US Army 10-Inch Seacoast Mortar, Pattern 1861 in St. Augustine, Florida
US Army 10-Inch Seacoast Mortar, Pattern 1861, displayed in St. Augustine, Florida. Manufactured by Cyrus Alger & Co. in 1862, this is one of only eight of the type made - of which two survive. It strongly resembles its 13-Inch “big brother” but weighs only 7,640 pounds verses around 17,000 pounds for the 13-inch. It is considerably larger than the 10-Inch Siege Mortar, Pattern 1861 which weighed slightly less than 2,000 pounds.
USS Canadaigua’s 11-Inch Dahlgren in La Moille, Illinois
An 11-Inch Dahlgren carried aboard USS Canandaigua is displayed in La Moille, Illinois. The Dahlgren, US Navy registry Number 216, was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1897 by the local Grand Army of the Republic Post Number 66.
The 8-Inch Rodman Rifles on US Navy Carriages at Palisades Park
Two US Army 8-Inch Rifles which were converted from 10-Inch Rodmans in 1885 and 1886 are displayed at Palisades Park in Santa Monica, California. They were installed at the park in 1908
Intriguingly they are mounted on US Navy Carriages intended for the 8-Inch Rifle which was a similar conversion of the 11-Inch Dahlgren.
The 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Gun in Warrnambool, Victoria
A 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun is displayed outside the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. Many thanks to friend-of-the-page Ivan Dove for taking these photos and sharing them with me.
The French 36-Pounder of the American Privateer General Armstrong
A French 36-Pounder is displayed in the National Museum of the United States Navy (photographed August of 2024). This cannon is a relic of a the "Battle of Fayal" between the American Privateer General Armstrong and the boats of a British squadron as well as the brig-sloop HMS Carnation.
The 7-Inch Blakely of CSS Alabama
CSS Alabama carried two heavy pivot guns: a 68-Pounder Smoothbore and a 7-Inch (or 110-Pounder) Blakely Rifle as well as six 32-pounder broadside guns. The Blakely was recovered from her wreck in 1994 and is displayed at La Cité de la Mer Museum and Aquarium in Cherbourg, France. The cannon is displayed above the remains of its original wooden carriage and with other artifacts related to the ship.
The 6.25-Inch Rifle of CSS Florida at the Washington Navy Yard
A British manufactured 6.25-Inch Rifle captured aboard CSS Florida is displayed at the Washington Navy Yard. According to John C. Reilly's "The Iron Guns of Williard Park", the breech is engraved with the words "32-Pdr Rifled from Anglo-Rebel Pirate Florida." The left trunnion is stamped "Low Moor, 10666".
The 8-Inch Confederate Columbiad at Drewry’s Bluff
An 8-Inch Confederate Columbiad is displayed at Fort Darling at Drewry's Bluff on the James River near Richmond, Virginia. The Columbiad, Number 66, was cast at Bellona Foundry in 1862. The Columbiad, mounted on the commanding position overlooking the James, represents the battery which fought USS Galena and USS Monitor on May 15th, 1862.
The 24-Pounder Howitzer of CSS Georgia
An iron 24-Pounder Howitzer cast in 1862 by A. N. Miller in Savannah, Georgia is displayed at Old Fort Jackson near Savannah. The tube was recovered from the wreck of CSS Georgia in 1984 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It weighs roughly 1,500 pounds and is displayed upon a naval carriage. It is the only example of its type known to exist.
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 8-Inch Rifles at the University of Maine
Two US Navy 8-Inch (180-Pounder) Muzzle Loading Rifles have been displayed at the University of Maine in Orono since Llewellyn N. Edwards, Class of 1898, facilitated their donation by the Navy in 1932. The cannons, originally cast as 11-Inch Dahlgrens, would serve aboard US Navy ships including USS Pensacola, USS Juniata, and USS Galena in the 1870s and 1880s.
Dictator: The 13-Inch Mortar of Petersburg
In 1864 a 13-Inch Seacoast Mortar, Pattern 1861, was used by the United States Army in the siege of Petersburg. The mortar was mounted on a railcar - named the Petersburg Express - and used against Confederate fortifications. The fame of this heavy mortar may be greater than it's impact upon the siege. Whether the "Dictator" is among the approximately thirty 13-Inch Mortars which survive to the present is a matter of conjecture.
The 6.4-Inch Brooke at Historic Tredegar
A Double Banded 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle is displayed outside of Historic Tredegar Ironworks in Richmond, Virginia where it was originally manufactured in 1862.
The Brooke in Richmond is marked with the Tredegar foundry number 1633 and as weighing 9,400 pounds as manufactured. Number 1633 was cast at Tredegar on or about July 26th, 1862.
24-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight at Fort Pulaski
A Medium 24-Pounder of 32 Hundredweight cast in 1826 at Bellona Foundry may be seen on the parapet of Fort Pulaski. This type of cannon was designed for the Boston-class sloops of the US Navy in the 1820s. This cannon is recorded as serving aboard USS Fairfield.
24-Pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer at Petersburg, Virginia
24-Pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer Number 388 is displayed at the Petersburg National Battlefield. According to the research reflected in Olmstead et al., this particular boat howitzer was aboard USS Granite City when that ship was captured by Confederate infantry and artillery at Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana. I do not know what subsequent Confederate service the howitzer saw nor what brought it to Petersburg.
4.62-Inch Gorgas Rifle at Stony Creek, Virginia
A 4.62-Inch Siege Rifle cast by Bellona Foundry (near Richmond) in 1862 may be found in Stony Creek, Virginia. Weight of 5,360 pounds is stamped on the breech. The right trunnion reads "BF / JLA" (Bellona Foundry / Junius L. Archer).
Olmstead et al. identifies this cannon as a "Gorgas Rifle", a type manufactured by both Tredegar and Bellona. This example is the only known survivor of the type. As noted in "The Big Guns", this rifle is nearly identical to the 4.62-Inch "Gibbon and Andrews" rifle found at Fort Branch except for the latter rifle being banded and therefore eight hundred pounds heavier.
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.
30-Pounder Parrott Rifle at Petersburg
US Army 30-Pounder Parrott Rifle Number 227 (manufactured in 1863 at the West Point Foundry, 4,155 Pounds as manufactured) is displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield.
The 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Gun at Carrickfergus Castle
A Low Moor Ironworks 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothboore Muzzleloading Gun displayed at Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland. The carriage is stamped 1860 - a possible date of manufacture for the cannon. The photos in this post are courtesy of page subscriber David Pollock. Many thanks to him for sharing them with us all!
The 8-Inch Siege Howitzer of USS Pawnee
Two 8-Inch Siege Howitzers, Model 1841 (Olmstead et. al say "Pattern 1840") at the Washington Navy Yard.
Both were used in an attempted ambush of USS Marblehead on the Stono River on Christmas Day, 1863. One was subsequently carried as a pet aboard USS Pawnee.