US Army 32-Pounder Seacoast Guns, Pattern 1845, in St. Augustine
Two US Army 32-Pounder Seacoast Guns, Pattern 1845, are displayed in Plaza de la Constitución in Saint Augustine, Florida. These cannon was cast at Tredegar in Richmond in 1846. They are registry numbers Number 5 on and 27 on their muzzles. Both of these cannons have been rifled. As manufactured they weighed 7, 215 pounds and 7,256 pounds.
The 6.4-Inch Brooke of CSS Tennessee at Naval Station Norfolk
A 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle which was captured aboard CSS Tennessee is displayed at Naval Station Norfolk alongside an identical 6.4-Inch Brooke from CSS Albemarle.
The Tennessee Brooke was manufactured at Tredegar in June 1863 and was sent to Richmond Naval Ordnance Words for banding and rifling in August of 1863. Its registry number is 49 and its Tredegar Foundry Number is 1853 (Olmstead et al. pg. 219).
CS Army 30-Pounder “Parrott” Rifle at Fort Morgan
A 30-Pounder (4.2-Inch) Rifle manufactured by Tredegar (Richmond, Virginia) in 1862 is displayed at Fort Morgan. The rifle is resembles the US Army Parrott Rifle. The rifle’s breech was blown off at some point. The missing breech allows the bore to be seen from the breech - and it is roughly and inch off-center.
Like the US Army Parrott Rifle, this is a cast iron cannon with a wrought iron reinforcing band over the breach.
The 6.4-Inch Brooke of CSS Albemarle at Norfolk
A 6.4-Inch Brooke Rifle carried aboard CSS Albemarle is displayed at Naval Station Norfolk flanking a flagpole with another 6.4-Inch Brooke which was carried aboard CSS Tennessee. This Brooke likely was carried by CSS Albemarle during the Battle of Plymouth and Battle of Albemarle Sound in 1864.
8-Inch Confederate Columbiad in Waterman, Illinois
An 8-Inch Confederate Columbiad is displayed in Johnson Grove Cemetery near Waterman, Illinois. It sits atop a pedestal bearing the inscriptions “Dedicated to the Soldiers of the Civil War” and “Erected 1905.”
The left trunnion bears the mark “1864” - probably for the date of acceptance into service. The Tredegar Foundry number on the muzzle - “1947” - actually corresponds to a casting date of October 27th, 1863 in the records of Tredegar Iron Works of Richmond, Virginia.
10-Inch Confederate Columbiad in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
A 10-Inch Confederate Columbiad manufactured in 1863 by Tredegar is displayed in front of the Horse Soldier in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This cannon bears Tredegar’s registry number “1873” on its muzzle. This number corresponds to a 10-Inch Columbiad cast at Tredegar on July 30th, 1863.
Many thanks to friend-of-the-page and historian Tom Nank for taking these photos and sharing them with me.
12-Pounder Confederate “Iron Napoleon” at Petersburg
12-Pounder Banded Smoothbore "Confederate Iron Napoleon" at Petersburg National Battlefield, Battery 5. Tredegar's foundry number 2243 is visible on the left trunnion. This piece was cast in January of 1865. As bronze became scare, the Confederacy turned to manufacturing the "Napoleon" in iron. Weight of the tube, 1,249 pounds, is similar to earlier bronze examples.
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.
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 4.62-Inch Gibbon and Andrews Rifle of Fort Branch
The only (known) surviving 4.62-Inch Gibbon and Andrews Rifle is part of the remarkable collection of original artillery at Fort Branch near Hamilton, North Carolina. This Confederate siege rifle was recovered from the Roanoke River at Fort Branch in 1977 having been submerged since the fort was destroyed and abandoned in April of 1865. It was recovered still mounted on the remains of its siege and garrison carriage which is also on display in the Fort’s museum.
The 10-Inch Confederate Columbiad at Fort Macon
An original 10-Inch Confederate Columbiad is displayed at Fort Macon on Bogue Banks in North Carolina. While Fort Macon mounted two such cannons during the war, this particular Columbiad was mounted at Charleston, was sold for scrap after the Civil War, was shipped and lost aboard the schooner Philadelphia, and was recovered off the coast of South Carolina in the 2010s.
The 9-Inch Dahlgren of USS Colorado on Staten Island
A US Navy 9-Inch Dahlgren Cannon is displayed at Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island in New York. This gun was manufactured at Tredegar Foundry in 1857 and saw service aboard USS Colorado.
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.
The 9-Inch Dahlgren and 8-Inch Rodman at Fort Sill
The US Army Artillery Museum at Fort Sill offers the unique opportunity to directly compare an 8-Inch Rodman to an 9-Inch Dahlgren. In presenting these two cannon side by side, the visitor to the museum is able to see the approach of both the US Navy and the US Army to produce shell guns capable of also firing solid shot. The Photos in this post were taken by Flickr User “rcaustintx” in 2019. They are used with his permission. Many, many thanks!
The Brooke Rifles of CSS Tennessee
Four Brooke Rifles carried aboard CSS Tennessee at the Battle of Mobile Bay are displayed as trophies at the Washington Navy Yard. One other is displayed at Selma, Alabama. Another may be found at Naval Station Norfolk.
The Single Banded Brooke Rifles of CSS Atlanta
Four Brooke Rifles captured from CSS Atlanta are displayed as trophies at the US Navy's Washington Navy Yard.
Edenton Bell Battery and Revolutionary Cannon
Preserved in Edenton, North Carolina are two cannon cast during the Civil War from bells from Edenton. Also, several Revolutionary War cannon are displayed which may have played a small part in the defense of Edenton during the Civil War.
10-Inch Confederate Columbiads at Fort Moultrie
Four 10-Inch Confederate Columbiads are on display at Fort Moultrie near Chareston, South Carolina. US Army 10-Inch Rodman guns are also present allowing the visitor to compare the two types.
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.