ID on CW Artillery Piece,Solved! Parrott 100 Pounder

steelheadwill · Jul 26, 2011

Hi All,
Found this Memorial to 'The Great War Between The States' while visiting family graves.
Hoping someone can ID the type of weapon.
It has a 6" rifled bore. appears to have 3 touchholes in a triangle pattern.
Also showing distant relatives stones, husband and wife,
12 & 10 years old in 1776, imagine the times

Thanks for looking & HH :thumbsup:

timekiller · Jul 26, 2011

Re: ID on CW Artillery Piece

Naval Parrott Cannon/Gun Buddy (RPP- Robert Parker Parrott ) :thumbsup:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrott_rifle
Take Care,
Pete, :hello:

TheCannonballGuy · Jul 26, 2011

Re: ID on CW Artillery Piece

More details:
Specifically, it is a 6.4"-caliber (also called "100-pounder") Parrott Rifled Cannon. The one in your photo is the US Navy model. The version made for US Army usage differed in the shape of the breech-end, and the gun-carriage it was mounted on. (The nickname "100-pounder" comes the weight of the Solid-Shot projectiles it fired -- explosive shells are hollow and thus weigh less than the solid ones, but are still called 100-pounder caliber ammunition.) The first combat use of the 100-pounder Parrott Rifle occurred in 1861. Unlike the Field-caliber Parrott Rifles, the Heavy-caliber ones (6.4"-caliber and larger) stayed in service long after the end of the war. A few were still mounted in Seacoast Defense fortifications as late as World War One. When they were finally withdrawn from service, the US Government donated many for placement at historical monuments and memorials.