8-Inch Confederate Columbiads in St. Augustine, Florida

Jul 19

8-Inch Confederate Columbiad Number 27 with Number 29 visible in the background are displayed in St. Augustine, Florida

Two 8-Inch Confederate Columbiads cast by Bellona Foundry in 1861 are displayed in the Plaza de la Constitución in Saint Augustine, Florida. Bellona’s registry numbers “27” and “29” are stamped on the muzzle. Their weight as manufactured, 8,750 pounds, is stamped on the breech of each. The bronze plaques with each cannon claim that these cannons were present at Fort Marion (Castillo de San Marcos).

The right trunnions are marked “B.F.” and “J.L.A.” for Bellona Foundry and its proprietor Junius L. Archer. The left trunnions are marked “1861” for the date of manufacture.

The St. Augustine Columbiads have trunnions only 3 inches long - similar to US Rodmans which were designed for iron carriages. All other Confederate Columbiads have longer trunnions suitable for wooden carriages. Ripley speculated that these Bellona Columbiads were “early attempts at manufacturing the new model and short trunnions may be blamed on too strict adherence to drawings obtained from the North before alteration to meet Southern needs (pg. 82).

Unlike US Army Rodmans which were manufactured using Rodman’s hollow casting technique, the Columbiads manufactured for the South by Bellona and Tredegar were cast solid except for two experimental 12-inch Columbiads cast by Tredegar near the end of the war.