US Army 8-Inch Rodman in Bath, Maine
US Army 8-Inch Rodman displayed in Bath, Maine
Displayed beside a monument outside the Sagadahoc County Superior Courthouse in Bath, Maine is an 8-inch Rodman (Model 1861 Columbiad) cast in 1865 by Seyfert, McManus, and Co. in Reading, Pennsylvania for the United States Army.
Many thanks to Friend of the Page James Murray for taking and sharing these photos!
The piece is marked on the muzzle as weighing 8,445 pounds and having been inspected by “SCL” -Stephen Carr Lyford . It is SMcM registry number 14.
The 8-Inch Rodman is a cast iron, smooth bore cannon typically used to arm seacoast fortifications. It was designed by Thomas J. Rodman, a US Army officer, and entered service in 1861. It could fire an approximately 64-pound solid shot or 50-pound explosive shell. Rodman designed his guns to be strong - the casting is thickest at the breech before tapering. Rodman’s design also eliminated the older style cascabel for a “mushroom knob” breech which allowed a rope to be slung around the breech to aid in lifting the piece. The 8-Inch Rodman was the smallest of a series of similar guns cast for the US Army. 10-Inch and massive 15-Inch Rodmans also served in significant numbers.
