US Army 8-Inch Seacoast Howitzers, Pattern 1840, at Castillo de San Marcos
Two US Army 8-Inch Seacoast Howitzers at Castillo de San Marcos in Saint Augustine, Florida
Two US Army 8-Inch Seacoast Howitzers, Pattern 1840, are the two largest cannons displayed among the 19th Century US cannons along the water battery at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. The two seacoast howitzers were made by Columbia Foundry in 1841. They bear the registry numbers 11 and 14 and weigh 5,840 and 5,820 pounds respectively. (Registry numbers and weight from Olmstead et al. as paint and muzzle caps obscured markings when I visited.)
The 8-Inch seacoast howitzer is a chambered, shell-firing howitzer. It has 6.4-inch trunnions and was intended for use on carriages built for 32-Pounders. US Army Seacoast 32-Pounders of its era typically weighed around 7,250 pounds - so the howitzer was considerably lighter.
The Pattern 1840 would be superseded in service fairly quickly by the Heavy Seacoast Howitzer, Pattern 1842, which weighed 8,500 pounds and the 8-Inch Columbiad, Pattern 1844, which weighed 9,200 pounds. The older, lighter cannons may have not quite been to the task. The US Army ordered them removed form service on February 9th, 1861. However, Florida had already seceded from the Union in January 1861. Given their present location, it is possible that these two howitzers saw Confederate service.
The pair at Castillo de San Marcos represent two of ten known survivors. The other eight may all be found in New York State - five on Long Island, two in Yonkers, and one at West Point.
