10-pounder Parrott rifle

10-pounder Parrott rifle File:Gettysburg_PA_10pdr_Parrott_Little_Round_Top.jpg 300 10-pounder Parrott rifle representing 1st Lt. Charles E. Hazlett's 5th U.S. Artillery, Battery D on Little Round Top. Rifled cannon United States 1861–1865 United StatesConfederate States American Civil War Robert Parker Parrott 1859–1860 West Point Foundry $180 1861–1865 United States: 2.9-inch: 228–255United States: 3.0-inch: 279Confederate States: 80+ United States: 2.9-inch (1861–1862)United States: 3.0-inch (1864–1865) 890 lb kg 1 74 in m 2 9 yes yes 9.5 lb kg 1 shell1.0 lb kg 1 charge 2.9 in mm 03.0 in mm 0 1 Muzzle loading 1230 ft/s m/s 0 1850 yd m at 5° 900 lb kg 0 The 10-pounder Parrott rifle, Model 1861 was a muzzle-loading rifled cannon made of wrought iron-reinforced cast iron. One of a line of Parrott rifles, the 10-pounder was capable of firing shell, shrapnel shell (case shot), canister shot, or solid shot. It was adopted by the United States Army in 1861 and often used in field artillery units during the American Civil War. Midway through the war, the Federal government discontinued the nominally 10 lb kg on, 2.9 in mm 0 projectile version in favor of a 3.0 in mm 0 version. Despite the reinforcing band, the guns occasionally burst without warning, which endangered the gun crews. The Confederate States of America manufactured a number of successful copies of the gun. Background All cannons need to be strong enough to withstand the explosion which reduces their gunpowder charge to propellant gas. Bronze smoothbore cannons were in need of a larger powder charge because there was windage – or space – between the shot and the barrel. Windage caused the propellant gases from the explosion to leak out, but it also reduced the stress on the gun barrel. With rifled cannon, the ammunition was designed to expand the shell so that there was no windage between the projectile and the gun barrel. This meant that a smaller gunpowder charge could hurl a rifled projectile farther, but it also meant that the gun barrel was subjected to greater stress.Cole 2002 75 Bronze cannons rarely burst because the metal was more ductile. Cast iron was stronger than bronze, but it was also more brittle. This made cast-iron guns more prone to burst at the breech or muzzle.Cole 2002 77 In 1836, when Robert Parker Parrott was an ordnance officer in the U.S. Army, he resigned to take a job with the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. A few years before the American Civil War, gun manufacturers wrestled with problem of rifling cannons. Bronze was too soft of a metal for rifling, while cast iron was hard enough but too brittle. Parrott attempted to solve this dilemma by inventing a cast-iron rifled cannon that had a wrought-iron reinforcing band wrapped around the firing chamber end of the gun.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 109 Initial banded guns were not rotated when manufactured, so gravity acted on the bands as they cooled, making an uneven fit. Parrott solved the problem by rotating the gun during the cooling process while cold water was poured down the barrel, heat-shrinking the reinforcement band in place. The gun was first developed in 1860.Ripley 1984 109–110 Parrott later remarked, "I do not profess to think that they are the best gun in the world, but I think they were the best practical thing that could be got at the time".Cole 2002 94 In addition to reinforcing band failure, the gun would also burst unpredictably at the muzzle,Cole 2002 93 or near the trunnions. The Parrott field guns were simple for the gun crews to operate and the guns were usable even if part of the muzzle was blown off.Cole 2002 94 Another great advantage of the 10-pounder Parrott was its low average cost of $180 per gun barrel. Compared to this, the bronze 12-pounder Napoleon cost $550 and the 3-inch Ordnance rifle cost $350 per gun.Cole 2002 83 On 23 May 1861, the US government accepted the first ten 10-pounder Parrott rifles. The West Point Foundry helped the Federal war effort to such a degree that a joke made the rounds that the U.S. national emblem should be changed from an eagle to a parrot.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 109 The 20-pounder Parrott rifle (with banded breech) was also employed in field artillery units, but the 10-pounder Parrott was far more commonly used.Cole 2002 91–93 Manufacture The West Point Foundry manufactured between 228 and 255 2.9-inch 10-pounder Parrott rifles, Model 1861 through the end of 1862. Because the Ordnance Department thoroughly trusted Robert Parrott, he acted as both gun manufacturer and the inspecting ordnance officer, a unique arrangement. The gun barrels weighed between 884 lb kg 0 and 917 lb kg 0. The rifling consisted of three equally-wide lands and grooves.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 109 At first the guns were equipped with a tall, thin front sight at the muzzle and a pendulum hausse rear sight on the breech. The front sight was easily damaged, so this arrangement was soon replaced by a front sight on top of the right rimbase (adjacent to the trunnion) and a brass Parrott tangent sight mounted on the right side of the wrought iron band at a two o'clock orientation.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 110 On 24 September 1863, the Ordnance Board recommended that production of the 2.9-inch Parrott be halted and that existing guns be re-bored to 3-inch caliber. This decision may have been influenced by gun jams caused by accidentally loading the 2.9-inch Parrott with 3-inch ammunition. Between November 1864 and June 1865, 119 2.9-inch Parrott rifles were converted to 3-inch caliber, though none have survived. The West Point Foundry halted production of 2.9-inch Parrott rifles on 13 April 1863 and the 3-inch versions did not appear until 12 February 1864. Altogether, 279 of the new 3-inch Parrott rifles, Model 1863 were manufactured until 4 September 1865.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 112–113 In 1860, the West Point Foundry sold a Parrott rifle to the state of Virginia. The artillery piece was put through trials by Thomas J. Jackson, a little-known Virginia Military Institute professor who later became famous as a Confederate general known as "Stonewall Jackson". Impressed by its range and accuracy, Jackson gave it a glowing report, leading Virginia to order 12 more. These guns were probably of 2.9-inch caliber, but this is not certain. In any case, one of these Parrott rifles performed admirably at the Battle of Big Bethel on 10 June 1861.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 110 With the outbreak of war, the Tredegar Iron Works began manufacturing a copy of the 2.9-inch Parrott rifle for the Confederacy. Tredegar produced 80 2.9-inch Parrott rifles from 18 November 1861 to 20 February 1865.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 111 Other Confederate gun founders manufactured the Parrott rifles including A. B. Reading & Brother of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Street, Hungerford & Jackson of Memphis, Tennessee, and Bujac and Bennett of New Orleans. Five guns survived, but no manufacturer can be positively identified from their markings.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 112–113 Specifications thumb|right|upright=1.2|alt=Photo shows a Civil War cannon with a band around the breech.|The reinforcing band was heat-shrunk onto the gun The 10-pounder Parrott rifle was a muzzle-loader.Johnson Anderson 1995 24 It had a bore (caliber) with a diameter of 2.9 in mm 0 and fired a projectile weighing 9.5 lb kg 1. Its gun barrel was 74 in cm 0 long and weighed about 890 lb kg 1. The gunpowder charge weighed 1.0 lb kg 1 and fired the projectile with a muzzle velocity of 1230 ft/s m/s 0 to a distance of between 1850 yd m 0Cole 2002 298 and 1900 yd m 0Coggins (p. 77), and Johnson & Anderson (p. 24). The tables list 1,900 yards, while Cole's numbers are used in the Specifications section and information box. The 10-pounder Parrott was manufactured with a right-hand gaining twist (increasing toward the muzzle).Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 109 The twist rate was one turn in 16 ft m 1.Cole 2002 149 A smoothbore cannon's projectile typically retained only one-third of its muzzle velocity at 1500 yd m 0 and its round shot could be seen in the air. Meanwhile, a rifled projectile generally retained two-thirds of its initial velocity at 1,500 yds. and remained invisible in flight. However, a rifled projectile could become visible if the shell began to tumble out of control. Tumbling occurred when the shell failed to take the grooves inside the gun barrel or when the spin wore off in flight.Cole 2002 237 The unusual 2.9-inch caliber was the same as that of a smoothbore 3-pounder gun, which fired a round shot with a diameter of 2.9 inches.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 24 Rifled projectiles were heavier than smoothbore shot because they were elongated on both ends, tapered for aerodynamics on one end and shaped like a shell on the other to maximize the projectile's exposure to the grooves.Cole 2002 137 The 10-pounder Parrott rifle was mounted on the standard gun carriage for the M1841 6-pounder field gun. Because its projectile weighed more than a 6-pound round shot, the rifle's greater recoil could damage the gun carriage.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 125 The 6-pounder carriage weighed 900 lb kg 0.Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 217 The 10-pounder Parrott rifle fired case shot (shrapnel), common shell, and canister shot. The use of bolts (solid shot) was rare and it was generally not provided in the ammunition chests. Firing shell without the fuse would accomplish the same result as firing a solid shot from a rifled gun.Cole 2002 125 Parrott ammunition was designed to be used. In an emergency, 3-inch Parrott rifles could also fire Hotchkiss and Schenkl ammunition. However, experience showed that Parrott projectiles worked best in Parrott rifles while Hotchkiss and Schenkl projectiles were most effective when fired from the 3-inch Ordnance rifle. That was because the 10-pounder Parrott rifling had 3 grooves while the 3-inch Ordnance rifling had 7 grooves. In particular, the Parrott rifle's gaining twist caused the Hotchkiss projectile's soft sabot to be torn off.Cole 2002 153 One weakness of Parrott ammunition was the sabot's position at the projectile's base. This meant that the final impulse on the shell as it left the gun was on its base, potentially causing the shell to wobble.Cole 2002 142 For two reasons, canister shot fired from rifled guns was less effective than canister fired from a 12-pounder Napoleon or a M1841 12-pounder howitzer. First, the rifled gun's 2.9-inch or 3-inch bore was narrower than the 12-pounder's 4.62 in mm 0 bore and could hurl fewer canister balls. Second, the barrel's rifling caused the canister to be blasted in an irregular pattern. Union General Henry Jackson Hunt believed that the range of canister fired from rifled guns was only half the 400 yd m 0 effective range of canister fired from the 12-pounder Napoleon.Cole 2002 130–131 Federal batteries were organized with six guns of identical type early in the conflict.Cole 2002 56 Each 6-gun battery required fourteen 6-horse teams and seven spare horses.Coggins 1983 73 The teams towed the six artillery pieces and limbers, six caissons, one battery wagon, and one traveling forge. Each caisson carried two ammunition chests and the limber carried one additional ammunition chest.Coggins 1983 68–69 The 10-pounder Parrott rifle carried 50 rounds in each ammunition chest.Cole 2002 106 A memo from November 1863 specified that rifled guns should have 25 shells, 20 shrapnel (case shot), and 5 canister rounds in each ammunition chest. In March 1865, a memo recommended that each chest carry 30 shells, 15 shrapnel, and 5 canister rounds for rifled guns of the horse artillery.Cole 2002 125 The gun required a crew consisting of 1 sergeant, 2 corporals, and 6 gunners, while 6 drivers managed the horses.Johnson Anderson 1995 28 +Confederate 2.9-inch Parrott Rifle Specifications (probably copied from Federal)Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 111 Description Dimension Diameter of the bore (caliber) 2.91 in mm 0 Length of the bore 69.875 in cm 1 Length from the rear of the knob to the muzzle 78.375 in cm 1 Length from the end of the breech to the muzzle 72.875 in cm 1 Length from the rear of the knob to the center of the trunnions 31.5 in cm 1 Length of the wrought iron band 13.0 in cm 1 Diameter of the trunnions 3.69 in mm 0 Thickness of metal at the wrought iron band 8.47 in mm 0 Thickness of metal forward of the wrought iron band 6.09 in mm 0 Thickness of metal at the muzzle 3.34 in mm 0 History thumb|right|upright=1.2|alt=Photo shows a 10-pounder Parrott rifle, looking from the muzzle.|10-pounder Parrott rifle with Little Round Top in the background at Gettysburg National Military Park Captain Richard Waterman of Battery C, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery, believed that the 10-pounder Parrott rifle was more accurate than the 3-inch Ordnance rifle at 900 - 1500 yd m 0 range. Union General Quincy Adams Gillmore liked the Parrott rifles, noting that untrained artillery crews could easily learn how to operate them. Confederate officer Edward Porter Alexander wanted to get rid of his 10-pounder Parrott rifles and replace them with M1841 24-pounder howitzers.Cole 2002 93 One artillery officer reported that the Parrott percussion shells performed very well with only two shells failing to explode out of about 30.Cole 2002 154 In the First Battle of Kernstown on 23 March 1862, the Union troops temporarily under the command of Nathan Kimball included 4th U.S. Artillery, Battery E (Clark's) armed with six 10-pounder Parrott rifles.Cozzens 2008 161 At the Battle of Antietam on 17 September 1862, the number of 10-pounder Parrott rifles was 57 for the Union Army of the Potomac and at least 43 for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.Johnson Anderson 1995 129 Union 10-pounder Parrott rifles were almost all massed in four or six gun batteries.Johnson Anderson 1995 35–38 Meanwhile, the Confederates distributed theirs by ones, twos, or threes in mixed batteries.Johnson Anderson 1995 42–46 The six-gun Union batteries included Battery B, 1st New York Light Artillery (Pettit's), Battery A, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery (Tompkins's), Battery A, 1st New Jersey Light Artillery (Hexamer's), and Battery D, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery (Durell's).Johnson Anderson 1995 71–77 McCarthy's Richmond Virginia battery consisted of two 10-pounder Parrott rifles and two 6-pounder field guns.Johnson Anderson 1995 87 At the Second Battle of Corinth on 3–4 October 1862, Battery H, 1st Missouri Light Artillery was armed with a mix of 10-pounder Parrott rifles and 24-pounder howitzers.Cozzens 1997 164 In 1862 alone, the US government ordered 270,699 Parrott projectiles. This included ammunition for Parrott rifles other than the 10-pounder.Cole 2002 155 On 2 July 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg, the six 10-pounder Parrott rifles of the 5th U.S. Artillery, Battery D commanded by Captain Charles E. Hazlett took position on Little Round Top. When General Gouverneur K. Warren pointed out that the guns would not be able to fire on their attackers, Hazlett replied, "The sound of my guns will be encouraging to our troops."Trudeau 2002 348–349 The Parrott rifles were not used again after the end of the war.Cole 2002 94 In October 1865, the Chief of Ordnance stated that the frequent bursting of Parrott rifles lowered confidence in the weapon and that the Ordnance department would look for a more reliable weapon.Katcher 2001 26 Civil War artillery Field artillery in the American Civil War +Characteristics of American Civil War artillery piecesCoggins 1983 66Coggins 1983 77 Description Caliber Tube length Tube weight Carriage weight Shot weight Charge weight Range 5° elev. M1841 6-pounder cannon 3.67 in cm 1 60 in cm 0 884 lb kg 0 900 lb kg 0 6.1 lb kg 1 1.25 lb kg 1 1523 yd m 0 M1841 12-pounder cannon 4.62 in cm 1 78 in cm 0 1757 lb kg 0 1175 lb kg 0 12.3 lb kg 1 2.5 lb kg 1 1663 yd m 0 M1841 12-pounder howitzer 4.62 in cm 1 53 in cm 0 788 lb kg 0 900 lb kg 0 8.9 lb kg 1 1.0 lb kg 1 1072 yd m 0 M1841 24-pounder howitzer 5.82 in cm 1 65 in cm 0 1318 lb kg 0 1128 lb kg 0 18.4 lb kg 1 2.0 lb kg 1 1322 yd m 0 M1857 12-pounder Napoleon 4.62 in cm 1 66 in cm 0 1227 lb kg 0 1128 lb kg 0 12.3 lb kg 1 2.5 lb kg 1 1619 yd m 0 12-pounder James rifle 3.67 in cm 1 60 in cm 0 875 lb kg 0 900 lb kg 0Johnson Anderson 1995 25 12 lb kg 1 0.75 lb kg 1 1700 yd m 0 3-inch Ordnance rifle 3.0 in cm 1 69 in cm 0 820 lb kg 0 900 lb kg 0Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 217 9.5 lb kg 1 1.0 lb kg 1 1830 yd m 0 10-pounder Parrott rifle 3.0 in cm 1 74 in cm 0 899 lb kg 0 900 lb kg 0Hazlett Olmstead Parks 2004 217 9.5 lb kg 1 1.0 lb kg 1 1900 yd m 0 20-pounder Parrott rifle 3.67 in cm 1 84 in cm 0 1750 lb kg 0 1175 lb kg 0Johnson Anderson 1995 25 20 lb kg 1 2.0 lb kg 1 1900 yd m 0 Citations 3 References Coggins Jack Arms and Equipment of the Civil War 1983 Fairfax Press New York, N.Y. 0-517-402351 Cole Philip M. Civil War Artillery at Gettysburg New York, N.Y. Da Capo Press 2002 0-306-81145-6 Cozzens Peter Peter Cozzens The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth 1997 University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill, N.C. 0-8078-5783-1 Cozzens Peter Peter Cozzens Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign 2008 University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill, N.C. 978-0-8078-3200-4 Hazlett James C. Olmstead Edwin Parks M. Hume Field Artillery Weapons of the American Civil War Urbana, Ill. University of Illinois Press 2004 0-252-07210-3 Johnson Curt Anderson Richard C. Jr. Artillery Hell: The Employment of Artillery at Antietam 1995 Texas A&M University Press College Station, Tex. 0-89096-623-0 Katcher Philip American Civil War Artillery 1861-1865: Field & Heavy Artillery 2001 Osprey Osceola, Wis. 1-84176-451-5 Ripley Warren Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War Charleston, S.C. The Battery Press 1984 12668104 Trudeau Noah Andre Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage 2002 HarperCollins New York, N.Y. 0-06-019363-8 registration https://archive.org/details/gettysburgtestin00trud Further reading Downey Brian The Weapons of Antietam 2019 Antietam on the Web http://antietam.aotw.org/weapons.php?weapon_id=all Morgan James Green Ones and Black Ones: The Most Common Field Pieces of the Civil War 2002 civilwarhome.com https://www.civilwarhome.com/artillery.html Category:American Civil War artillery