| Cleburne1863 | 09 Apr 2015 7:41 p.m. PST |
I just returned from a trip to the Shiloh battlefield. In the Sarah Bell field there is an unusual cannon. It looks like a 3" Ordnance rifle. However, it is made of bronze, and is a smoothbore. It is NOT a 12# James rifle (the cast type, not the 6 pdr conversion). It is a smoothbore. I even stuck my hand in there to make sure the lands weren't simply worn out. Also, it lacks the cast front sight. A picture is below. Any ideas?
|
 T Callahan  | 09 Apr 2015 8:22 p.m. PST |
Some 14 pound James rifles were made of bronze. Not many mind you. Had the same profile as an Ordnance Rifle. Here is a link. link Terry |
| HistoryPhD | 09 Apr 2015 8:39 p.m. PST |
The only smoothbores cast by the Ames Foundry with the GTB inspection stamp at Shiloh are six 6pdr M1861. There are also several Ames 6pdr M1841, but all have inspection stamps JWR or BH. |
| Cleburne1863 | 09 Apr 2015 9:14 p.m. PST |
So, its a 14 lbs. James Rifle that never had a front sight blade cast into it, and has had all lands and grooves shot away to the point of being a smoothbore? |
| 79thPA | 09 Apr 2015 11:20 p.m. PST |
|
| HistoryPhD | 10 Apr 2015 6:58 a.m. PST |
No. It was cast as a smoothbore. A 6pdr M1861 |
| 79thPA | 10 Apr 2015 7:33 a.m. PST |
I believe you are correct. I think almost all of the Ames 6prs had the Napoleon looking muzzle, but they made a few of these plain barrel types. Good work. |
| HistoryPhD | 10 Apr 2015 8:32 a.m. PST |
Ames casts with GTB inspection and also a smoothbore are limited to just 6 tubes in the whole park. Also, had this been a worn down rifle, at least a hint of the grooves would still be obvious. |
| Cleburne1863 | 10 Apr 2015 9:11 a.m. PST |
Very interesting. Thank you! I wonder what their performance was? I guess nothing special if they only made six. |
| HistoryPhD | 10 Apr 2015 9:20 a.m. PST |
They no doubt made more than six. It just so happened that the batteries present at Shiloh had only that many. 6pdrs didn't last long in the east, but in the west, they survived much longer. 6pdrs certainly didn't have the performance or punch of 12pdrs, so they were melted down and recast as 12s, as fast as they could be spared from the front |
| Cleburne1863 | 10 Apr 2015 12:08 p.m. PST |
I haven't looked, but I wonder how these guns were listed. I normally only see them listed as 6 pdr guns or 6 pdr smoothbores. Reports usually don't take the time to distinguish between types like this. I think it would be cool to have one battery of these on the table by painting 3" Ordnance barrels in bronze. |
| HistoryPhD | 10 Apr 2015 2:20 p.m. PST |
I'm not sure if the barrels were the same length as a 3" rifle. I'd guess not and I'd shorten the barrel a bit. Where you observed this original tube, do you recall if a marker stated which battery it was part of? |
| Cleburne1863 | 10 Apr 2015 2:26 p.m. PST |
Sure. Ross' Battery, 2nd Michigan Light Artillery. They had six guns at the display, a mix of 6pdr James rifle conversion, 12 lbs howitzers,and these 6dpr smoothbores. I doubt they represent the actual gun types of the battery. |
| HistoryPhD | 10 Apr 2015 3:35 p.m. PST |
The battery fielded four 10 pound Parrots and two 6 pound smoothbores at Shiloh, so it's a possibility that this might be one of the originals. |
feels it's important to celebrate progress in one's personal hobby life.
