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.
US Army 8-Inch Seacoast Howitzers, Pattern 1840, at Castillo de San Marcos
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.
US Navy 100-Pounder Parrott Rifles of Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania
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 during the Battle of Albemarle Sound on May 5th, 1864.
US Army 10-Inch Seacoast Mortars, Pattern 1840, in Binghamton, New York
Four US Army 10-Inch Mortars, Pattern 1840, which were cast at the West Point Foundry in 1861 are displayed around a beautiful monument to the “Heroic Sons” of Broome County, New York in the city of Binghamton. Many thanks to friend-of-the-page Rob James for these photos!
3.3-Inch Parrott Rifle in Kingstree, South Carolina
3.3-Inch Parrott Rifle displayed beside the Williamsburg County Courthouse in Kingstree, South Carolina. As Hazlett et al. note, this is one of three surviving 3.3-Inch Parrotts. (One of the others is at The Citadel in Charleston while the third is at Harpers Ferry.) Also according to Hazlett, these rifles externally conform to the size an shape of a US Army 10-Pounder Parrott.
US Army 10-Inch Seacoast Mortar, Pattern 1861 in St. Augustine, Florida
US Army 10-Inch Seacoast Mortar, Pattern 1861, displayed in St. Augustine, Florida. Manufactured by Cyrus Alger & Co. in 1862, this is one of only eight of the type made - of which two survive. It strongly resembles its 13-Inch “big brother” but weighs only 7,640 pounds verses around 17,000 pounds for the 13-inch. It is considerably larger than the 10-Inch Siege Mortar, Pattern 1861 which weighed slightly less than 2,000 pounds.
The Treadwell 32-Pounders at the Washington Navy Yard
Two experimental wrought-iron (possibly wrought-iron and steel) 32-Pounders designed by Daniel Treadwell and manufactured circa 1844 are displayed at the Washington Navy Yard. They cannons were light and could be very strong - though not every example's welds held up. For naval service, they were too light.
USS Canadaigua’s 11-Inch Dahlgren in La Moille, Illinois
An 11-Inch Dahlgren carried aboard USS Canandaigua is displayed in La Moille, Illinois. The Dahlgren, US Navy registry Number 216, was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1897 by the local Grand Army of the Republic Post Number 66.
The 8-Inch Rodman Rifles on US Navy Carriages at Palisades Park
Two US Army 8-Inch Rifles which were converted from 10-Inch Rodmans in 1885 and 1886 are displayed at Palisades Park in Santa Monica, California. They were installed at the park in 1908
Intriguingly they are mounted on US Navy Carriages intended for the 8-Inch Rifle which was a similar conversion of the 11-Inch Dahlgren.
The 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Gun in Warrnambool, Victoria
A 68-Pounder 95 Hundredweight Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun is displayed outside the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. Many thanks to friend-of-the-page Ivan Dove for taking these photos and sharing them with me.
The French 36-Pounder of the American Privateer General Armstrong
A French 36-Pounder is displayed in the National Museum of the United States Navy (photographed August of 2024). This cannon is a relic of a the "Battle of Fayal" between the American Privateer General Armstrong and the boats of a British squadron as well as the brig-sloop HMS Carnation.
US Army 42-Pounder, Pattern 1845, at the Washington Navy Yard
This US Army 42-Pounder, Pattern of 1845, is displayed at the Washington Navy Yard. It was cast at Bellona Foundry in 1860, and it is marked on the breech as weighing 8,590 pounds as cast. An inscription on the top of the tube notes that it was captured by the Navy from a "Rebel Battery Battery on the Potomac River in July of 1862."
The 7-Inch Blakely of CSS Alabama
CSS Alabama carried two heavy pivot guns: a 68-Pounder Smoothbore and a 7-Inch (or 110-Pounder) Blakely Rifle as well as six 32-pounder broadside guns. The Blakely was recovered from her wreck in 1994 and is displayed at La Cité de la Mer Museum and Aquarium in Cherbourg, France. The cannon is displayed above the remains of its original wooden carriage and with other artifacts related to the ship.
The 6.25-Inch Rifle of CSS Florida at the Washington Navy Yard
A British manufactured 6.25-Inch Rifle captured aboard CSS Florida is displayed at the Washington Navy Yard. According to John C. Reilly's "The Iron Guns of Williard Park", the breech is engraved with the words "32-Pdr Rifled from Anglo-Rebel Pirate Florida." The left trunnion is stamped "Low Moor, 10666".
The 8-Inch Confederate Columbiad at Drewry’s Bluff
An 8-Inch Confederate Columbiad is displayed at Fort Darling at Drewry's Bluff on the James River near Richmond, Virginia. The Columbiad, Number 66, was cast at Bellona Foundry in 1862. The Columbiad, mounted on the commanding position overlooking the James, represents the battery which fought USS Galena and USS Monitor on May 15th, 1862.
12-Pounder Confederate Napoleon at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond
A 12-Pounder Confederate Napoleon is displayed in front of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia. The “Confederate Napoleon”, a bronze smoothbore gun-howitzer, is designed to fire the same shot, shell, canister, and case as the US Army 12-Pounder Napoleon (Pattern 1857). However, given the pressures on Southern industry, most Confederate Napoleons lack the the visual refinements of the US Army model. The Confederate Napoleon typically does not have any muzzle swell. The tube likely was turned on a lathe only enough to function, so it will have a rough appearance. This particular example was cast at Tredegar Foundry - the site of the museum where it is presently displayed.
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.
Early US Army Napoleons at Petersburg National Battlefield
Two early examples of US Army 12-Pounder "Napoleons" are displayed at Petersburg National Battlefield. Having handles above their trunnions, they are among the first examples of the 12-Pounder, Light, Pattern 1857 manufactured for the US Army.
The 24-Pounder Howitzer of CSS Georgia
An iron 24-Pounder Howitzer cast in 1862 by A. N. Miller in Savannah, Georgia is displayed at Old Fort Jackson near Savannah. The tube was recovered from the wreck of CSS Georgia in 1984 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It weighs roughly 1,500 pounds and is displayed upon a naval carriage. It is the only example of its type known to exist.
The 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight at Fort Branch
A rifled and banded 32-Pounder of 57 Hundredweight is displayed at Fort Branch near Hamilton, North Carolina. The fort, which overlooks the Roanoke River and was built to counter any attempt by US Navy gunboats to press up river, was evacuated in April of 1865. The seven cannons recovered there (plus a fragment of a burst gun), remains of original carriages, projectiles, and other artifacts represent a truly remarkable collection of artillery connected with a single site and displayed there.