
8-Inch Columbiad, Model 1857, at Fort Moultrie
An 8-Inch Columbiad, Model of 1857, which was banded and rifled by the Confederates is displayed at Fort Moultrie near Charleston, South Carolina. This rare cannon is one of only two or three of the type still in existence.

10-Inch Columbiad, Model 1844, in Willoughby, Ohio
A 10-Inch Columbiad, Model 1844, preserved in a park in Willoughby, Ohio.

10-Inch Columbiad, Model 1844, Banded and Rifled at Fort Moultrie
A 10-Inch Columbiad, Model 1844, which was rifled, banded, and equipped with a bronze trunnion band is preserved at Fort Moultrie near Charleston, South Carolina.

The 10-Inch Parrott of Fort Moultrie
Preserved at Fort Moultrie near Charleston, South Carolina is at 10-Inch Parrott Rifle.

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.

The 15-Inch Rodmans of Forts Sumter and Moultrie
Four 15-Inch Rodman Columbiads (Pattern 1861) are preserved in the Charleston area at Forts Moultrie and Sumter

32-Pounders of 57 hundredweight in Defiance, Ohio
Two 32-Pounders of 57 hundredweight are preserved at Old Fort Defiance in Defiance, Ohio. The two cannons are said to have been captured with Fort Fisher near Wilmington, North Carolina. (Photos in this post are courtesy of William Bechmann.)

BuOrd 32-Pounders in Townsend, Massachusetts
Preserved in Townsend, Massachusetts are a pair of Bureau of Ordnance 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds. One of these Dahlgren-style guns still has it’s firing lock installed upon its breech.

24-Pounder Flank Howitzers, Pattern 1844 in Wilmington, NC
Two 24-Pounder Flank Howitzers, Pattern 1844, are displayed in Wilmington, NC outside the old Wilmington Light Infantry Armory. The Howitzers were cast at the West Point Foundry in 1858 and are marked with the initials of Robert Parker Parrott.

The Banded 12-Pounder at the Powder Magazine
Preserved outside the Powder Magazine Museum in Charleston, SC is a rifled and banded 12-pounder originally made by and for the British during the reign of George III!

Admiral Dahlgren, USS Harvest Moon, and the Columbiads of Winyah Bay
On February 28th, 1865, Admiral John Dahlgren visited a captured fort guarding Winyah Bay near Georgetown, SC. Principle among the cannons which he described were two 10-inch Columbiads. You may visit Battery White and two Columbiads which Admiral Dahlgren saw in 1865.

“The Battery” at White Point Gardens - Then and Now
Explore early 20th Century (1900-1910) and present day views of the American Civil War Cannons at White Point Gardens in Charleston.

The Mortars of Charleston
Six Civil War mortars are on display in the Charleston area: Four at White Point Garden, one at Fort Moultrie, and one at Fort Sumter.

The Naval Cannon of Fort Anderson
Brunswick Town and Fort Anderson State Historic Site displays two reproduction guns representing US Navy Cannon from the Civil War era. Also on display are 18th century Naval Guns related to the town’s early colonial history.

XV-Inch Dahlgren in Hong Kong!
A US Navy 15-Inch Dahlgren is on display at the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defense

John Dalhgren’s Heavy Smoothbores for the US Navy
An overview of John A. B. Dahlgren’s heavy smoothbore cannon designed and created for the US Navy.

The 30-Pounder Parrott at UNCW
Why is there a cannon on UNCW’s campus? A US Navy 30-Pounder Parrott Rifle is displayed on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington. This cannon was recovered from the wreck of USS Peterhoff in 1974.

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.

What happened to USS Keokuk’s Other Dahlgren?
After the war, one of the Dahlgrens of USS Keokuk was left near Fort Moultrie and then around 1900 it was moved to White Point Garden. The Dahlgren which had been at White Point Garden was lost some time after the war. Whatever happened to it?

7-Inch Triple Banded Brooke Rifle
Part of the extraordinary collection of seacoast artillery preserved at Fort Moultrie is a Triple-Banded Brooke Rifle.