10-Inch Confederate Columbiad, Bellona Number 4, at Vicksburg

Aug 12

10-Inch Confederate Columbiad, Bellona Foundry Number 4, is displayed at Vicksburg National Military Park

A 10-Inch Confederate Columbiad, Bellona Foundry Number 4, is displayed at “Cannon Row” near the Visitor’s Center at Vicksburg National Military Park. This Columbiad was cast by Bellona Foundry near Richmond, Virginia in 1862. It’s original weight was 13,800 pounds.

The 10-Inch Columbiad was the heavy cannon produced in the greatest numbers by the Richmond manufacturers Bellona and Tredegar with Olmstead et al. stating that around 140 were produced in total during the war. The type was in great demand anywhere US Navy ironclads might appear.

While Bellona and Tredegar both adopted an external form for their Columbiads similar to the US Army Rodman guns of 1861 (in particular copying the “mushroom knob” breech which provided a secure and strong slot to wrap a lifting rope around the breech), the Confederate Columbiads differed significantly in their manufacture.

Confederate Columbiads were cast solid and then bored out to the correct caliber. US Army Rodmans were cast with a “core-barrel” placed in the bore area of the molten casting through which water was pumped to cool the casting from the inside out. While 10-Inch Columbiads were near the limit of what traditional solid casting could produce, Rodman’s method allowed the United States to produce many (far larger) 15-Inch Rodman and Dahlgren smoothbores during the war.

The Confederate Columbiads were also around 13-Inches shorter than the US Army model and over 1,000 pounds lighter. (The shorter barrel did little to diminish effectiveness, and a savings of 1,000 pounds of iron at the foundries was a benefit to the resource poor South.) The Confederate Columbiads used the older ratchet and pawl elevation system whereas Rodmans used a socket and post system. Confederate Columbiads have long trunnions for use with wooden carriages whereas Rodmans have short trunnions for iron carriages. The Confederate Columbiads might also be described as “war emergency” models - in general they exhibit a much rougher appearance as they were only turned on a lathe where necessary for function while a well-preserved US Army Rodman will show a very fine finish.

While the Southern Columbiads are sometimes called “Rodmans” due to their similar shape to the Northern models (and the small sign on cannon row uses the term “Rodman”), I use the term “Confederate Columbiad” to distinguish the types due to the significant differences between them.