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Keeping Tradition Alive The Story of the Ohio Civil War Show
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The Artilleryman | Summer 2015 | Vol. 36, No. 3
CONTENTS
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PUBLISHER’S PLATFORM LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THE REFERENCE DESK
Functions of the Bormann time fuse and its wrenches by Jack W. Melton Jr.
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BRITISH ARMSTRONG “E” TIME FUZE
16
KEEPING TRADITION ALIVE
26
IS THIS A CANNONBALL?
30
COLONEL LAMB’S FLYING BATTERY: A CONFEDERATE 2.19-INCH WHITWORTH RIFLE
38
CIVIL WAR IN COLOR
44
REVEALING THE MAKERS OF THE WIARD RIFLE
47
BOOK REVIEWS
48
CLASSIFIED ADS
Sir William Armstrong Navy Time Fuze in 1870 color illustrations and article by CW04 (Ret.) John D. Bartleson Jr. USN. The history of the Ohio Civil War Show. Article and photographs by the Don Williams family. Col. (Ret.) John Biemeck’s article on how to determine if you have a cannonball or something else.
Dr. Gordon L. Jones writes about the surviving 6-pounder Whitworth rifle located at the Atlanta History Center.
The process of colorizing Civil War period photographs by David Richardson. The makers of the guns of Norman Wiard by Capt. (Ret.) Steven W. Knott, USN. By Peter Frandsen.
About The Cover: Don Williams’1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery “D” from Ashland, Ohio. Members David Gotter, Wayne Williams, Brandon Warner, Greg Williams (from left to right). Photograph taken at the May 2015 Ohio Civil War Show by Jack W. Melton Jr. Note the striking resemblance to the Civil War period photograph on page 38.
Readers are invited to send high-resolution photos for consideration on the cover. If we use your photo you’ll get a free year’s subscription. 2
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Š 2015 Jack W. Melton Jr. LLC, All Rights Reserved. Printed proudly and responsibly in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. The information contained herein is for the general history and background of our readers and The Artilleryman assumes no liability for loading or shooting data which may be published in this magazine. The circumstances surrounding the loading and discharge of firearms mentioned are beyond our control and are unique to the particular instance being described. We hereby disclaim any responsibility for persons attempting to duplicate loading data or shooting conditions referenced herein and specifically recommend against relying solely on this material. Readers are cautioned that black powder varies according to grain size, type, date of manufacture and supplier, and that firing of antique or replica ordnance should not be undertaken without adequate training and experience in procedures and loads.
Founding Publisher: C. Peter Jorgensen Publisher: Jack W. Melton Jr. Editor: Peggy M. Melton Book Reviews: Peter A. Frandsen Advertising: mail@ArtillerymanMagazine.com Webmaster: Carson Jenkins Jr. Graphic Designer: Squeegie Studios InDesign Guru: Neil Stewart
New Contact Information: Jack W. Melton Jr. LLC dba The Artilleryman
96 Craig St., Suite 112-333 East Ellijay, GA 30540 (706) 940-2673 (BORE) Email: mail@artillerymanmagazine.com Website: ArtillerymanMagazine.com The Artilleryman is published quarterly by Jack W. Melton Jr. LLC. The office of publication is at 96 Craig Street, Suite 112-333, East Ellijay, Georgia 30540. (706) 940-2673. Contributions of editorial material and photographs are welcomed at the above address. Subscription rates: $25 per year in U.S. and Canada; $42 overseas. U.S. bank checks or credit cards. Subscribe online at www.ArtillerymanMagazine.com. POSTMASTER: Send address change to The Artilleryman, 96 Craig Street, Suite 112-333, East Ellijay, Georgia 30540.
Consultants
Thomas Bailey, (CWO4 Ret.) John D. Bartleson Jr. U.S. Navy, Craig Bell, Jack Bell, Jim Bender, Col.(Ret.) John Biemeck, Mike Kent, Lewis Leigh Jr., Butch & Anita Holcombe, Donald Lutz, John Morris, Michael J. O’Donnell, Bernie Paulson, Bruce Paulson, Lawrence E. Pawl, Matthew Switlik ArtillerymanMagazine.com
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It is with great dedication that I have accepted the responsibility as Publisher of The Artilleryman magazine which begins with this issue. What an honor is truly will be to carry on the legacy that was started by C. Peter Jorgensen over 36 years ago and carried on by his wife Kay after his passing in 2009. Since then, Kay has done a wonderful job with the magazine, but she has decided that the time has come to pass along the torch. I can’t thank Kay and her staff, Beth Godin and Linda Hoyt enough for their support during this transition. This year will mark the 41st anniversary that I have been collecting, researching and simply enjoying my passion for history, particularly, Civil War artillery. Over those years, I have visited almost every battlefield in the South and most of the major ones above the Mason-Dixon Line,
photographing just about every cannon and piece of artillery I could focus my lens on for documentation purposes. I look forward to sharing the images I have captured with our readers in the up-coming issues. I am very excited about this new position and I take it very seriously. During this transition, there will be mistakes and learning curves along the way. If you have any suggestions, concerns or comments, please email – mail@ArtillerymanMagazine.com. The Winter 2015 issue will contain articles and photographs of the Sesquicentennial Events for the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War or known as the War Between the States. If you have photographs or short to long articles that you’d like to share please contact me. The deadline for submission for the Winter issue is November 1st. Best regards, Jack W. Melton Jr. In The News Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites the public to attend artillery programs this summer at Chickamauga Battlefield and at Point Park on Lookout Mountain. Lookout Mountain Battlefield (Point Park): May 30, July 4, & August 8. Chickamauga Battlefield: July 25 & September 5, 2015.
The Magazine The Artilleryman is a quarterly magazine founded in 1979 for enthusiasts who collect and shoot cannons and mortars primarily from the Revolutionary War, Civil War to World War II. 4
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Coming to Atlanta History Center In July of 2014, the mayor of Atlanta announced that the Atlanta History Center would be acquiring the Cyclorama painting The Battle of Atlanta. The move and restoration of this historic painting was funded by private donors and philanthropies with no cost to the Atlanta taxpayers. A 23,000 square foot Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker Cyclorama wing is being built to reincorporate 3,268 square feet of the painting that have been missing for generations. The famous Great Locomotive Chase had two locomotive stars: The General, located in the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, and The Texas, which will be moved into this state-of -the-art facility at the Atlanta History Center. The move and restoration project is expected to be completed by 2017 and opened to the public. New Surviving Cannon Found The owner of a undiscovered U.S. 3.67-inch, 6-pounder Sawyer rifle contacted me. Stamped on the muzzle is No. 13 and the bore is rifled with 6 lands and grooves. Captain Pythagoras Holcombe’s 2nd Vermont Battery had 3.67-inch Sawyer rifles during the Siege of Port Hudson. There are only 2-3 of these Sawyer rifles known.
Cannon safety, artillery history, places to visit, projectiles, fuses, equipment, book reviews, shoot reports, how-to articles, and artillery news U.S. and abroad.
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TO THE EDITOR: I found this today and I cannot determine if this is a cannonball. It weighs 2 lbs, 3.8 oz. The diameter is 2.5 inches. We do not have any mines near by, so I don’t think it is a ore crusher ball. There are no visual markings to signify something else. I cannot find a seam or filler marking. Mike from Michigan.
Dear Mike: I’m the author of the book on cannon ball identification called Encyclopedia of Black Powder Projectiles Found in North America: 1759 - 1865. Volume II has been published and it shows every known caliber and type of cannonball by service (Colonial America, British, French, Spanish, Mexican and Russian) that has been or could be found in North America with over one hundred pages of their fuses. Cannonballs are found in Michigan from the War of 1812 and while a rare find, they are there. They range in size from grape shot to 8-inch mortar shells. Unfortunately, none are 2.5 inches in diameter and on page 581 I show a picture of a spherical ball made of steel. When it is new it is 2.5 inches in diameter and weighs about 2.3 pounds. It is highly polished steel when new and may show some wear marks if cleaned. This is the typical rail road wheel bearing and is often sold on eBay and other sites as a small cannonball. From what you have told us you
have almost perfectly described a rail road bearing. Since steel weighs more that cast iron, the weigh pretty much confirms this is steel and not a cannon ball. Cannonballs are almost always made of cast iron with a few exceptions of copper (Mexican Army) and wrought iron (Russian and very large Union Navy shot used to penetrate ironclads). I regret I must tell you this as it would have been wonderful to have located a War of 1812 cannon solid shot as most fired in Michigan were indeed solid shot, but they all have distinct mold marks when carefully examined. Some British shot are highly finished, but they all have a distinct mold dimple on top. American shot from that era all have a very crude seam with some slightly off alignment to the degree at times, you wonder if they were safe to shoot. But they did shoot them for sure. John Biemeck TO THE EDITOR: In reference to “A Little Roar” in the last issue concerning the Ames Model 1835 12-pdr. Mountain Howitzer displayed at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. Here is some additional information about the “Abbott Howitzer”. Major James B. Abbott, head of a freestate militia, traveled back East in 1855 to purchase arms to defend Kansas territory against the Pro-slavery Party which became known as “Bleeding Kansas”. What makes this little cannon so special is the provenance from Its purchase by Abbott in 1855 through capture by Pro-Slavery Party at the sacking of Lawrence in 1856 and its recovery by Free-State militia that same year and the role it played during the Civil War. More detailed information is in the fall of 2003 edition
of The Artilleryman. If you are traveling East of Kansas City on I-70, please make a point of stopping in Topeka and visiting this wonderful museum. Bob Meistrell Plainville, Kansas TO THE EDITOR: My friends found a very nice Parrott percussion fuse in the Battle Camp of San Juan in Lima, Perú. Un abrazo, Reynaldo Pizarro Antram Dear Reynaldo: Thank you for sharing the information and photographs. The Parrott percussion fuse was manufactured for the navy. The brass fuse body and anvil cap are less corrosive than the pewter Parrott fuse intended for the army. Best regards, The Publisher
This Parrott percussion fuse completely disassembled after cleaning.
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Federal 5 ¼ second Bormann time fuse
Confederate 5 ½ second Bormann time fuse
he Bormann fuse is named after its inventor, Belgian Army Captain Charles Guillaume Bormann (1796-1873). Bormann was promoted to MajorGeneral by 1862. The Bormann time fuse was employed by the United Stated Ordnance Department as early as 1852. The time fuse is contained in a lead and tin disk (1). This disk has time markings indicated in seconds and quarterseconds graduated up to 5 ¼ seconds (U.S. pattern). The artillerist used a metal punch or gouge to pierce the thin metal at the desired time marking. This exposed a section in the horseshoe-shaped horizontal mealed powder train (2). When the cannon discharged, the flame from the explosion ignited this powder train. It would burn in a uniform rate in
both directions, but one end would terminate in a dead-end just beyond the 5 ¼ second mark (Confederate copies are 5 ½ seconds). The other end would continue to burn past the zero-mark, where it would travel through a channel to a small powder booster (3). This powder then ignited, sending the flame through a hole (communication channel) in the fuse support plug (underplug) (4) to the bursting charge of the projectile located below this plug. The purpose of the brass or iron fuse support disk or underplug (made of iron, brass or copper) was to seal the loading hole and to form a solid base of support for the soft metal Bormann time fuse, which could have easily been damaged during initial discharge of the cannon.
1 2 3 4
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Bormann Time Fuse
Horseshoe powder train sealed
Tin seal punched with small holes to expose the priming powder
1
3
2
Quote below from “Confederate Artillery Service�, by General E. P. Alexander, late Chief of Artillery of Longstreet’s Corps, A. N. V., pages 32-33, Transactions of the Southern Historical Society, Volumes 1-2.
T
his ammunition was all put up with the Bormann fuse, and this fuse being adopted by the Confederate Ordnance Department, a factory was established for its manufacture. Large quantities of ammunition fitted with these fuses were sent to the field in the summer of 1861, and complaints of its bad quality were immediately made. Careful tests being made of it, it was found that fully four-fifths of the shell exploded prematurely, and very many of them in the gun. The machinery for their manufacture was overhauled, and a fresh supply made and sent to the field, where the old ones were removed and the new were substituted, but no improvement was discernible. The trouble was found to be in the hermetical sealing of the under-side of the horse-shoe channel containing the fuse composition. Although this was seemingly accomplished at the factory, the shock of the discharge would unseat the horse-shoe-shaped plug which closed this channel, and allow the flame from the composition to reach the charge of the shell without burning around to the magazine of the fuse. Attempts were made to correct the evil by the use of white-lead, putty and leather under the fuse, and in the winter of 1861 these correctives were applied to every
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shell in the army with considerable but not universal success. Repeated attempts were made to improve the manufacture, but they accomplished nothing, and until after the battle of Chancellorsville the Bormann fuse continued in use, and premature explosions of shell were so frequent that the artillery could only be used over the heads of the infantry with such danger and demoralisation to the latter that it was seldom attempted. Earnest requests were made of the Ordnance Department to substitute for the Bormann fuse the common paper-fuses, to be cut to the required length and fixed on the field, as being not only more economical and more certain, but as allowing, what is often very desirable, a greater range than five seconds, which is the limit of the Bormann fuse. These requests, repeated and urged in January 1863 on the strength of casualties occurring from our own guns among the infantry in front during the battle of Fredericksburg, were at length successful in accomplishing the substitution. The ammunition already on hand, however, could not be exchanged, and its imperfections affected the fire even at Gettysburg. The paper-fuse was found to answer admirably, and no further complaints of ammunition came from the smooth-bores. ArtillerymanMagazine.com
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Bormann Time Fuse 12-pounder Case Shot
Horseshoe shaped powder train in this sectioned Bormann fuse
Bormann time fuse Leather washer Iron support plug (underplug) with two spanner wrench holes
Black pitch matrix known as asphaltum Tin cylinder that contained the black powder bursting charge
.69 caliber lead case shot ball
The Bormann time fuse is an alloy of equal parts of lead and tin, has 12 threads per inch and is 1.65 inches in diameter. This example has a leather washer for sealing against moisture and the propellant charge flames from penetration around the Bormann time fuse threads. The washer is 1.56 inches diameter and .06 inches thick. The iron support plug or underplug is 1.09 inches in diameter, .42 inches thick and has 12 threads per inch. The spanner holes are .62 inches apart on center. The horseshoe powder train can be seen in the half sectioned Bormann time fuse to the readers right. Fuse assembly on the upper left was recovered from the Federal battery position before Coosawhatchie, South Carolina.
Diameter: 4.50 inches Bore Diameter: 4.62 inches Gun: 12-pounder Smoothbore Weight: 11 pounds (whole) Construction: Case shot 8
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Fusing System: Time, Bormann Fusing Material: Lead and Tin Alloy Fuse Threads Diameter: 1.65 inches Fuse Hole Length: .68 inches Sabot: Cup
Sabot Material: Wood Wall Thickness: .43 inches Matrix Material: Asphaltum Case Shot Material: Lead Case Shot Diameter: .69 caliber
Bormann Fuse Gouge (Punch)
U.S. regulation Bormann fuse gouge (punch). It has a wooden handle with a brass ferrule and an iron cutter. Overall length is 3.92 inches. Width of the iron cutter is .23 inches. Maximum diameter of the wood handle is 1.10 inches. The artillerist would have used this fuse cutter, or a small gouge, to cut or punch the Bormann time fuse’s metallic cover and expose the mealed powder composition prior to loading the projectile into the cannon. The number of seconds chosen was based upon the officer’s instructions for the desired length of flight. The U.S. 12-pounder Bormann fused spherical projectile was recovered from the 1864 Resaca Battlefield part of the Atlanta Campaign. Courtesy The Atlanta History Center, Thomas S. Dickey Sr. Civil War Collection.
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Bormann Fuse Wrenches
Stamped “N. J� This wooden U.S. Bormann double-slotted fuse wrench measures 8.24 inches width at the handle, 3.28 inches in height including bottom post, diameter of handles are .69 and .73 inches measured across front and rear. The diameter of face plate is 1.31 inches. This tool would have been stored in the tool tray of an ammunition chest. U.S. Bormann time fuse
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U.S. Bormann time fuse
Brass Bormann single-slot fuse wrench measures 4.40 inches width at the handles, 3.13 inches in height including bottom post, diameter of handles are approximately 他 inches and diameter of face plate is 1.31 inches. Both Union and Confederate artillerymen used brass Bormann fuse wrenches. This fuse wrench was recovered from the 1864 Wilderness Battlefield area located in Virginia. Courtesy The Atlanta History Center, Thomas S. Dickey Sr. Civil War Collection.
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his fuze was withdrawn from British Land Service in June, 1870 but was still in Naval Service, with breech-loading segment shells, for several more years. The construction is complicated, and its cost about double that of the Boxer B.L. time fuzes, but it has several important advantages, especially as a
Armstrong Fuze No. 22, 1860-1904
fuze for shrapnel. It can be set to very small intervals, a point of the greatest importance with shrapnel shell, it can be altered again after setting, and it is open to inspection, so that the officer or the No. 1 of a gun can see that it is correct, instead of depending on those employed in preparing shells at the limber or in the shell room. It is not necessary to give the various patterns which have been introduced, or to dwell on the various changes of manufacture, as only one nature of fuze was issued to the service, and may be known by the word “cap” stamped upon the base of the fuze. Various marks may be found in combination with this word, as old fuzes are repaired by having cap composition substituted for the amorphous phosphorous composition which did not stand exposure to climate and deteriorated. The fuze being complicated in its construction demands very careful manufacture, and in this respect compares unfavorably with the Boxer fuze, as there are more sources of failure. Many defects existed in the early patterns, and so brought the fuze into disrepute. The chief faults are: (1) The fuze occasionally fired when carried in the limbers. This was
British Armstrong Time Fuze Patent 779, April 10, 1858 12
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due to the pellet containing the detonating composition being supported by lead feathers, which gave way under the jolting motion of the limbers. This was remedied by using a cup-shaped support of thin brass. The cup was proposed by Col. Freeth, R.A. (2) The fuze sometimes failed to ignite when the detonating arrangement fired. This was due to the hard surface of the fuze composition; the flash from the pellet failed to light it with certainty. This was overcome by boring a small hole in the composition. The gradual development of the Armstrong class of fuzes can be traced there, starting from the Bormann and Breithaupt fuzes, to those used by the Prussians, Austrians, and Swiss. This composition consisted of amorphous phosphorus (with 10% calcined magnesia) 8 grs, chlorate of potash 16 grs, ground glass, 6 grs. The deterioration was caused by the effect of moisture, which caused the phosphorous to oxide at the expense of the chlorate of potash, thereby injuring or destroying, according to circumstances, and the detonating character of the composition. The following is a short description of the fuze as issued to the Navy: Both body and nut of the last pattern (E. III.) are made of gun-metal,
British Armstrong Metal Time Fuze E, No. 22 Freeth’s Modification
British Armstrong Time Fuze and the graduations for length of fuze in inches and tenths are marked on the metal rim instead of on paper, as in former patterns. The pellet which is supported by a brass cup is filled with E.F.G. powder, secured by thin paper fastened on its base; the detonator in the head consists of cap composition (fulminate of mercury, chlorate of potash, and sulphide of antimony), a disc of brass, 001" thick, covers the detonating composition. The word “cap” is stamped on the base of the fuze. The channel by which the flash from the pellet reaches the ring of fuze composition is enlarged in this pattern, and a strand of quick match is placed in it; a little hole is bored in the ring of fuze composition to ensure its lighting. The fuze composition is pit mealed powder pressed into a ring or groove which runs round close to the exterior of the fuze body; this composition burns at the rate of 1 inch in two seconds, and, owing to a metal stop, can only burn in one direction, i.e., from left to right. A leather washer and movable gun-metal collar cover the ring of composition. At one part of the collar a channel, primed with mealed powder driven and pierced, and marked on the outside with an arrow, communicates with a groove round the neck of the fuze, which contains mealed powder; this groove is connected by a channel with the blowing chamber, which is primed with mealed powder, driven
British Armstrong Time Fuze with Setting Ring
Armstrong Time Fuze E, III
and pierced; a small brass disc closes the chamber. The movable collar is kept in its place by a nut which screws on to the neck. The body has a small hole in the side to fit a projection in the Armstrong key used in screwing in the fuze. Stress was made on the importance of screwing the nut tightly home when the fuze is adjusted, otherwise the washer will not be tightly pressed
down on the ring of fuze composition, and a premature may occur. On firing the gun, the brass cup is crushed in, the pellet strikes the needle, which explodes the detonating composition, the ring of fuze composition is ignited by the flash and burns till it comes to the channel marked by the arrow head, leading to the groove in the neck primed with mealed powder, the flash is then
Bronze Mountain Howitzer Fitted on a #1 prairie carriage. Tube was made by Cannon Ltd. Bore is 3" with ½" thick D.O.M. liner. Super strong gun made in 1998. Includes ball mold and leather goods. A fun, safe shooter. $11,000.
British Bronze Mortar
2 ¾" bore on oak bed. $1,250.00
Leonard Draper • Phone: 404-401-5591 Email: draper.leonardc@gmail.com Located in Northwest Georgia
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Armstrong E Metal Time Fuze
Royal Laboratory B.L. Plain Percussion Fuze
instantaneously conveyed into the blowing chamber, and thence into the shell. The changes introduced, particularly the cap composition, and the ensuring ignition by piercing a hole in the ring of fuze composition, greatly improved this fuze. Divide number of hundreds of yards in range by 6 for length in inches, thus for 1,200 yards, length of fuze= 2 inches. One in a waterproof bag placed in a cylindrical tin box wrapped in brown paper, 72 boxes in a deal case, placed on the sides or heads, the bottom of each tin box is marked “top” to prevent it being placed downwards. Since
June, 1875, the tin boxes containing “E” time fuzes, primed with cap composition, are stamped “cap,” and the same word is stenciled on the waterproof bag. Since July, 1875, in the case of repaired fuzes the date of repair will be labelled on their boxes. An “F” time and percussion fuze was introduced in 1867, but was not a success, as the percussion action often failed. It was ordered in February, 1869, to be regarded simply as a time fuze, and in June, 1869, the manufacture was discontinued, the “E” time fuze, Mark III, previously approved for India, being then brought in for general service.
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GOEX Black Powder Available in 1F – 4F, cannon and reenactor grade
Craig Kirkland – GOEX Master Distributor British Fuzing and Burster Assembly for Armstrong Segmented Shell Text and illustrations by John D. Bartleson Jr., author and illustrator of the 1972 field guide for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel titled Civil War Explosive Ordnance 1861-1865 with radiographs.
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PO Box 2853, Evanston, WY 82931 307-679-0886 bearriverpowder@allwest.net
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By Teresa W. Drushel, Wayne, Greg and Kayley Williams In April of 1978, a handful of people found themselves sitting in the Ashland Armory for the 1st annual Ohio Civil War & Relic Show. It would’ve been nearly impossible to imagine at the time what the future held for this newly founded mid-western show, however it is evident now that it was an idea aimed only for success. The Annual Ohio Civil War and WWI & WWII Show has just celebrated its 38th noteworthy year. This stands as a living testament to the commitment of the Williams’ family in keeping their fathers’ wishes and passions thriving. 16
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D
onald B. Williams, of Everett, Pennsylvania, founded the show in 1978 with the desire to keep history alive. Williams had developed an interest in the American Civil War at a young age with stories from his own grandfather. These stories included how Donald’s great-grandfather, Alvah Williams, had lost his right arm by amputation after receiving a mini ball impalement in his elbow during General Grants final assault on Petersburg, Virginia in 1864; a battle that had claimed an estimated 42,000 lives. In later years, Don Williams obtained the very bullet that was removed during the procedure, as well as the actual metal prosthesis and documentation; all of which remain in the family collection today. These most cherished Civil War relics, as well as many visits to the Gettysburg Battlefield, ignited an early passion in Williams that would turn into everlasting appeal for Civil War memorabilia. Williams’ passions started out early enough that the buying, selling, and trading of Civil War memorabilia was more commonplace and astoundingly inexpensive in comparison to today’s going rates. Firearms, relics, belt buckles, sabers, and all memorabilia in between were not only available, but affordable, and today’s collectors only have a chance to merely talk about this unbelievable period of access to Civil War
Donald Williams
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memorabilia. This early on interest also allowed for Don to further his collection through relic hunting, which was still allowed at the time. He began relic hunting in 1958 and always had a great story to share with these adventures. With an ever-growing collection that paralleled his evergrowing passion and interest, Don was frequently traveling to locations such as Fairfax and Winchester to take part in up and coming Civil War shows. He had held admiration for the strictly affiliated antique arms shows such as the ones held in Michigan and Baltimore at the time, and became inclined to start one in Ohio. In 1978, he made his dreams into a reality and held the aforementioned 1st annual Ohio Civil War show. This initial show held only 60 tables, and nearly a third of them he filled with his own collection. Several friends and fellow history buffs helped fill the remaining tables, which was the start to the ongoing tradition that stills shines strong today. By the 3rd year in 1980, he moved the show to the Ashland College Convocation Center as the need for a larger facility became readily apparent. It was here that the show truly started to blossom, and Don started to more heavily promote the show as he traveled. As the show grew in popularity, it once again outgrew its Ashland College location; a location of which could hold a maximum of 370 tables.
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Consignments
Our last two sales included the renown and esteemed collection of artillery from the Springfield Arsenal, LLC Collection amassed by renowned cannon expert John Morris. Prices were strong and consistent throughout both sessions of the Morris auction and included a number of exciting prices. In addition to Mr. Morris’ collection the sale also included select items from other collections. We are now accepting consignments of single items and/or entire collections for our upcoming October, 2015 sale including Fine Artillery, Class III, Military items, quality Winchesters, fine Colts, important Sporting Arms, Historic weapons, Civil War and Confederate items, fine Kentucky rifles and more.
We are the world’s leading auctioneers of rare, high-grade, quality firearms. We do not sell the greatest number of firearms in a year, we sell the greatest number of expensive firearms in a year.
Extremely Rare Confederate New Orleans Made 12-Pound Bronze Napoleon on Carriage With Limber
SN 30. This spectacular gun, just recently discovered, is the only privately owned New Orleans made Napoleon cannon. Bronze gun metal was not available to the foundries in New Orleans so a proclamation was sent out from Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard to the Southern States to send their bells to N.O. to help the war effort. This is no doubt one of the Napoleons cast by Leeds from bells sent to New Orleans from churches, plantations and such across the South. Records of Leeds & Co, New Orleans indicate they shipped two light 12 pdrs on the December 19, 1861…probably foundry #19 & 20; by February 19th they shipped four more #5,30,37,and 38. Robertson’s Alabama Battery had four Leeds Napoleons on Ruggles line at Shiloh in April of ’62 of which gun was most likely one. The Federals reported capturing six Leeds Napoleons after the battle of Missionary Ridge. It seems safe to say this gun was at Shiloh and quite possibly captured at Missionary Ridge. The other five known examples listed in Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War by Hazlett, Olmstead & Parks, 2004 are all in museums or owned by National Park Service. Other listed existing SNs are 19, which is at the Petersburg National Battlefield Park; SN 38, at John Browning Museum, Rock Island. IL; SNs 45 & 53, on display at Augusta Arsenal Museum, GA; and SN 49, at Carlisle Barracks, PA. SN 30, which we offer here, is in beautiful condition with complete markings as on other examples: “1862” on left trunnion, “LEEDS & CO. NEW ORLEANS” on right trunnion. This cannon is mounted on an exacting #2 regulation field carriage with limber and implements. This cannon is ready to be taken into the field and get revenge on the Yankees who originally captured her and took her to New York. This is the only Confederate Napoleon to ever be offered at public auction and we can find only two Confederate 6-pound bronze tubes ever auctioned in the last 30 years. There are no more than 4 or 5 Confederate bronze Napoleons by any maker that are privately owned; this is your opportunity to get the most desirable bronze Confederate cannon extant. CONDITION: Very good as can be seen in photographs, as is carriage and limber. Markings are crisp and fine. Please Note: Additional history on this cannon. It was NOT taken to New York, but was according to Wayne Stark’s 1984 Cannon Registry, donated to a GAR Post #134 in 1946 and was on display at the local GAR in Wood River, Nebraska until it eventually sold. It was also featured on a television series “Sons of Guns” on Discovery Channel in 2010. 4-54465 (Pre-sale estimate: $200,000 - $250,000)
Sold for $350,750
A New World Auction Record for the Most Expensive Piece of American Artillery sold at auction and a New World Auction Record for the Most Expensive Confederate Arm of Any Variety sold at auction. 06-10-15artilleryfull.indd 1
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Wanted
Below are just a few of the successes from the Springfield Arsenal, LLC Collection amassed by John Morris
Spanish Siege Mortar Dated 1750 Captured By Dupont at Fernandina Florida 1862 (est. $90-125,000)
Sold for $97,750
Dahlgren Heavy 12-Pounder Boat Howitzer on Original Carriage (est. $60-90,000)
Sold for $92,000
Remember:
Model 1906 Krupp 50 MM Mountain Cannon (est $35-45,000)
Sold for $70,800
Seller’s Commission Rates on High Value Items as low as...
Rare & Historic U.S. Navy Light Bronze 12-Pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer and Orig. Carriage (est. $50-60,000)
Sold for $92,000
Rare Civil War 8” Siege Mortar (est. $15-25,000)
Sold for $34,500
Ames 1861-Dated Bronze 12 Pounder Mountain Howitzer Registry Number 1 (est. $30-50,000)
Sold for $63,250
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Pair of French Model 1786 Bronze 2-1/2” Bore Cannon on Carriages (est. $15-20,000)
Sold for $27,025
Elegant Spanish 1803 8-Pound Bronze Field Gun (est. $35-45,000)
Sold for $63,250
Ames Model 1841 Bronze 6-Pounder Gun on Original Carriage (est. $50-70,000)
Sold for $92,000
Hotchkiss 2-Pounder Breech Loading Mtn Gun (est. $20-30,000)
Sold for $46,000
US Navy 500-Pound Breech Loading Cannon SN 19 on Original Carriage (est. $20-30,000)
Sold for $40,250
Contact Francis Lombardi or Wes Dillon Email: firearms@jamesdjulia.com | 203 Skowhegan Rd., Fairfield, ME 04937 www.jamesdjulia.com | Tel: (207) 453-7125 | Fax: (207) 453-2502 | Auctioneer: James D. Julia Lic#: ME: AR83 06-10-15artilleryfull.indd 2
5/27/15 9:51 AM
One of the key attractions held at the show is the twice daily artillery cannon firing demonstrations; and with up to eleven guns on the line, it’s one to make some noise!
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Don was pleased to have an extensive waiting list, and with the need to eliminate problems such as parking and overcrowded aisles, he searched for a facility that would keep it in the immediate area that was becoming so well known. With the selection of the Richland County Fairgrounds in neighboring Mansfield, Ohio, Don had found a venue that gave him the space he needed with room to grow. In 1993, the 16th annual Ohio Civil War Show opened utilizing three of the primary buildings. Some feared that the split, and having multiple locations, could be problematic. Don, however, saw potential, and with the help of his three children, Teresa, Wayne, and Greg, acting as building directors in a coordinated effort, the show became even more successful. Today’s show, now in its 38th year, showcases nearly 800 tables, as well as outdoor displays, living history encampments, period music, and other special features. The public can witness Abe Lincoln presenting the Gettysburg Address, a unique hospital scenario with a wounded soldier’s amputated leg, Revolutionary War drills, Union and Confederate musket firing, and cannon firing presentations. With Don’s passion for artillery, the show also underwent an addition of an Annual Artillery show, of which is now in its 23rd year. At each show, artillery units meet twice daily to reenact cannon firing demonstrations for the crowd. This years show exhibited nine cannons and full crews, including reenactors of both the Union and Confederates. Artillery enthusiasts also bring original and reproduction cannons to put on display. This years show included guns such as a US Model 1905 Field Gun, an M1897 75mm French Gun, an M1885 3.2-inch US Field Gun, a 12-pounder Mountain Howitzer and a 1.65-inch Hotchkiss breechloading gun. With each passing year, this aspect of the show grows and changes. In previous years, guns on display ranged
Gerald Payne of Wooster, Ohio, more likely recognized as Abraham Lincoln. From his presentation of the Gettysburg Address to his special knack of enriching the knowledge of the younger crowd, any interaction with Lincoln is sure to be a memorable one.
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from Revolutionary War through World War II, including examples such as an 1763 Muller Rev War cannon, a 10-pounder Parrott, M1841 6-pounder, a 3-inch Ordnance rifle, 12- and 24-pounder Mountain Howitzer’s, a 1.5-inch Ellsworth Rifle, a 2.6-inch Wiard rifle, a WWI 1917 Gun cart, and an 1866 J. J. Maritz on a naval carriage. This impressive Annual Artillery Show addition is the only show of its kind in the nation. Don’s passion for artillery specifically also lead him to recreate a Civil War artillery unit, the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery “D”, which was originally formed in the Ashland and Mansfield, Ohio area, and also participates in the shows. The unit continues today with six full size cannons, a caisson and even a battery wagon. Co-managers of the show, Teresa Williams Drushel, Wayne Williams and Gregory Williams, all under the guidance of Don’s wife, Dorlene Williams, have made sure to
keep a personal touch in the organization and promotion of the show. With the help of family and family friends, they are happy to say that it is the exhibitors and their unique wares and quality memorabilia that help keep the show running strong and prosperous. The family is committed to displaying quality items, and continuously trying to add new exhibitors and interests to the show each year. Educating today’s youth with respect for our history is their key focus, and they hope this is a trend that will continue for years to come. The family is proud to keep their commitment to the late Donald Williams, and continue the legacy of keeping history alive. Teresa W. Drushel, Wayne Williams and Greg Williams, continue the tradition of their father Don Williams. They are co-managers of the Ohio Civil War Show and have worked with the show since 1978. For more information visit OhioCivilWarShow.com. Next year’s show is April 30-May 1, 2016.
Group photo of Civil War artillery unit, the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery “D” from left to right: Standing: Gerald Fry, Jerry Imperio, Joey Gotter, David Brockway and Greg Williams. Kneellng: David Gotter, Wayne Williams and Brandon Warner. 24
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Promoters of Quality Shows for Shooters, Collectors, Civil War and Militaria Enthusiasts
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Asheville Gun & Knife Show WNC Ag Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Road Fletcher, NC 28732
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O
ne of the most frequent questions poised to artillery projectile experts is by a new collector asking whether the metal spherical ball they have is a cannonball? The reason is they have looked in the Civil War caliber tables and have a sphere that doesn’t match any known caliber. There are many reasons for this; the most common is they have a colonial era cannonball dated from prior to the Civil War (the caliber is smaller) or they have a cannonball fired by one of the many countries that conducted military operations in North America (British, French, Spanish, Mexican or Russian). In addition many solid shot have been imported from all over the World and
be scratched) and have wear marks. The most frequently observed mistake at relic shows is that British or American 3-pdr (2.773-inch) or 4-pdr (3.053-inch) artillery shells are being sold as Confederate hand grenades at over twice the price they would bring if they were properly identified. The Confederate spherical hand grenade is actually about 2.46 inches in diameter and is a very rare find. The author enjoys walking around at Civil War shows and measuring the diameter of cannonballs that are being sold as “Civil War” shot and shell because a great number of these specimens are from the Revolutionary and War of 1812. The fuse hole is a dead “give-away” because it was smaller
are always sold as “Civil War cannonballs;” as the market for Revolutionary War, War of 1812 or foreign projectiles brings much lower prices. In addition to real cannon shot, early American industry used cast iron or steel balls to grind materials; shot were used on ship compass stands for compass deflection; some iron spheres were used to decorate fence posts and any number of large ball bearings resembling small cannonballs are often sold to the unsuspecting on the internet as “Civil War shot.” Railroad wheel ball bearings are about 2.5 inches in diameter and weigh about 2.3 pounds and are frequently sold as small cannonballs. But careful examination reveals they are made of high quality steel (they can’t
during this period. When the author went back and examined his own collection he noted that a cannonball that had been given to him was actually a Russian shot made of wrought iron. That explained why it was so much heavier than any service shot of a similar caliber. The Union Navy used some wrought iron shot and the author recently acquired a 10-inch shot that weighs 140 pounds compared to the cast iron shot that weighs about 125 pounds. Unfortunately, there is a giant misunderstanding among the public and even some artillery projectile experts as to the actual calibers used by the services that fought in North America and it’s almost impossible to find the calibers of the services in reference
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material or on the internet. This is why this writer published the Encyclopedia of Black Powder Artillery Projectiles Found in North America; 1759-1865, Volume II, (available at www.bpapress. com). It contains 161 pages of all the fuses used in North American black powder projectiles (1759 – 1865), but most importantly it contains 227 pages containing the diameter and specifications of all the shot, shells, grape shot and canister shot used by all the services that fought in America. To answer the question of “do I have a cannonball” it is critical to have an exact diameter to at least the closest “one-hundredth of an inch.” This cannot be obtained with a ruler alone. Next, we must know the exact weight
War of 1812 shot with misaligned mold seam
of the shot or shell to the closest “onehundredth of a pound.” This cannot be obtained by using bathroom scales as they are far too inaccurate to obtain an actual weight. In addition, any marks noted on the casing, including the mold/seam mark is critical to the identification. The best way to obtain an exact diameter is by using calipers, but they are often not available so there are two other methods that work perfectly. The first is to take a string or a cloth tape measure and measure the outside circumference of the shot (this is the distance around the outside of the sphere). Since many early shot were out of round this should be taken at the seam, when possible. Many early
Use of cloth tape to measure outside circumference to calculate diameter
Testing magnetic attraction to assess possible weight loss
A triangular engineering ruler can be used to measure the exact diameter Paper cut to exact diameter To allow gap measurement American shot seams are not aligned and if the measurement is not taken at the seam, it will be inaccurate. In the event the seam is not evident, four measurements should be taken from different angles on the sphere and the largest diameter noted and the others averaged. Grinding balls are notoriously out of round as over the years the sides wore unevenly. Once the circumference is noted, it can be divided by “Pi” (3.1416) and this will reveal the exact diameter. Another method the author has used is to cut a piece of paper carefully to form a cut out that is the exact size of the sphere. This can be easily done with a pair of scissors until the sides
are precisely the diameter of the shot. A triangular engineering ruler (it is calibrated in hundreds of an inch) can be used to measure the exact diameter. Since all the calibers of the various services are slightly different, it becomes easy to enter the tables to identify the exact caliber and service. However, a word of caution must be exercised here as many specimens have been “overcleaned” and are slightly smaller than the original size. But as a rule enough of the original surface remains (why we note the largest diameter) to make an identification. The next most important fact is how much does the shot weigh? The weight of the iron used is different between all services and can be used to make a positive identification. For example, British cast iron is the most
pure and hence weighs more than any other service. Since the Americans and the British used the same calibers from 1759 to 1815 the actual weight of the specimen determines its providence. A British 12-pounder shot is 4.4 inches in diameter and weighs exactly 12.0 pounds compared to an American shot of the same caliber that weighs about 11.2 pounds. A British 12.0 pounder imported during the Civil War is 4.522 inches in diameter, but weighs 13.0 pounds, compared to a 4.52-inch U.S. or C.S. shot that weighs 12.3 pounds. The larger the shot, the more important the exact weight becomes in making a positive identification. Precise weights can be obtained by using a digital postal scale or a baby scale that has fine calibrations. Digital scales can be found on the internet that are both accurate and inexpensive. When examining a projectile for weight it’s important to know if it has lost any weight due to being buried or being recovered from salt water. Certain forms of inferior service cast iron are very susceptible to weight loss when buried in soil and all service iron
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Typical mold dimple found on British solid shot
Broad Arrow on British solid shot
will lose weight in salt water. This can be easily determined by testing a small magnet against a modern hammer head and comparing the attraction with the surface of the projectile. If there is a noticeable difference in the attraction, this should be noted because the projectile has lost weight that can be factored back into the original weight. Mold or other marks are also very important in making a positive
identification. The British poured their shot from the top which leaves a distinct-indented circular mold mark where the pour vented. The British left this indented because British cast iron is so pure and hard it cannot be drilled with ordinary bits and this indentation made it unnecessary to finish this surface. Some cannonballs have foundry or service marks that will allow a positive identification, including the foundry that cast them
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BLACK POWDER PROJECTILES FOUND IN NORTH AMERICA; 1759 – 1865 VOLUME II Civil War (Union & CSA); Revolutionary War; War of 1812; and Mexican War • Contains drawings, pictures; descriptions, dimensions, weights, functioning, bursting charges and technical data on all spherical smoothbore projectiles (Shot, shell, repeating shells, carcass, incendiary shells, canister, grape shot, and bar shot) for all services that fought in North America’s wars (Colonial America; British; French; Spanish and Mexican; Russian; and Union and Confederate forces. (Over 650 projectiles) • Contains drawings; pictures; descriptions, dimensions; weights, functioning and all data on fuses used on both smoothbore and rifled projectiles used in North America with special emphasis on Union and Confederate fusing (Over 200 fuses and variants). • Includes over 1,200 drawings and pictures and 400+ data charts. • The book is fully footnoted and references projectiles showing the book(s) and page number of the book or document where additional information can be found, making additional research easy. The book is also indexed. • It is the most comprehensive book published to date, on this subject.
$44.45 postpaid in U.S.A. Order from our website www.bpapress.com or the Black Powder Artificer Press, Box 575, Colonial Beach, VA 22443. For additional information, visit our website or call 410-491-1052 to place phone orders. 28
The Artilleryman
or the inspector that accepted it. Anyone that has a sizeable collection that carefully examines their specimens may be surprised to see how many spherical projectiles are not from the Civil War, but have been sold as such. But the good news is the projectile may be identified as simply from a service that fought in North America. The most common projectile thus identified is usually from the Revolutionary or War of 1812 that was kept as a souvenir or recovered from one of the many battlefields or ranges that overlap Civil War activity. If you are a serious collector, it makes sense to know exactly what you have. Longtime subscriber John Biemeck is a retired U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Colonel that has collected, studied and deactivated black powder ordnance for 60 years and has participated in the recovery of over 1,600 projectiles. He is preparing a five volume Encyclopedia on black powder projectiles found in North America. He has earned the title of “Mr. Cannonball” for his work in this field.
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News from the U.S. Army Artillery Museum The museum recently put on exhibit, a M1819 6-pdr. “Walking Stick” Gun, which it received on loan from the Sacketts Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. The gun now sits beside the fractured example of the gun which the museum acquired in October. The Army accepted 74 of these guns in 1821-22. The two “Walking Stick” guns are used as a teaching point about the problems with cast iron cannon. In March the museum installed a large new exhibit on Trench Art. Containing 185 pieces of many sizes, shapes and types, this fine collection was donated last year by Mr. Raymond D. White of Nashville, TN. The majority of this collection was made during or shortly after World War I. The collection includes a Spanish-
American War lamp commemorating the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay, a sizeable variety of World War II pieces and pieces made as recently as the Bosnian War, 1992-95. The museum exhibit shop is restoring a M1898 5-inch Siege Rifle that it acquired last year. Restoration of the wooden wheels is in progress. The carriage has been dismantled and the breech opened. Once completed it will be placed in the museum. Gordon A. Blaker Director/Curator US Army Artillery Museum 238 Randolph Road, Fort Sill, OK 73503. (580) 442-1819 http://sill-www.army.mil/FAMuseum Gordon.a.blaker.civ@mail.mil
M1819 6-pounder Gun “Walking Stick” and fractured remains of another. Trench Art exhibit.
Opened breech of M1898 5-inch Siege Rifle.
M1898 5-inch Siege Rifle carriage. ArtillerymanMagazine.com
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Federal soldiers stand guard over a 2.75-inch Whitworth breechloader mounted on a carriage built and marked by the C.S. Arsenal at Richmond. Courtesy Library of Congress. ArtillerymanMagazine.com
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W
hen chased they [blockade runners] invariably make for the shoal water, and, if likely to be captured, increase their head of steam, beach the vessel . . . so high on the beach it is almost a work of impossibility to drag her off. On these occasions, as soon as the report of our guns are heard or the signals of the blockade-runners are observed, the light batteries of Whitworth guns are brought down and used.1 - Report of U.S. Brigadier General Charles K. Graham, January 25, 1864
I
n January, 1865, the only thing standing between the besieged Army of Northern Virginia and complete starvation was the port of Wilmington, North Carolina, located about twenty miles up the Cape Fear River. In the last eighteen months of the war, Wilmington was the Confederacy’s chief port for blockaderun arms, uniforms, and equipment shipped from England by way of Bermuda. From April to November, 1864, the C.S. Quartermaster Bureau imported more than 311,000 pairs of shoes, 170,000 blankets, and 803,000 yards of uniform cloth; from October, 1864, through January, 1865, the C.S. Ordnance Bureau imported more than 50,000 arms and 400,000 pounds of lead. The great majority of
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these supplies – as well as nearly all the salted and tinned meat consumed by the Army of Northern Virginia – came through Wilmington. Protecting that vital lifeline near the “new” or northern inlet of the Cape Fear was Fort Fisher, popularly dubbed “The Gibraltar of the South.” In July, 1862, Colonel William Lamb, a twenty-nine year-old native of Norfolk, Virginia, had taken command of a hodge-podge collection of poorly-built fortifications on Federal Point (today’s Pleasure Island), a six-mile long peninsula between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. Using as a model the Russian defenses at Sevastopol during the Crimean War, Lamb “determined at once to build a work of such magnitude that it could withstand the heaviest fire of any guns in the American navy.”2 Two years later, Fort Fisher was the largest earthen fort in the Confederacy, mounting forty-seven heavy guns amid ramparts twenty-five feet thick at the base. The fort’s massive defenses were so intimidating that blockading ships dared not venture within range of the fort’s guns. In the middle of its mile-long sea face was the fort’s most formidable weapon, an 8-inch Armstrong rifle (a gift from London merchants), while at its southern end was the forty-three foot high Mound Battery with its 10-inch Columbiad and 6.4-inch Brooke rifle. A half mile to the south, at the very tip of Federal Point, Battery Buchanan mounted four more heavy guns, while Batteries Anderson and Gatlin were positioned three and five miles north of the fort, respectively. Some of Fort Fisher’s most effective guns were also some of its smallest: four 2.19-inch (6-pounder) muzzle-loading and as many as eight 2.75-inch (12-pounder) breechloading Whitworth rifles. Four of the breechloaders were salvaged from the blockade runner Modern Greece in June, 1862; four more arrived on board two blockade runners in the late months of 1864, though it is unclear how many were actually put to use in or near Fort Fisher. Although slight in caliber, these odd guns with the distinctive hexagonal bore possessed a critical advantage: they were the most accurate long-range
Below: 6-pounder Whitworth bolt recovered from Fort Fisher. Courtesy The Atlanta History Center Thomas S. Dickey Sr. Collection.
Muzzle of the 2.19-inch caliber Whitworth rifle illustrating the hexagonal bore. The perfectly-angled spiraling planes of a 2.19-inch bolt (left) and 2.75-inch shell (right) clearly illustrate Whitworth’s principle of “pre-guided” rifling.
Fort Fisher, N.C., Interior view of first three traverses on land face. Courtesy Library of Congress.
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artillery pieces in the world. At maximum elevation, a 2.75inch Whitworth could spit defiance up to 10,000 yards – well over five miles and well beyond the effective range of most blockaders’ guns. By 1865, British shipyards had turned out more than one hundred steamships designed specifically for blockade running. Typically, these sleek craft approached the Cape Fear River twenty or twenty-five miles north of the “new” inlet, running close along the shore so that their profiles would be concealed against silhouetting by the slight rise of the shoreline. Once within the protective range of Confederate guns at Fort Fisher, only a lucky long-range shot from a Union warship could stop a blockade runner’s passage into the Cape Fear River. Nevertheless, it was a constant game of cat-and-mouse. Inbound ships were always in danger of being run ashore by blockading ships that managed to spot them in time to cut off their approach. To give cover to incoming runners, Colonel Lamb organized his Whitworth guns into several quick-response
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“flying batteries” which roamed north to the Masonborough Inlet, about fifteen miles above Fort Fisher, and sometimes further. Despite the small caliber of the guns, all it took was a single shot to disable a steam boiler or punch a hole beneath the water line of a blockading ship, thus discouraging further pursuit. “At 4:30 p.m. stood inshore in company with the Eolus to shell blockade runners ashore,” reported the disgruntled captain of the U.S.S. Monticello on December 27, 1864. “At 6 p.m. hauled off; was struck once below the water line, port quarter, with shot from Whitworth gun.”3 Another Union report neatly summed up the problem: “The [flying] battery is shifted from point to point as its services are required. Our blockading squadron has been a good deal annoyed by it.”4 These highly-accurate artillery pieces were the brainchild of Sir Joseph Whitworth, Britain’s foremost mechanical engineer. Whitworth was most famous for introducing the first standard measurement for screw threads, known as the British Standard Whitworth, which is still in use today. In rifling tests commissioned by the British Board of Ordnance, Whitworth concluded that relying on ordinary rifling with spiral grooves to spin a bullet was mechanically inefficient. Instead, he revived the old idea of a polygonal bore within which slightly twisting planes “pre-guided” a projectile made in precisely the same shape, not unlike a screw threading a nut. Whitworth’s mechanical rifling system proved to be about six times more accurate than that of the standard-issue British Pattern 1853 infantry rifle-musket. Yet the salient feature of Whitworth’s system was also its chief drawback. With an extraordinarily fine tolerance between bore and projectile, the hexagonal bore was easily fouled with powder residue and had to be cleaned after only a few shots. This problem, combined with the exorbitant expense of their manufacture, meant that the British Government eventually deemed Whitworth’s hexagonal-bore small arms unsuitable as infantry weapons. Nevertheless, it was still interested in using Whitworth’s system for artillery pieces. So, too, was the Confederacy, which badly needed longrange artillery and had already invested heavily in Whitworth’s extraordinarily deadly scoped sniper rifles. Confederate Army and Navy agents purchased cannon from Whitworth’s Manchester Ordnance and Rifle
Company in at least eight different calibers, from the smallest 1.25-inch (one-pounder) shipboard swivel guns to the largest 6.4-inch (120-pounder) seacoast guns. Most of the Confederacy’s Whitworth projectiles were also imported from England, where machinery existed to cut the precisely-measured and angled planes for the hexagonal bores. However, some noticeably cruder but entirely functional projectiles were made in the Confederacy, probably by a very skilled machinist in Richmond. Whitworth’s artillery pieces suffered from much the same problem as his small arms. Most famously, two 5-inch rifles (variously referred to as 70- or 80-pounders) captured from the blockade runner Princess Royal and used by the U.S. Navy in the siege of Charleston in 1863 had to be abandoned due to defective shells and “the projectile wedging when part way down” which made loading all but impossible.5 In his diary, Colonel Lamb reported the same issue with one of his 2.19-inch muzzleloaders: “November 14 [1864]. Fired at a blockader rather close in
worked with difficulty and every one of the six was at some point disabled by breaking some of its parts but all were repaired and kept in service.” Alexander added that the Whitworth’s “efficiency was impaired by its weight and the very cumbrous English carriage on which it was mounted.”7 On the other side of Mason and Dixon’s line, Charles Knap, owner of the Fort Pitt Foundry in Pittsburgh, agreed: “As a toy it is the most wonderful gun in the world, but it is not fit for actual service. . . . it requires very delicate manipulation, and common soldiers in action are not very delicate fellows in handling their projectiles, and those guns would be very apt to jam.”8 For this reason, Confederate gunners often kept the screw-cap breech closed to allow the guns to be used as muzzleloaders.
These 1978 Polaroid snapshots show the 2.19 Whitworth rifle in its un restored condition wit ha makeshift carriage co bbled together from farm machinery. Courtesy Atl anta History Center.
to-night, and think we struck her. A 6-pounder Whitworth bolt got jammed in the gun, but was extracted.”6 The breech-loading mechanism of the 2.75-inch Whitworth rifles also proved problematic. Regarding his experience with these guns in the Army of Northern Virginia, Brigadier General Edward Porter Alexander remarked: “They fired solid shot almost exclusively, but they were perfectly reliable and their projectiles never failed to fly in the most beautiful trajectory imaginable. Their breech-loading arrangements, however, often
Despite these drawbacks, Colonel Lamb’s Whitworth guns served quite well along the shoreline north of Fort Fisher. Here, they were not subject to the wear and tear of everyday use, they could be moved reasonably quickly to any danger point, and they enjoyed the clearest possible field of fire at the greatest possible range. Colonel Lamb had found the perfect niche for Whitworth field artillery. Ultimately, however, there were limits to the effectiveness of field guns against naval firepower. On August 18, 1863, the blockade runner Hebe, a new twin-screw steamer loaded with blankets, cloth, and other supplies for the C.S. Quartermaster Bureau, was forced ashore about nine miles north of Fort Fisher. Despite heavy seas and a gale force wind, Union sailors managed to board the Hebe and attempted to burn her, but to no avail. A detachment from ArtillerymanMagazine.com
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Lamb’s flying battery soon showed up on the scene, positioned themselves behind the dunes for protection, and drove off the attackers. They continued to guard the stricken Hebe as her precious cargo was off-loaded onto the beach. Five days later, four U.S. Navy gunboats and the frigate Minnesota closed in for the kill. The detachment, comprised of one 2.75-inch Whitworth breechloader and one 4-inch (18-pounder) Blakely muzzleloader, was quickly overwhelmed by the concentrated fire of sixty-eight Federal guns. The Confederate crews spiked the Blakely gun, threw the handle of the Whitworth’s breech block into the marsh, and fled for their lives. The victors quickly destroyed the Hebe, and, for good measure, a shore party took off the Confederate guns as trophies. Today, both guns are displayed at the Washington Navy Yard.9 On December 25, 1864, a similar fate befell the defenders of Battery Gatlin, five miles north of Fort Fisher’s main works, during the first of two attempts to capture the fort. Here, U.S. Navy warships opened an intense bombardment of the battery prior to a planned troop landing. Confederate Lieutenant Colonel John P. W. Read responded immediately “with the long-range guns, but had to fire very slowly, as it was almost impossible to make the cannoneers do their duty. The 32-pounder at Fort Gatlin never fired a shot, and neither am I aware of the 6-pounder Whitworth having been used.” Complaining that the men under his command “behaved very badly,” Read was seriously wounded in the one-sided exchange of fire.10 Two miles south, Whitworth guns at Battery Anderson were similarly overwhelmed. On January 15, 1865, Fort Fisher was finally subdued by the firepower of 275 guns aboard fifty-six Navy warships combined with a landing force of more than 9,600 soldiers, sailors and marines. Among the ninety-one Confederate artillery pieces of all calibers captured that day were four 2.2inch rifles in “good order” – almost certainly the 2.19-inch Whitworth muzzleloaders. Three other guns – reported only as 3-inch rifles – may have been the surviving 2.75inch Whitworth breechloaders.11 The muzzle-loading 2.19-inch Whitworth rifle featured on these pages is the only known surviving example of its type and is believed to have been one of the four captured
at Fort Fisher (a fifth 2.19-inch Whitworth was reported to have been used in the Army of Northern Virginia). Its steel barrel measures sixty-seven inches in length from the muzzle face to the tip of the cascabel. The only clearly visible marking is “WHITWORTH” stamped across the top of the barrel just in front of the vent, though there are research notes indicating that it is marked in the same area with “1861,” “11” (or possibly “17”), and “4CWT 1 QRS.” The latter marks give the weight of the gun using British Imperial measures of four centum weight (448 pounds) and one quarter (28 pounds), or 476 pounds in total. The right trunnion has been tapped with three holes for a high-elevation long-range trunnion sight, a significant clue strongly suggesting Confederate use. After the war, this Whitworth rifle was displayed at Stevens Post 517, Grand Army of the Republic, in Lititz, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County. Three regiments of Pennsylvania volunteers – the 76th, 97th, and 203rd – were engaged in the final assault on Fort Fisher and their commander, Colonel Galusha Pennypacker, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions there. It is possible that veterans of these regiments had something to do with obtaining this particular gun as a trophy from the U.S. War Department. After Post 517 disbanded in 1928, the gun was displayed outside a general store near Highland Falls, New York. In 1978, Atlanta collector George W. Wray Jr., discovered the gun and bought it from an antiques dealer near Highland Falls. For the next twenty-five years, Wray researched the gun’s origins and sought out the specifications for the missing sights and carriage. The result was a beautiful reproduction British Army gun carriage built by Historical Ordnance Works, Inc., of Woodstock, Georgia, in 2003. Today, this rare survivor of Colonel Lamb’s flying battery is exhibited at the Atlanta History Center, which purchased George Wray’s extensive collection of Confederate arms, uniforms, and flags in 2005. For more information about the Center’s Civil War exhibits and collections, visit us online at www.atlantahistorycenter.com. Endnotes for this article can be found online at ArtillerymanMagazine.com.
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Gordon L. Jones, Ph.D., is the Senior Military Historian and Curator at the Atlanta History Center, where he has worked since 1991. He is the author of Confederate Odyssey: The George W. Wray Jr. Civil War Collection (University of Georgia Press, 2014).
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Fair Oaks, Va., vicinity. U.S. 3-inch Ordnance Rifle with Lt. Robert Clarke, Capt. John C. Tidball, Lt. William N. Dennison, and Capt. Alexander C. M. Pennington. Courtesy Library of Congress. Colorized by CivilWarInColor.com. 38
The Artilleryman
I
n June of 1862, George Barnard made his way from the Mathew Brady studio in Washington, across the Potomac to Fort Richardson, which was located a little over three miles from the White House. He had come to photograph one of the forts that had been built to defend Washington D.C. Just over a year earlier, Fort Washington was the only fort defending the city. It had been built prior to the War of 1812 to defend the capital from a sea attack. At the start of the war, Union Forces captured the area of Virginia immediately near the capitol and began building forts on the surrounding Virginia and Maryland countryside. On his journey, Barnard travelled past the dozens of forts that had been built in the fifteen months since the start of the war. Prior to the war, Union forces had made scouting trips to determine the best locations to defend Washington. At the time of this photograph, the fortifications had grown from a single fort to 48 forts and batteries. By the close of the war that number had increased to 68 forts and an additional 93 batteries, comprising more than 800 cannons and more than 90 mortars with
more than 20,000 artillerymen, infantry and cavalry. On this day Barnard was only concerned about one gun and one crew. Captain Rufus D. Pettit’s Battery B, 1st New York Light Artillery was his focus. It had been established at Baldwinsville, NY (about 30 miles from the Canadian border near Lake Ontario) in August of 1861 and became the first battery to be fully mounted in defense of Washington. What they did not know was that this would be one of the last peaceful days they would have during the war. At that moment, the men could enjoy a carefree day and had fun posing for the camera. George Barnard setup his stereo camera and inserted a glass negative that was four inches tall and ten inches wide. The camera had two lenses designed to take a photograph that could be viewed in 3D using a special viewer of the day. Following the photo shoot, the negative, along with at least one other photo he took of the fort, turned up at the Brady studio. It changed hands a few times and was finally purchased in 1943 by the Library of Congress. At some point, the fragile glass broke into five
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pieces, producing damage on both the left and right sides of the image. Despite the damage, the Library of Congress chose to scan it along with over 7,000 Civil War glass negatives in its collection. When I first saw the image in 2010, I knew that I wanted to see if I could repair the damage that 150 years had caused and bring it back to life. Since 2009, I have restored
hundreds of images for my websites, civilwarincolor.com and civilwarin3d. com. They have been used in books, various magazines (including the new masthead for The Artilleryman magazine) and even TV shows. The recent “Blood and Glory – The Civil War In Color”, that appeared on the History Channel, includes more than 75 of the images which we provided. I have also been asked to showcase
my colorized images at numerous Civil War Roundtables as well as at seminars. For this image, the damage was fairly severe and it would take more than just adding color to make this right. The Library of Congress had done a terrific job of scanning the image which was the size equivalent of using a 24 mega pixel camera. The broken pieces had been placed in the
Captain Rufus D. Pettit’s Battery B, 1st New York Light Artillery in Fort Richardson. Courtesy Library of Congress. Colorized by CivilWarInColor.com. 40
The Artilleryman
approximate positions, but needed adjusting to get to the correct location. First step, each of the pieces was separated into its own layer; so it could be moved around, to fit, like a puzzle piece into the proper position. After each piece was in place, the damage between the broken lines could be corrected and with other repairs the image was restored to its 1862 shape. Now is the time to think about the color. Before I colorize an image, I like to find out as much as possible about it prior to making the color selections. I learned early on that research is more important than just picking colors that look good. Basically, I try to do three things. First, if possible, I will visit the location and take photographs. Next museum collections are studied, either online or in person. Finally for some images I will reach out and find experts to consult and ensure I am getting it right. In fact, my association with the editor of this magazine was made as one of those consultations. Using my reference images, the detective work to obtain the proper
color begins. Importing the reference image into Photoshop allows me to sample the color to be added to the vintage image. It is not a simple matter of knowing that the carriage of a gun should be olive drab but which shade is correct. The paint on most of the original carriages has been replaced over the years (along with the carriages themselves). Nevertheless, I try to find modern carriages that have already been painted to the proper colors. I have a few hundred reference images for everything from what a proper sky looks like, to the color of the boots the soldiers wore. For artillery pieces, I was lucky enough to find locally a period gun that had been mounted on a reproduction carriage. I took dozens of photos showing the proper paint scheme and giving me the details needed in my final images. At this point, I may have already spent several hours of restoration and research on an image. I have pulled together from my reference collection the proper colors and conferred (if necessary) with experts about my
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color selections. Now the color process begins. Each color is laid down one at a time and then adjusted to give the desired shade and intensity. Simple images, such as a studio image may require 20-25 layers of color. More complex outdoor scenes may require 70-100 layers of color and adjustment. Initially, the color is applied much like painting a house. It is solid, nontransparent and completely covers any visible sign of the original underlying image. Next, the blending mode is adjusted to reveal the original B&W image. Think about this sort of the way a pair of sunglasses works. You can see through the glass clearly but the image is now tinted. When you do this with dozens of layers of color that only cover a specific part of the image, you slowly build a full color image such as stained glass uses colored glass to make an image. Unlike stained glass that has a single piece of glass for each color, colorized images may have a half dozen or more colors stacked on top of each other to produce the desired effect. This allows for the natural variety and subtle differences that occur naturally, to appear in the colorized image. Next the colors are adjusted to increase or decrease the saturation, change the brightness, etc. Sometimes during this process I find that a mistake was made. A section either does not have the right color or it extends into an area for a different part of the image. A common example of this is the wheels of an artillery piece. I will outline the area for color and then use a fill tool to flood the center with color. To achieve this on the wheels of a cannon, I need to outline each of the spokes and then add the color to the center. Occasionally, I will find that I missed part of an outline and the olive drab that was added to the spokes also extends to the areas between the spokes requiring time spent correcting the mistakes. When everything is cleaned and looking correct, I will usually send it for a final review with any experts 42
The Artilleryman
that had been consulted. First an artillery expert, then an expert on swords to ensure that the proper pieces of the swords had been colored and finally an expert on clothing to review uniform choices. The finished image is now ready for public display. Usually this starts with my website. However, in the case of the “Blood and Glory” TV program, many images went straight to the production crew. They had contacted me about 7-8 months before the show aired, inquiring about the possibility of using a “few” images. At that time they had wanted 8-10 images to showcase during the show. Eventually, the program used about 500 finished images provided by 9-10 different color artists. Since we had a large collection of several hundred already completed JOHN B. GALLIE painted on breech of this 8-inch smoothbore gun. Note the painted lines of elevation in degrees. Courtesy Library of Congress. Colorized by CivilWarInColor.com.
images, they both selected images and requested new images to be produced. About half of the 75 images I provided came from work produced specifically for the show. While I am not an expert on any specific area of the Civil War, I can often tell from the research for images that I have done, if an image is correct for the context it is being used or the colors chosen. One such example
was a series of artillery images. One of the guns had a very unusual wooden carriage with scroll work painted on it. I checked the Library of Congress description for the image and it indicated that it was the “Swamp Angel”. I knew from previous research that the “Swamp Angel” was an 8-inch bore, 200-pounder Parrott rifle used to bombard Charleston. This gun was clearly not a Parrott rifle and looking closer at an enlargement the name “John B. Gallie” was painted on the breech. I looked him up and found that Maj. Gallie was the commander of Fort McAllister (outside of Savannah) and had been killed in 1863. Why would a Union artillery piece in Charleston harbor bear the name of a Confederate commander that had died two years before near Savannah? After discussing and sharing the image with Jack Melton and Talley Kirkland (retired ranger at Fort McAllister State Park) we all came to the conclusion that it was unlikely that the gun was in the Charleston area when the image was taken. Fort McAllister did not fall into Union hands until two weeks before Christmas in 1864 and Charleston surrendered after McAllister in February of 1865. If it had been used as a Union artillery piece the name of the Confederate commander would have been removed. The consensus was that the most likely explanation was the gun had been misidentified – either by the photographer at the time or by one of the people that had handled it between the image being taken and the photograph being posted on the Library of Congress site. Either way, this was exciting because this meant that there was a new image of Fort McAllister that was previously unknown. Without other corroborating evidence to clearly place this gun at Fort McAllister, I am hesitant to contact the Library of Congress to update the listing. As excited as I was to discover something new in one of the Civil War images, I was shocked when the production studio sent me a review
copy of one hour of the show. During the portion they sent, Jack Melton was talking about the “Swamp Angel” while several of the artillery images I had completed for them was displayed. Then during the highlight of Jack’s narrative up popped the “John Gallie” gun! I immediately wrote to the producer including my research of the Gallie gun, as well as images of other 8-inch Parrott rifles for them to see the difference. It still took some convincing, including a lengthy telephone call with the producer, that while it may not be apparent to a nonartillery audience – this image needs to be replaced. In the end, Jack found an image of the “Swamp Angel” to use and the image of the “John Gallie” gun did not make the final show. As for Fort Richardson, it, like the other defensive forts was closed following the war and has long disappeared. The location today remains in the hands of the Federal Government as part of an Army/ Navy golf course. A few of the forts have been restored in recent years and are now preserved as historic sites but most are just historic marker signs. George Barnard continued to work as a photographer, relocating to Chicago. His studio and much of his
original negatives were destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871. He died in New York in 1902. Rufus D. Pettit, for whom the battery was named, stayed with the unit for another 11 months, resigning for medical reasons. The battery Captain Pettit had established went on to have a very illustrious career. Within days after this image was taken, the unit would participate at the battle of Savage Station, followed by Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, after which Captain Pettit resigned. Captain Rority (who assumed command after Pettit resigned) was killed four weeks later with his battery at Gettysburg. Following Gettysburg unit participated at the battles Spotsylvania and Petersburg. Between its formation in 1861 and mustering out in 1865 it had participated in a total of 22 battles. I love discovering new things in the images I work on and hope that adding color to them can help others appreciate the details of what they are viewing. David Richardson is the author of “Restoring and Tinting Vintage Images” and has colorized images for TV, magazines and museum collections.
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C
urrent convention attributes the manufacture of Wiard field rifles to the John O’Donnell Foundry in New York City. This hypothesis was first presented by researchers James C. Hazlett, Edwin Olmstead, and M. Hume Parks in their seminal work, Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War, specifically stating: “Right trunnions [of Wiard rifles] often show the distinctive array of initials: N. W. N. Y. C. O. F. While the first two lines are surely the initials of Norman Wiard and of New York City, identity of O. F. is conjectural. The initials of N. Y. C. are not compatible with reports of a large Wiard factory in Trenton, New Jersey. Warren Ripley has discovered the existence of a John O’Donnell foundry in Manhattan during the Civil War, an explanation we accept until someone documents a better one.”1 This conclusion has been frequently repeated in subsequent books and on internet sites devoted to the study of Civil War artillery. Fortunately, a better explanation is now available. Though an obvious advertising ploy, a comprehensive description of Norman Wiard’s rifles and the manufacturing process used to produce them appeared in the 1861 edition of The American Annual Cyclopædia: The [Wiard] guns bear a high reputation as being most accurate, substantial, and effective, and at the same time lighter than other pieces of the same calibre. They are forged under heavy steam hammers from puddled steel blooms, specially made for this purpose at the 44
The Artilleryman
rolling mills at Troy, N. Y., and Trenton, N. J.; the puddling process being stopped at the point where the carbon unexpelled gives to the metal a steely character. The weight of the 6-pounders is 700 lbs., and of the 12-pounders 1,200 lbs. each. They are forged solid at the works of Messrs. Tugnot & Dally, New York, and bored by Messrs. Plass & Co. [Carpenter & Plass]. The trunnion bands are shrunk on, and do not affect the strength of the piece in resisting the explosive action. The 6-pounders are of 2.6 inch bore, and the 12-pounders 3.67 inches. The rifling turns to the left once in 9 feet in the 6-pounders, and once in 12 feet in the 12-pounders, the former having 8 and the latter 12 bands and furrows [lands & grooves]. The projectile preferred is the Hotchkiss.
6-pounder Hotchkiss shell and 12-pounder Hotchkiss bolt for the Wiard rifles. Courtesy The Atlanta History Center Thomas S. Dickey Sr. Collection. With a 6-pounder, at an elevation of 39°, a flight of 5½ miles has been obtained. The carriages, which are made by Messrs. Stephenson [John Stephenson Car Company], of New York, are peculiar in the construction of the wheels with
iron adjustable hubs and felloe wedges, so that by the aid of a small wrench the wheels can be set up or taken down, and the tire be set, and any shrinking of the wood be compensated for at any time. The corresponding parts of all the wheels in any number of batteries are counterparts of each other and interchangeable. The trail is hung under the axle, which admits of a much greater elevation being given to the piece than is practicable on the standard carriage. The forward portions of every part of the carriage are rounded off, so as to render it more secure against harm when struck by shot in action.2 Significantly, the details provided above are corroborated by a letter found in the National Archives from William L. Miller, a senior official at Carpenter & Plass, to the Ordnance Bureau dated 14 March 1863: I am named as a silent partner in the firm of Carpenter and Plass, which is correct as such. I attended to the financial part of the business. Mr. Carpenter had charge of the Machinery Department. Mr. Plass had charge of the Pattern and Draughting [drafting] Department. Each one was held responsible for the management of their part of the business. Previous to the breaking out of the Rebellion our establishment was almost exclusively occupied in the manufacture of machinery…Such was the state of affairs when the Rebellion broke out previous to which we had built an Ice Boat [steam powered passenger craft designed to travel on water or ice] for Mr. Wiard who promised to pay for it while it was in process of building[,] but unfortunately for us the money never came…Mr. Wiard suggested that we should enter in the business of gun making as our business was about broken up [ruined] by the Rebellion… Mr. Wiard
asserted at the same time that he was thoroughly conversant with semisteel [and] that a gun made of that material could not be burst[,] and that he had a talk with some U. S. officers and that all guns we could make could be disposed of as soon as made…We consented to enter into the manufacture of the same… [and] Mr. Wiard stated that he had an order from Gen. Sickels [Sickles] for three batteries. He then made arrangements with Tugnot, Dally, and Co. by which they were to furnish the forgings for the guns and Carpenter and Plass for the finishing of the same.3 These two primary sources clearly demonstrate that the Wiard rifles were manufactured by several companies contracted independently by inventor and entrepreneur Norman Wiard to produce his field guns. Semi-steel ingots, or “blooms,” were furnished by rolling mills in Trenton, New Jersey, and Troy, New York, to Tugnot, Dally & Company in Manhattan. Tugnot, Dally & Company operated one of the largest steam-powered hammer forges in the world – the “Franklin Forge.” Raised by steam pressure, the hammer fell under its own weight of 7.5 tons, pounding numerous superheated blooms into a solid rectangular block of semi-steel.4 The unfinished block was then transported four city blocks north to Carpenter & Plass, where the semi-steel mass was bored, turned, and transformed into a rifled artillery tube. This firm also added the trunnions and the reinforcing breech cap. The finished barrels were then sent to John Stephenson Car Company, one of the largest producers of street and railroad passenger cars in the country, to be married to new carriages of Wiard’s unique design; Stephenson’s operation was also conveniently located a short distance away in New York City.5 Interestingly, “JOHN STEPHENSON” and “NEW YORK” can be discerned under high magnification on the carriage of a 2.6-inch Wiard rifle in one of Matthew Brady’s wonderful photographs of Sickles New York batteries. Therefore, to summarize, Norman Wiard’s semi-steel artillery tubes were
JOHN STEPHENSON and NEW YORK stamped into the iron cheek piece. manufactured by the cooperative efforts of Tugnot, Dally & Company and Carpenter & Plass, while the gun carriages were made by the John Stephenson Car Company – all located in Manhattan. A note of caution regarding the manufacture of Wiard rifles is required given the number of original tubes still fired today by artillery aficionados and living history units. An 1863 letter to Ordnance Bureau officials from Francis S. Carpenter, senior partner of Carpenter & Plass, describes a decision by Norman
Wiard to substitute conventional iron blooms for semi-steel ingots at some point in the production run.6 Wiard, who failed to make this fact known to government authorities, was obviously experiencing financial distress – and sought any means available to reduce his cost per unit. Regrettably, Carpenter does not supply the tube number that this significant change was made; the author surmises, however, that this decision likely resulted from the stress placed on the fledgling enterprise in the final two months of 1861 to fill simultaneous contracts for the Burnside Expedition, as well as for the States of Ohio and New York. Wiard, who was not paid in advance, deliberately cut corners in production and, as a result, eventually found himself in hot water with the Ordnance Bureau. Overextended, he came up short filling the Burnside Expedition contract for 3.4-inch boat howitzers due on 7 January 1862, and desperately attempted to make up the shortfall by converting 2.6-inch field
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rifles into boat howitzers. Therefore, while it is probable that the early rifles made to fill the Sickles contract and the Fremont trial (estimated tube numbers 1 – 23) are of semi-steel construction, it must be recognized that subsequent guns (tube numbers 24 – 62) run the risk of being made of much weaker iron. A 3.67-inch Wiard rifle assigned to Battery F, 3rd New York Artillery, exploded while firing during the Goldsboro Expedition in December 1862 – making it quite probable that this was an iron gun as semi-steel would likely not fail under normal chamber pressures. Moreover, a metallurgical analysis of Wiard tube number 56 by W. Rostoker, E. Olmstead, and J. Dvorak determined that the gun was made of “wrought iron…of not very high quality, being too high in phosphorus and too coarse in grain size.” The authors further note that the inferior iron is “prone to cold shortness (brittle in moderately low ambient temperatures under rapid application of stress),” a likely contributing factor in the failure of the Battery F rifle in frigid winter temperatures. In surmising why tube
number 56 was not made of semi-steel as advertised by Wiard, they suggest – correctly as it turns out – that cost might be a factor as steel blooms were “very expensive” at the time.8 If Wiard’s field rifles were not made by O’Donnell Foundry, a final question is germane. What do the initials “O. F.” represent on the right trunnion? Given the usual markings found on Civil War artillery, O. F. is undoubtedly the inspector. Regrettably, the identity of O. F. still eludes the author! Endnotes for this article can be found on www.ArtillerymanMagazine.com. (Note: The author is currently working on a comprehensive study of Norman Wiard, his field rifles, and their service history during the Civil War. If any reader has suggestions concerning the identity of inspector O. F., he welcomes your assistance). Capt. (ret.) Steven W. Knott, USN is a retired Navy helicopter pilot with 29 years of service. He commanded a squadron in Norfolk, Va., and participated in deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian
Gulf and waters off Somalia. His last assignment was as an instructor at the U.S. Army War College. He has led numerous leadership seminars for senior business executives and governmental officials at Gettysburg, Antietam and Virginia Civil War sites. His first book, The Confederate Enfield, was published in 2013. He also was an expert commentator in Ridley Scott’s award winning History Channel documentary, “Gettysburg.”
NW NYC OF Stamped on the right trunnion of a Wiard rifle.
U.S. Wiard 6-pounder Rifle by Brady at the Washington, D.C. Arsenal in or around 1862. Courtesy Library of Congress. 46
The Artilleryman
By Peter A. Frandsen Encyclopedia of Black Powder Projectiles Found in North America 1759 – 1865. (Volume II, chapters 7, 8 and 9) By Colonel John F. Biemeck, Black Powder Artificer Press, Inc. bpartificerpress@aol.com 598 pages, Copyright 2013 ISBN 978-0-9891165-0-3 The substantial heft of this encyclopedic tome matches the quantity and quality of the information contained therein which is one indication of how much work has gone into this projected massive five volume work on black powder ammunition. This first volume published (Volume II) is proof that this work is the capstone of 50 years of research and inquiry into this important topic for without ammunition, which does the real work of the arm of fire, artillery is useless. The whole encyclopedia set will cover the period of 1759 to 1865 including the War of the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War, or basically the time of smoothbore muzzle loading artillery and the beginnings of rifled artillery. It roughly covers the period of the development of true smoothbore field artillery until the introduction of rifled cannon. It covers ammunition from the smallest field type to the largest siege type. Unfortunately much of the detailed information concerning this type of ammunition was not documented to today’s standards or lost as armament design and materials moved into the modern era after the Civil War. One of the few dedicated works published at the time is Ammunition: a descriptive treatise on the different projectiles, . . . manufactured in the Royal Laboratory (1867) by Vivian Majendie which has a decidedly English view. Further, that work relegates spherical projectiles to the past and therefore incomplete for encyclopedic purposes. A more limited, but valuable
text, is the reprint British Artillery Ammunition, 1780 (1979) by Adrian Caruana. Consequently, the author’s bringing together all his research from documentary material to extensive empirical work on hundreds of actual surviving projectiles and fuses for the last fifty years is a great and necessary accomplishment. It also can be safely stated that there is no other comprehensive work like this with the monumental amount of research (although he readily acknowledges the important work of earlier pioneers) and, perhaps more importantly, the compilation and organization of the material in a form that can be easily used by all who are interested in the subject today. There is detailed information of every type of military and naval fuse and round and certainly more than any student of old artillery could imagine. The author has discovered variations on variations between similar items and many variations between what is stated in official contemporaneous manuals (which even if not out of date, contained inaccuracies or only generalities) and actual practice. To show the incredible variety of ordnance made, the author has identified about 400 types of spherical projectiles from the smallest to the largest that were developed or used in North America by American, British, French, Spanish, Mexican, and Russian tube artillery. For each type of round the author gives commentary; dimensions; weight, either stated or projected or calculated, along with variations due to different manufacturing processes; payload, if appropriate; fuses; use; references; and more. For guns and howitzers of 12-pounder caliber, a common type, just as an example, the author describes some eighteen major types with multiple variations of some groups just used by American forces (including Confederate). The view of the author of projectile ordnance, is almost completely oriented
toward the caliber of the ammunition and not toward the cannon tube that fired it. In fact the author appears to run together at times howitzers and guns of the same caliber which have different functions in the field artillery, and sometimes appropriately different ammunition. The cannon tube is merely a symbol. The author rightly and forcefully and repeatedly warns throughout against playing with or attempting to deactivate rounds of unknown origin or type because they can be extremely dangerous. The author himself, as expert as anyone on the subject, discovered more than a few rounds not only in his own collection but others as well that he thought deactivated only to realize in researching this book that the fuse or the detonating charges were still very much alive. Because of wide variations in manufacturing, there are many unknowns in dealing with old ammunition and supposedly deactivated rounds. Similarly, deactivating a round can be dangerous without extensive safety precautions which explains the common practice today of simply blowing up and destroying unknown but otherwise collectible ammunition. The book is indexed and contains a bibliography of all references (most published) used making further research much easier. Tables at the back of the book list projectiles by diameter making identification easy. There are over 1,200 pictures and drawings and over 400 data charts. A reference work of monumental proportions by an author with extensive military experience, it is a necessary addition to any military reference library and for anyone interested in artillery of the 19th century. Volume II is the first published and the rest are much anticipated.
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| Vol. 36, No. 3
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WWI Field Cannon Model 1906
4.7-inch, with limber. Hard-to-find Northwestern Ordnance Co. Ready for easy restoration. U.S Army’s standard medium field gun in 1917, with 60 in service. Production was increased when the U.S. entered WWI. Northwestern Ordnance Co. produced 98 more of them in Madison WI during1918. Limber has stamp on it that says Rock Island Arsenal. $21,900 or reasonable offer.
Civil War Deck Cannon
We believe this to be one of the original 6 ordnance rifles converted. No. 11 P.I.C 1861, 813 lbs. TTSL, complete with original U.S. base. Manufacturer: Phoenix Iron Co. Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Model 1861. Maximum Range 1830 yards. Barrel/Tube length 69 inches. Original Bore: 3 inches converted to 3.18 inches. This gun was altered to a breech loader at Fort Mackenzie, Wyoming. $17,000 or reasonable offer. (Source: Wayne Stark’s notes)
Located in California. Call Jeff for more information (916) 410-3993
CANNON FRICTION primers: 95 cents. Lanyards $12. Gimlets $15. Bronze vent picks $10. Bronze vent brush, wood handle $10. Primer extractor $7. Shipping $15 up to 100 primers, $1 each additional 100. UPS Ground. Phil “Boom Boom” Sieglein, 5026 Mile Stretch Dr., Holiday, FL 34690. 727-934-4330. WANTED: COMMEMORATIVE “Remember the Maine” cannon. Contact Steve Kapp, 704 West 5th St., Grove, OK 74344. Cell: 918-791-1262; kalbosjk@sbcglobal.net REPRINTED EARLY 20th century U.S. Army coast artillery ordnance manuals for sale. For list send two first-class postage stamps to Peter A. Frandsen, 9900 Georgia Avenue #302, Silver Spring, MD 209025242. 12-PDR MOUNTAIN Howitzer blueprints - barrel plans $42. Carriage plans $52. Both sets $87. 12-pdr. plans $42. Prices include USPS priority postage. Helmut Sakschek, PO Box 3, Neenah WI 54957-0003. www. buckstix.com
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The Artilleryman
TRAIL ROCK Ordnance offers metal parts for the #1 and #2 Field Carriages, Field Limber and 1st Model Prairie Carriage. We also offer 1st Model Prairie Carriages for $5,000, and #1 Field Carriages for $7,200. We offer an ever growing line of shooting accessories, implements, ammunition and other goodies for the artillerist. Color catalog available for $7 ppd. Steve Cameron, 1754 Little Valley Rd, Blaine TN 37709, 865-932-1200, akm556@aol.com, www.trailrockordnance.com. CIRCA 1862 three-barrel Norwich Arms Gatling type gun. One-inch rifled barrels. All complete with original carriage $61,000. Confederate manufactured Memphis cannon with original carriage $61,500. Circa 1700-1750 Dutch bronze VOC cannon with museum-copied carriage $15,500. Additional Dutch carriages available $2,000 each. Gatling/Gardner style gun with original carriage $36,500. Museum quality Dahlgren carriage $12,500. Hotchkiss 1.65-inch mountain cannon as carried on mules $36,500. Other cannons available. Email for pictures: zanzibar22@windstream.net; 859-983-3911.
STATE OF NY original Delafield Rifle 3.67in No. 3 1862. Excellent condition, fired in N-SSA competition. Only rare Delafield with shootable bore. $85,000. Fits No. 1 carriage. Ken: 845-831-1170 FRICTION PRIMERS $1 each. Free Shipping. Quality dependable. Philip Walczak Jr. Please call before ordering. 440-283-9680. 8948 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Mentor, Ohio 44060. TWO SPONGE buckets, close reproductions, $95 each postpaid. 1841 Mountain Howitzer pendulum sight, $75 postpaid. Call Len, 1st St. Paul Artillery 651-799-6299. 128 ISSUES of The Artilleryman for sale. Vol. 1 through Vol. 35, $650 postpaid. Email bckindig@msn.com NUMBER ONE LIMBER new condition walnut ammunition chest with copper top, built correct and very good $6,500 Leonard Draper, Cedartown, Ga . 404-401-5591, email draper.leonardc@gmail.com.
Bronze mortar from the Georgius Rex period of King George II (1727-1760)
George Weller Juno
1348 SW Cottonwood Cove • Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986 770-329-4985 • gwjuno@aol.com