Parrott rifle: Difference between revisions

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Add 3.0 and 5.3in Army Parrotts, correct 2.9" munition size per NPS:Antietem ref
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{|border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0
{|border=1 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0
|+'''Union Parrott Guns by Size'''<ref name="NNSY">[http://www.nnsy1.navy.mil/History/CWG.HTM Norfolk Naval Ship Yard: Civil War Guns in Trophy Park]</ref> <ref name="CWArt">[http://www.cwartillery.org/ve/parrott.html The Encyclopedia of Civil War Artillery: Parrot Rifles] Accessed January 18, 2008</ref>
|+'''Union Parrott Guns by Size'''<ref name="NNSY">[http://www.nnsy1.navy.mil/History/CWG.HTM Norfolk Naval Ship Yard: Civil War Guns in Trophy Park]</ref> <ref name="CWArt">[http://www.cwartillery.org/ve/parrott.html The Encyclopedia of Civil War Artillery: Parrot Rifles] Accessed January 18, 2008</ref> <ref name="NPSANB">[http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/arty.htm National Park Service: Artillery at Antietem]. Accessed January 18, 2008.</ref>
|-
|-
! Model !! Length !! Weight !! Munition !! Charge Size !! Maximum Range !! Flight Time !! Crew Size
! Model !! Length !! Weight !! Munition !! Charge Size !! Maximum Range !! Flight Time !! Crew Size
|-
|-
| 2.9-in (10-lb) Parrott Rifle || 73 in || 1799 lbs || 9.5-lb shell || 1 lb || 1900 yds at 5 degrees || ? || ?
| 2.9-in (10-lb) Army Parrott || 73 in || 1799 lbs || 10-lb shell || 1 lb || 1900 yds at 5 degrees || ? || ?
|-
|-
| 3.67-in (20-lb) Parrott Rifle || 83 in || ? || ? || 2 lbs || ? || ? || 7
| 3.0-in (10-lb) Army Parrott || ? || 1726 lbs || 10-lb shell || 1 lb || 1830 yds at ? degrees || ? || ?
|-
| 3.67-in (20-lb) Army Parrott || 83 in || ? || ? || 2 lbs || ? || ? || 7
|-
|-
| 3.67-in (20-lb) Naval Parrott || ? || 1795 lbs || 19-lb shell || 2 lbs || 4400 yds at 15 degrees || 17 sec || 7
| 3.67-in (20-lb) Naval Parrott || ? || 1795 lbs || 19-lb shell || 2 lbs || 4400 yds at 15 degrees || 17 sec || 7
|-
|-
| 4.2-in (30-lb) Parrott Rifle || 126 in || 4200 lbs || ? || ? || ? || ? || 9
| 4.2-in (30-lb) Army Parrott || 126 in || 4200 lbs || ? || ? || ? || ? || 9
|-
|-
| 4.2-in (30-lb) Naval Parrott || 102 in || ? || 29-lb Shell || 3.25 lbs || 6700 yds at 25 degrees || 27 sec || 9
| 4.2-in (30-lb) Naval Parrott || 102 in || ? || 29-lb Shell || 3.25 lbs || 6700 yds at 25 degrees || 27 sec || 9
|-
| 5.3-in (60-lb) Army Parrott || 154 in || ? || 50-lb or 60-lb shell || 6lbs || ? || ? || ?
|-
|-
| 5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott || 111 in || 5430 lbs || 50-lb or 60-lb shell || 6 lbs || ? || ? || ?
| 5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott || 111 in || 5430 lbs || 50-lb or 60-lb shell || 6 lbs || ? || ? || ?
Line 39: Line 43:
| 8-in (150-lb) Naval Parrott || 146 in || 16500 lbs || 150-lb shell || ? || ? || ? || ?
| 8-in (150-lb) Naval Parrott || 146 in || 16500 lbs || 150-lb shell || ? || ? || ? || ?
|-
|-
| 8-in (200-lb) Parrott Rifle || 146 in || 16500 lbs || 200-lb shell || ? || ? || ? || ?
| 8-in (200-lb) Army Parrott || 146 in || 16500 lbs || 200-lb shell || ? || ? || ? || ?
|-
|-
| 10-in (300-lb) Parrott Rifle || 156 in || 26900 lbs || 300-lb shell || ? || ? || ? || ?
| 10-in (300-lb) Army Parrott || 156 in || 26900 lbs || 300-lb shell || ? || ? || ? || ?
|}
|}


Revision as of 19:46, 18 January 2008

File:Parrott rifle.jpg
A 200-pound Parrott rifle in Fort Gregg on Morris Island, South Carolina, 1865.

The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle loading rifled-bore artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.

The gun was invented by Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He resigned from the service in 1836 and became the superintendent of the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. He created the first Parrott Rifle (and corresponding projectile) in 1860 and patented it in 1861. 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, as part of a display commemorating the Battle of Hanover.

Parrotts were manufactured with a combination of cast iron and wrought iron. 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 cannons designed this way, but the method of welding this band was the innovation that allowed the Parrott Rifle 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. The 10- and 20-pounder versions were used by both armies in the field. The smaller size was much more prevalent; it came in two bore sizes: 2.9 inch and 3.0 inch. Confederate forces used both bore sizes during the war, which added to the complication of supplying the appropriate ammunition to its batteries. Until 1864, Union batteries used only the 2.9-inch. The M1863, with a 3-inch bore, 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 with a trained crew[1]. Naval versions of the Parrott 20-, 30-, 60-, and 100-pound rifles were also used by the Union navy[2]. The 100-pound naval Parrott could fire a 100-pound shell 6900 yards (at 25 degrees), and could fire an 80-pound shell 7810 yards (at 30 degrees)[2].

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[3]. At the end of 1862, Henry J. Hunt attempted to get the Parrott eliminated from the Army of the Potomac's inventory, preferring the 3-inch Ordnance Rifle. In 1889, The New York Times called on Ordinance Bureau of the War Department to discontinue use of the Parrott Gun altogether, following a series of mishaps at the West Point training groundsCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).The 20-pounder was the largest field gun used during the war, with the barrel alone weighing over 1,800 pounds.

Several hundred Parrott gun tubes remain today, many adorning battlefield parks, county courthouses, museums, etc. The ones 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. A list of many of the surviving tubes can be found at the National Register of Surviving Civil War Artillery.

Confederate copies of the Parrott gun were manufactured in the 10-pound and 20-pound sizes by the Noble Brothers Foundry in Macon, Georgia[1].

Union Parrott Guns by Size[2] [4] [5]
Model Length Weight Munition Charge Size Maximum Range Flight Time Crew Size
2.9-in (10-lb) Army Parrott 73 in 1799 lbs 10-lb shell 1 lb 1900 yds at 5 degrees ? ?
3.0-in (10-lb) Army Parrott ? 1726 lbs 10-lb shell 1 lb 1830 yds at ? degrees ? ?
3.67-in (20-lb) Army Parrott 83 in ? ? 2 lbs ? ? 7
3.67-in (20-lb) Naval Parrott ? 1795 lbs 19-lb shell 2 lbs 4400 yds at 15 degrees 17 sec 7
4.2-in (30-lb) Army Parrott 126 in 4200 lbs ? ? ? ? 9
4.2-in (30-lb) Naval Parrott 102 in ? 29-lb Shell 3.25 lbs 6700 yds at 25 degrees 27 sec 9
5.3-in (60-lb) Army Parrott 154 in ? 50-lb or 60-lb shell 6lbs ? ? ?
5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott 111 in 5430 lbs 50-lb or 60-lb shell 6 lbs ? ? ?
5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott (breechload) ? 5242 lbs 50-lb or 60-lb shell 6 lbs ? ? ?
6.4-in (100-lb) Naval Parrott 138 in 9727 lbs 80-lb or 100-lb shell 10 lbs 7810 yds at 30 degrees (80-lb) 32 sec 17
6.4-in (100-lb) Naval Parrott (breechload) ? 10266 lbs 80-lb or 100-lb shell 10 lbs 7810 yds at 30 degrees (80-lb) 32 sec 17
8-in (150-lb) Naval Parrott 146 in 16500 lbs 150-lb shell ? ? ? ?
8-in (200-lb) Army Parrott 146 in 16500 lbs 200-lb shell ? ? ? ?
10-in (300-lb) Army Parrott 156 in 26900 lbs 300-lb shell ? ? ? ?


References

  1. ^ a b National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park. "Big Guns at Gettysburg". Retrieved January 18, 2008
  2. ^ a b c Norfolk Naval Ship Yard: Civil War Guns in Trophy Park
  3. ^ New York Times, April 20, 1889. "Perils of Gunnery.; The Frequent Bursting of the Parrott Guns During Practice" Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  4. ^ The Encyclopedia of Civil War Artillery: Parrot Rifles Accessed January 18, 2008
  5. ^ National Park Service: Artillery at Antietem. Accessed January 18, 2008.

See also

  • Field artillery in the American Civil War
  • Siege artillery in the American Civil War
  • United States War Department. Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.
  • Dean Thomas, Cannons: An Introduction to Civil War Artillery, Thomas Publications, Gettysburg, 1985
  • James Hazlett, Edwin Olmstead, & M. Hume Parks, Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War, University of Delaware Press, Newark, 1983
  • Johnson, Curt, and Richard C. Anderson, Artillery Hell: Employment of Artillery at Antietam, College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1995
  • Coggins, Jack. Arms and Equipment of the Civil War. Wilmington N.C.: Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1989. (Originally published 1962).

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parrott_rifle&oldid=185265520"