and sockets on Rodmans thanks to the "Lincoln Gun" at Fort Monroe, I wanted a closer look at a Rodman carriage. White Point Garden in Charleston has a US Army Model 1859 Carriage for a 10-Inch Rodman on display - mounting USS Keokuk's 11-Inch Dahlgren as it has since around 1900. The post on on the carriage supporting the cascabel of the Dahlgren keeps the breech heavy piece from simply pointing skyward. However, the purpose of the post on the carriage is to be used with the sockets on the breech of a Rodman. My understanding is that the Rodman is supposed to sit neutrally upon the trunnions and levers are used to elevate and depress the tube - the friction of the trunnions upon the carriage keeping the cannon correctly elevated once the force of the gunners' levers ceases. I can imagine that the tool used to elevate and depress the Rodman is a lever with some sort of roller or pivot crossbar that mounts in one of the sockets on the carriage post and therefore is the fulcrum of the lever - something like a USN roller handspike, but with the handspike continuing past the roller. Those of you who know about Rodmans, do you have an image of what tool was used to elevate the cannon on this type of carriage?
And for those of you who find the above confused, I apologize! I am trying to figure this out and am learning on the go. I hope you enjoy the photos of these historic cannons.
Dahlgren Photos: July 2024; Rodman Photos: April 2024
“Old 15 Inch Gun Mount Watertown Arsenal” - National Archives Photo showing a 15-Inch Rodman with the lever used for elevation in place. Photo available on Wikimedia here.
