US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Rifle Number 38 displayed in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania

The photos of the cannons in Reynoldsville in this post were taken by Elias Doll. Many thanks to him for a great set of photos!

Two US Navy 100-Pounder (6.4-Inch) Parrott Rifles are displayed at Veterans Memorial Park in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania. The two cannons are displayed on iron display stands.

One or perhaps both of these Parrotts may have been used in action by the US Navy against the ironclad ram CSS Albemarle. The two Parrotts are:

US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Number 38: Manufactured by West Point Foundry in 1862. Weight as originally manufactured 9,826 pounds. US Navy Bureau of Ordnance Records show that Number 38 was carried aboard USS Sassacus.
US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Number 42: Manufactured by West Point Foundry in 1862. Weight as originally manufactured was 9,832 pounds. US Navy Bureau of Ordnance Records show that Number 42 was carried aboard USS Whitehead. The same records also contain the note: “Captured by rebels on board the “Southfield” April ‘64 and mounted in Fort Bateman, Plymouth, N.C. Recaptured October 31st, ‘64. See letter of G.W. Barrett, Feb. 16, ‘65. Delivered to John C. Carson Post #192 G.A.R. Reynoldsville, Jef. Co., Pa. September 1897.”.

The Veterans Memorial Park of Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania

The Veterans Memorial Park in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania in June 2025

The Veterans Memorial Park on Main Street in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania was dedicated on October 7th, 2023. Local citizens worked together over a period of several years to bring various monuments which were scattered around town to a single display. Flanking the entrance arch are the two 100-Pounder Parrott Rifles. A 1917 monument to Civil War soldiers stands at the center of the park.

I have not yet been able to determine when the two Parrott Rifles were first brought to Reynoldsville, though they have both been present in the area for many decades. It appears that they and the monument were originally located in front of a local high school (If anyone knows of their early history in Reynoldsville, I would be very glad to learn of it!)

An early 20th Century illustration showing both the 1917 monument and one of the 100-Pounder Parrotts may be seen on “Card Cow” here: High School and Soldiers' Monument Reynoldsville, PA Postcard

The Reynoldsville War Memorial Facebook Page shows photos from the construction of the park and those involved in the work.

The 100-Pounder Parrott Rifle in US Navy Service

100-Pounder Parrott Rifle aboard USS Mendota in 1864 or 1865. The Parrott Rifle is mounted on a pivot carriage allowing it to fire on either broadside. The two 100-Pounders of USS Sassacus were likely mounted on similar carriages. Naval History and Heritage Command Photo: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-59000/NH-59439.html

Introduced in 1861, the 100-Pounder Parrott Rifle is a cast iron, rifled cannon which has a wrought-iron reinforcing band fitted over the breech. It has a 6.4-Inch bore. The rifled barrel allowed it to fire elongated projectiles of varying weights depending on whether they were shot or shell, but the heaviest would be up to 100 pounds.

The 100-Pounder Parrott was similar in weight to the smoothbore 9-Inch Dahlgren (9,200 pounds), and the two cannons often served alongside each other on the same ships. USS Sassacus, for instance, carried two 100-Pounder Parrotts and four 9-Inch Dahlgrens. The two types of cannons complemented each other’s strengths.

In popular history, the Parrott Rifle has a very poor reputation for reliability - being thought of as more dangerous to its own crews than those it was fired upon. During the war, twenty-eight of the three hundred fifty-two 100-Pounder Parrotts produced for the US Navy would burst or otherwise fail in service. (Including, according to Mike Ryan’s research, 100-Pounder Number 25 carried aboard USS Sassacus in January of 1865.) The problem received its greatest attention after six of the type burst during the December 24th, 1864 bombardment of Fort Fisher near Wilmington, North Carolina - which indeed caused more casualties than return fire from the Confederate fort.

A January 1865 Bureau of Ordnance “Report on Rifled Guns” makes these points:

Smaller caliber (10-Pounder, 20-Pounder, and 30-Pounder) Parrotts did not suffer from reliability issues to the same extent as the larger models.
Difficulties experience by the US Army firing the type on Morris Island may be attributable to sand getting in the barrels.
The problems experienced by the US Navy may have been due in large part to the shells detonating in the barrel rather than problems with the cannons themselves.

Three US 100-Pounder Projectiles displayed at Fort Macon in North Carolina. They are, from left to right, a solid shot, a case shot (exploding shell holding shrapnel), and an explosive shell. Their weights are 77 pounds, 76 pounds, and 86 pounds respectively.

US Navy Parrott Rifle Number 38 of USS Sassacus

USS Sassacus, making about 10 knots, rammed CSS Albemarle on May 5th, 1864 during the "Battle of Albemarle Sound." During the battle, she carried two 100-Pounder Parrott Rifles - Numbers 25 and 38 - and four 9-Inch Dahlgrens. (NARA RG 74 Entries 111 and 112)

USS Sassacus rams CSS Albemarle during the Battle of Albemarle Sound, May 5th, 1864. Naval History and Heritage Command: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-01000/NH-1500.html

During the Battle of Albemarle Sound, the elevating screws of both 100-Pounders carried by Sassacus broke as the Parrotts were repeatedly fired at maximum depression. Sailors resorted to using handspikes to depress the guns. At one point in the action, the forward 100-Pounder was fired only partially run out as the Albemarle was so close - and the recoil from this shot damaged the carriage. One of the shots fired by Sassacus broke the muzzle of one of Albemarle's Brooke Rifles - which would require that cannon to be replaced after the battle. CSS Albemarle did put two shot into Sassacus - one of which hit the pipes of one of Sassacus's two boilers. The resulting escape of steam scalded sixteen men - some of them fatally - and was responsible for most of the casualties sustained aboard in the action.

All together, twenty-nine rounds were fired by the two 100-Pounders carried by USS Sassacus on May 5th, 1864. CSS Albemarle, though damaged, was able to retire. Neither the 100-Pounders nor the 9-Inch Dahlgrens of Sassacus or the rest of the US Navy squadron had been able to appreciably damage Albemarle. Lietuenant Commander F.A. Roe, captain of USS Sassacus, wrote that 100-Pounder shot fired by his ship’s Parrotts “flew into splinters” upon striking CSS Albemarle’s iron armor. USS Sassacus had a boiler out of action, both Parrott Rifles disabled, and was leaking from ramming Albemarle. It took courage for the sailors of the US Navy squadron, all of which were wooden gunboats, to face an ironclad. (See reports of the battle in “Official Records - Navies” Ser. 1. Vol. 9. pp. 732-771).

US Navy Parrott Rifles have their identifying information stamped on top of their breech reinforcing band. The stampings here show that the piece was produced by Robert Parker Parrott (at West Point Foundry), it is Number 38 of an eventual 352 US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Rifles, and it weighed 9,826 pounds when completed. The loop mounting for the rear sight can be seen at right.

The year of manufacture, 1862, and type, 100-Pounder, can be seen on the right trunnion. Above the trunnion is a mounting point for the forward sight.

The “P” indicates that the cannon was successfully proof-fired before acceptance into naval service.

The 6.4-inch rifled barrel can be seen here. A plug has been placed several inches into the barrel to prevent the accumulation of debris.

The two holes in the cascabel (extension off the breech) have different functions. A heavy rope ran through the larger to help absorb recoil. The smaller hole was the attachment point for a bracket connected to the elevating screw.

Additional photos of US Navy Parrott Rifle Number 38

US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Rifle of USS Whitehead and USS Southfield

US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Rifle Number 42 of USS Whitehead and USS Southfield in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania.

US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Rifle Number 42 was manufactured in 1862 at the West Point Foundry and is displayed at the Reynoldsville War Memorial in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania. According to the research reflected in "The Big Guns" by Olmstead et al., this Parrott Rifle served aboard USS Whitehead and USS Minnesota. As originally manufactured, this 100-Pounder weighed 9,832 pounds. See Update Below

Post’s original text: If the 100-Pounder was still aboard USS Whitehead on May 5th, 1864, then there is a good chance that both of the 100-Pounders displayed at Veterans Memorial Park in Reynoldsville took an active part in the Battle of Albemarle Sound against CSS Albemarle. While USS Whitehead's contribution to the battle was not as dramatic as that of USS Sassacus, the diminutive ship still took an active part in the battle. USS Whitehead was 93 feet long and not quite 20 on the beam with an Acting Ensign in command. Her armament was the single 100-Pounder as well as three 24-Pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzers. During the battle, USS Whitehead fired seventeen solid shot at CSS Albemarle.

USS Whitehead's commanding officer, Acting Ensign G. W. Barrett, wrote of his ship's gunnery: "I approached within 200 yards of her. At this distance we succeeded in making some excellent shots, the projectiles used being solid , chilled-end shot, which must have made a serious impression on the iron armor of the ram , as I judged from the appearance of the plating on her when viewed through a glass." (Official Records - Navies: Ser. 1 Vol. 9. Pg. 755)

US Navy Bureau of Ordnance records showing that Number 42 was “captured by the rebels aboard Southfield.” NARA RG 74 E 112 Vol. 1. Pg. 423.

Update June 2026: While the Bureau of Ordnance’s “Registry of Naval Guns” notes that Number 42 served aboard USS Whitehead, both Volume 1 and Volume 2 contain the following note: “Captured by rebels on board the “Southfield” April ‘64 and mounted in Fort Bateman, Plymouth, N.C. Recaptured October 31st, ‘64. See letter of G.W. Barrett, Feb. 16, ‘65. Delivered to John C. Carson Post #192 G.A.R. Reynoldsville, Jef. Co., Pa. September 1897.”.

USS Southfield was sunk in action with the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle on April 19th, 1864. Southfield’s 100-Pounder Parrott was raised from the wreck at Plymouth by the Confederates on or around May 13th, 1864. Although Commander James W. Cooke entertained the possibility of temporarily mounting the Parrott aboard CSS Albemarle to replace a Brooke which had been damaged in action, he instead mounted it in a fort on the Roanoke River (Brooke, George M. Jr. ed. Ironclads and Big Guns of the Confederacy: The Journal and Letters of John M. Brooke. pg. 184). Another gun, 9-Inch Dahlgren Number 513, which was also recovered from Southfield survives in Florence, South Carolina.

USS Southfield’s original 100-Pounder aboard, Registry Number 1, burst in an action against Confederate batteries on the Chowan River on March 1st, 1864. Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Charles French, Commanding officer of Southfield wrote, “first fire of the 100-pounder Parrott rifle, No. 1, it burst, breaking the carriage and throwing a large piece of metal clear of the ship into the river alongside. The burst extends from about 2 inches under the band to 2 feet forward of center of trunnion, taking more than half the bore for a part of the way and carrying with it one-half port trunnion” (Official Records - Navies. Ser. 1. Vol. 9. pg. 517).

The following pages in the Official Records make it clear that replacing the 100-Pounder aboard Southfield was a priority as it was known that CSS Albemarle would soon be completed. Communications also suggest that the replacement Parrott for Southfield had been received in the area just prior to the April 19th action. It is never stated in the Official Records (so far as I have seen) that Southfield “borrowed” USS Whitehead’s 100-Pounder prior to the Battle of Plymouth, but if the note about 100-Pounder Parrott Number 42 being captured aboard Southfield is correct, it may have been so borrowed.

In any event, on April 19th, 1864, both USS Miami and USS Southfield fired upon CSS Albemarle with their 100-Pounders - to little effect. After CSS Albemarle rammed and sunk USS Southfield, USS Miami withdrew from the action.

Conclusion: US Navy Bureau of Ordnance Records confirm that US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Rifle Number 38 was aboard USS Sassacus for her action against CSS Albemarle. The records strongly suggest that Number 42 was aboard USS Southfield when she was sunk by CSS Albemarle. Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania displays two Parrott rifles which were witness to some of the most significant naval actions of the American Civil War.