Parrott rifle

The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle loading

Muzzleloader

A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and usually the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun . This is distinct from the more popular modern designs of breech-loading firearms...

rifled

Rifling

Rifling is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis...

artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

weapon used extensively in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

The gun was invented by Robert Parker Parrott

Robert Parker Parrott

Robert Parker Parrott was an American soldier and inventor of military ordnance.-Biography:Born in Lee, New Hampshire, he was the son of John Fabyan Parrott. He graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy, third in the Class of 1824. Parrott was assigned to the Third Regiment of...

, a West Point

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

graduate. He resigned from the service in 1836 and became the superintendent of the West Point Foundry

West Point Foundry

The West Point Foundry was an early ironworks in Cold Spring, New York that operated from 1817 to 1911. Set up to remedy deficiencies in national armaments production after the War of 1812, it became most famous for its production of Parrott rifles and other munitions during the Civil War, although...

in Cold Spring, New York

Cold Spring, New York

Cold Spring is a village located in the Town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York. The population was 1,983 at the 2000 census. It borders the smaller village of Nelsonville...

. He created the first Parrott Rifle (and corresponding projectile) in 1860 and patented it in 1861.

Parrotts were manufactured with a combination of cast

Cast iron

Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...

and wrought iron

Wrought iron

thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...

. The cast iron made for an accurate gun, but was brittle enough to suffer fractures. Hence, a large wrought iron reinforcing band was overlaid on the breech to give it additional strength. There were prior cannon

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

s designed this way, but the method of securing this band was the innovation that allowed the Parrott to overcome the deficiencies of these earlier models. It was applied to the gun red-hot and then the gun was turned while pouring water down the muzzle, allowing the band to attach uniformly. By the end of the Civil War, both sides were using this type of gun extensively.

Parrott Rifles were manufactured in different sizes, from 10-pounders up to the rare 300-pounder. In the field, the 10- and 20-pounders were used by both armies. The 20-pounder was the largest field gun used during the war, with the barrel alone weighing over 1,800 pounds. The smaller size was much more prevalent; it came in two bore sizes: 2.9 inch (74 mm) and 3.0-in (76 mm). Confederate

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

forces used both bore sizes during the war, which added to the complication of supplying the appropriate ammunition to its batteries. Until 1864, Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

batteries used only the 2.9-in. The M1863, with a 3-in bore

Gauge (bore diameter)

The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the barrel. Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound . Thus...

, had firing characteristics similar to the earlier model; it can be recognized by its straight barrel, without muzzle-swell. Its range was up to 2000 yards (1,828.8 m) with a trained crew.

Naval versions of the 20-, 30-, 60-, and 100-pound Parrotts were also used by the Union navy. The 100-pound naval Parrott could achieve a range of 6900 yards (6300 meters) at an elevation of 25 degrees, or fire an 80-pound shell 7810 yards (7140 m) at 30 degrees elevation.

Although accurate, as well as being cheaper and easier to make than most rifled artillery guns, the Parrott had a poor reputation for safety and they were shunned by many artillerists.
At the end of 1862, Henry J. Hunt attempted to get the Parrott eliminated from the Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...

's inventory, preferring the 3-in Ordnance Rifle. During battles when the Parrott gun would burst, artillerists would chip out the jagged parts and continue firing. In 1889, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

called on the Ordnance Bureau of the War Department to discontinue use of the Parrott Gun altogether, following a series of mishaps at the West Point training grounds.

Several hundred Parrott gun tubes remain today, many adorning battlefield parks, county courthouses, museums, etc. The gun tubes made by Parrott's foundry are identifiable by the letters WPF (West Point Foundry) found on the gun tube, along with the initials RPP for Robert P. Parrott. The first production Parrott gun tube (Serial Number 1) still exists, and is preserved on a reproduction gun carriage in the center square of Hanover, Pennsylvania

Hanover, Pennsylvania

Hanover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, southwest of York and north-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland.The town is situated in a productive agricultural region. The population was 15,289 at the 2010 census. The borough is served by a 717 area code and the Zip Codes of 17331-34...

, as part of a display commemorating the Battle of Hanover

Battle of Hanover

The Battle of Hanover took place on June 30, 1863, in Hanover in southwestern York County, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War....

. A list of many of the surviving tubes can be found at the National Register of Surviving Civil War Artillery.

The 300-pound solution

By summer 1863, Union forces became frustrated by the heavily-fortified Confederate position at Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...

, and brought to bear the 10 inches (254 mm) Parrott, along with several smaller cannons. In all, two 80-pounder Whitworths, nine 100-pounder Parrotts, six 200-pounder Parrotts, and a 300-pounder Parrott were deployed. It was widely believed in the north that massive 10-in Parrott would finally break the previously impenetrable walls of the fort, which had become the symbol of stawart steadfastness for the Confederacy.

The Washington Republican described the technical accomplishments of the 10-in Parrott:

Swamp Angel

One of the most famous Parrott rifles is the Swamp Angel, an 8 inches (203.2 mm) gun used by federal Brigadier General

Brigadier General

Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

Quincy Adams Gillmore

Quincy Adams Gillmore was an American civil engineer, author, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was noted for his actions in the Union victory at Fort Pulaski, where his modern rifled artillery readily pounded the fort's exterior stone walls, an action that...

to bombard Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

. It was manned by the 11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 11th Maine Infantry was organized in Augusta, Maine and mustered in for a three year enlistment on November 12, 1861 under the command of Colonel John Curtis...

.

On August 21, 1863 Gillmore sent Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard

P. G. T. Beauregard

Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was a Louisiana-born American military officer, politician, inventor, writer, civil servant, and the first prominent general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Today he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used...

an ultimatum to abandon heavily-fortified positions at Morris Island

Morris Island

Morris Island is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War.-History:...

or the city of Charleston would be shelled. When the positions were not evacuated within a few hours, Gillmore ordered the Parrott rifle to fire on the city from a distance of 8000 yards. Between August 22 and August 23, the Swamp Angel fired on the city 36 times (the gun burst on the 36th round), using many incendiary shells which caused little damage and few casualties. The battle was made more famous by Herman Melville

Herman Melville

Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....

's poem "The Swamp Angel".

After the war, a damaged Parrott rifle said to be the Swamp Angel was moved to Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

, where it rests as a memorial today at Cadwallader Park.

Parrott rifles by size

**Parrott Guns by Size**
Model	Length	Weight	Munition	Charge size	Maximum range at elevation	Flight time	Crew size
2.9-in (10-lb) Army Parrott	73 in	1799 lb (816 kg)	10 lb (4.5 kg) shell	1 lb (0.45359237 kg)	5000 yd (4,572 m) at 20 degrees	21 secs	6
3.0-in (10-lb) Army Parrott	74 in	1726 lb (782.9 kg)	10 lb (4.5 kg) shell	1 lb (0.45359237 kg)	1830 yd (1,673.4 m) at 5 degrees	7 secs	6
3.67-in (20-lb) Army Parrott	79 in	1795 lb (814.2 kg)	19 lb (8.6 kg) shell	2 lb (0.90718474 kg)	4400 yd (4,023.4 m) at 15 degrees	17 secs	7
3.67-in (20-lb) Naval Parrott	81 in	1795 lb (814.2 kg)	19 lb (8.6 kg) shell	2 lb (0.90718474 kg)	4400 yd (4,023.4 m) at 15 degrees	17 secs	7
4.2-in (30-lb) Army Parrott	126 in	4200 lb (1,905.1 kg)	29 lb (13.2 kg) shell	3.25 lb (1.5 kg)	6700 yd (6,126.5 m) at 25 degrees	27 secs	9
4.2-in (30-lb) Naval Parrott	102 in	3550 lb (1,610.3 kg)	29 lb (13.2 kg) shell	3.25 lb (1.5 kg)	6700 yd (6,126.5 m) at 25 degrees	27 secs	9
5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott	111 in	5430 lb (2,463 kg)	50 lb (22.7 kg) or 60 lb (27.2 kg) shell	6 lb (2.7 kg)	7400 yd (6,766.6 m) at 30 degrees	30 secs	14
5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott (breechload)	111 in	5242 lb (2,377.7 kg)	50-lb or 60 lb (27.2 kg) shell	6 lb (2.7 kg)	7400 yd (6,766.6 m) at 30 degrees	30 secs	14
6.4-in (100-lb) Naval Parrott	138 in	9727 lb (4,412.1 kg)	80 lb (36.3 kg) or 100 lb (45.4 kg) shell	10 lb (4.5 kg)	7810 yd (7,141.5 m) at 30 degrees (80-lb)	32 secs	17
6.4-in (100-lb) Naval Parrott (breechload)	138 in	10266 lb (4,656.6 kg)	80 lb (36.3 kg) or 100 lb (45.4 kg) shell	10 lb (4.5 kg)	7810 yd (7,141.5 m) at 30 degrees (80-lb)	32 secs	17
8-in (150-lb) Naval Parrott	146 in	16500 lb (7,484.3 kg)	150 lb (68 kg) shell	16 lb (7.3 kg)	8000 yd (7,315.2 m) at 35 degrees	180	?
8-in (200-lb) Army Parrott	146 in	16500 lb (7,484.3 kg)	200 lb (90.7 kg) shell	16 lb (7.3 kg)	8000 yd (7,315.2 m) at 35 degrees	?	?
10-in (300-lb) Army Parrott	156 in	26900 lb (12,201.6 kg)	300 lb (136.1 kg) shell	26 lb (11.8 kg)	9000 yd (8,229.6 m) at 30 degrees	?	?

External links

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Parrott Rifle

The 300-pound solution

Swamp Angel

Parrott rifles by size

See also

Further reading

External links