The 32-Pounders of 41 Hundredweight of USS Saratoga and CSS Chattahoochee
Two US Navy 32-Pounders of 41 Hundredweight are displayed at the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia. These two chambered cannon were cast at Cyrus Alger and Company in 1842 for use aboard the sloop of war USS Saratoga. They were subsequently used aboard CSS Chattahoochee.
32-Pounder, Pattern 1829, at Fort Morgan
A US Army 32-Pounder, Pattern 1829, is displayed at Fort Morgan in Alabama. This cannon was cast at Fort Pitt Foundry in 1833. It is Fort Pitt registry number 116. It bears a test scar on its muzzle face. It is displayed at Fort Morgan in an emplacement overlooking Mobile Bay. It’s weight is 7,478 pounds.
US Navy 32-Pounder of 42 Hundredweight Number 230 of USS Cairo
A US Navy 32-Pounder of 42 Hundredweight, Number 230, is displayed aboard USS Cairo at Vicksburg National Military Park. This cannon was cast in 1845 at the Fort Pitt Foundry. It is marked as weighing 42-1-18 Hundredweight (4,750 pounds). It was recovered with the sunken USS Cairo in 1964.
The 32-Pounders at Fredericksburg National Cemetery
Four US Army 32-Pounders, Pattern 1829, surround a monument at Fredericksburg National Cemetery to the Division of General Andrew Humphreys, V Corps, Army of the Potomac. Humphrey’s division participated in the attack on Confederate positions on Marye's Heights on December 13th, 1862, suffering heavy casualties in the engagement.
The four cannons were emplaced at the cemetery in 1868.
The 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight at Fort Branch
A rifled and banded 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight is displayed at Fort Branch near Hamilton, North Carolina. The fort, which overlooks the Roanoke River and was built to counter any attempt by US Navy gunboats to press up river, was evacuated in April of 1865. The seven cannons recovered there (plus a fragment of a burst gun), remains of original carriages, projectiles, and other artifacts represent a truly remarkable collection of artillery connected with a single site and displayed there.
The 32-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight at Petersburg
A 32-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight of the type manufactured for the US Navy beginning in 1846 for use as the main battery aboard smaller sloops is displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield. The 32-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight is a chambered cannon - meaning the chamber in the barrel where the propellant charge is placed is of smaller diameter than the 6.4-Inch diameter of the main portion of the barrel.
The Cannons at Fort Fisher
The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was fought from January 13th - 15th, 1865. This post gives an overview of the major types of heavy cannons present in the fort and aboard the fleet. The cannons pictured include Columbiads, Brooke Rifles, Dahlgren Cannons, and Parrott Rifles.
The 32-Pounders of 57 Hundredweight at Fort Fisher
Two US Navy 32-Pounders of 57 Hundredweight which were made in 1848 and 1852 at Tredegar, captured by the Confederates, banded and rifled, and mounted during the war at Fort Caswell are displayed at Fort Fisher. Three other replicas based on these cannons are mounted at the fort.
BuOrd 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds in Townsend, Massachusetts
Two US Navy Bureau of Ordnance 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds are displayed in front of Memorial Hall in Townsend, Massachusetts. Notably, one of the cannons still has a firing hammer attached on the lug at the breech.
Heavy Artillery of the Confederacy in the American Civil War
This post is an overview of the major types and systems of heavy naval and seacoast artillery operated by the Confederate Army and Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. The principle types used were: Pre-War US Army cannons and Columbiads, Pre-War US Navy cannons and Dahlgren guns, Confederate Columbiads, Brooke Rifles and Smoothbores, banded and rifled cannons, and British rifles.
The Cannons of Fort Macon
Fort Macon on Bogue Banks in North Carolina is a beautifully preserved and restored Third System fort which has been operated as a state park since 1924. Over the last decades the Friends of Fort Macon have raised money to rearm the fort and in so doing has made a very significant contribution to the historical interpretation of the fort. For those who are interested in American Seacoast Artillery, Fort Macon is a fascinating site to visit.
The 32-Pounder of 51 Hundredweight in Waseca, Minnesota
A 32-Pounder of 51 Hundredweight is displayed in Waseca, Minnesota. This type of cannon was used a chase gun on the upper decks of heavy frigates and ships of the line of the United States Navy prior to the American Civil War.
Fort Fisher has Reopened!
Fort Fisher State Historic Site has reopened! The newly constructed visitors center and museum is magnificent. The fort itself has two newly reconstructed gun emplacements “armed” with replica banded and rifled 32-Pounders and two field pieces in front of the fort. It was a beautiful day for a visit. More posts will follow in the future which will try to tell something of the history of the fort and its people, but here are a few photos.
The Gradual Increase 32-Pounder of USS Ohio at Boston National Historic Park
A US Navy 32-Pounder of 60 Hundredweight manufactured in 1820 is displayed at the Boston National Historical Park. This cannon was produced following the "Gradual Increase of the Navy" act and may have served on USS Ohio and other ships of the early United States Navy.
The Naval Cannons of Fort McClary, Maine
Three US Navy cannons are displayed at Fort McClary near Kittery, Maine: a 9-Inch Dahlgren Shell Gun, a Bureau of Ordnance 8-Inch Shell Gun of 6,500 Pounds, and a 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight. Fort McClary shows several stages of US Army seacoast fortifications and is beautifully situated overlooking Portsmouth Harbor.
32-Pounder Rifle of CSS Teaser - Then and Now
A 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight which was banded and rifled by the Confederates is preserved as a trophy at the Washington Navy Yard. This cannon was captured aboard the converted tug boat CSS Teaser. The cannon was photographed after CSS Teaser's capture - allowing a "then and now" look at the cannon as well as the cannon's carriage, sights, and other accessories.
The Naval Cannons of Exeter, New Hampshire
Four US Navy Cannons are displayed in Exeter, New Hampshire: an 11-Inch Dahlgren, a 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight, and two 32-Pounders of 4,500 Pounds
32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight in Hudson, New Hampshire
A US Navy 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight cast by Cyrus Alger and Company in 1848 is displayed on a naval carriage in Hudson, New Hampshire.
The Naval Guns of Old Fort Jackson
Old Fort Jackson near Savannah, Georgia displays several cannon which were manufactured for and used by the US Navy in the years before the American Civil War.
32-Pounder Rifle of CSS Georgia
A 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight, banded and rifled by the Confederates, is displayed at Old Fort Jackson near Savannah, Georgia. This cannon was raised from the wreck of CSS Georgia in 1984.