US Army 4.5-Inch Rifles in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Two US Army 4.5-Inch Siege Rifles are displayed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania - Photo By James Murray
Two US Army 4.5-Inch Siege Rifles are displayed in Barclay Square in downtown Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. They are:
US Army 4.5-Inch Rifle Number 2 cast at Fort Pitt Foundry in 1861. It’s weight as manufactured was 3,560.
US Army 4.5-Inch Rifle Number 35 cast at Fort Pitt Foundry in 1862. It’s weight as manufactured was 3,519 pounds.
Many thanks to friend of the page James Murray for taking these photos!
I was a mere 12 miles from Punxsutawney when I was in Reynoldsville this summer, but it was evening and a line of severe thunderstorms was coming through. I wanted to stay ahead of the weather and not get stuck there. So, I’m very thankful to Mr. Murray for photos of these groundhog-guarding rifles. (Note the groundhog statue in the first photo!)
Though it resembles in exterior form the US Army 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle, the 4.5-Inch was made of a cast iron block bored out whereas the 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle was of wrought-iron construction. However as the 4.5-Inch was designed by the US Army’s Ordnance Department, it is sometimes referred to as a 4.5-Inch Ordnance Rifle.
The 1879 Manual of Heavy Artillery Service by John C. Tidball shows the rifle fired a 35.5-pound solid shot or 25-pound shell with a 3.25 pound propellant charge (pp. 83-84). A range table in the same work shows a range of 540 yards at 1 degree elevation to over 3,500 yards at 10 degrees with solid shot.
Both rifles are displayed on somewhat undersized carriages. For examples of the type displayed on more accurate carriages and a discussion of the type as a whole, see my post on the rifles at Chatham Manor.
