The drivers arrived
with the horses. In the afternoon, our James' rifle guns were returned to the
Washington Arsenal, and those of Battery I, First United States regulars, given
to us. They consist of four Parrott guns and two brass howitzers.
SOURCE: Theodore
Reichardt, Diary of Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light
Artillery, p. 36
1 comment:
The James Rifle was a type of rifled artillery used by the Union in the early years of the American Civil War, named for its designer, Charles T. James, a Rhode Island inventor and former U.S. Senator. Developed as part of an effort to improve older smoothbore cannons, these guns were created by rifling the barrels of existing weapons—most commonly the Model 1841 6-pounder—and adapting them to fire elongated “James projectiles” equipped with a lead sabot to engage the rifling grooves. James rifles were produced in both bronze and iron, with the most common model being the 14-pounder (3.8-inch caliber), though 3.67-inch (12-pounder) and larger versions also existed. Some were newly cast, while others were converted from older guns. They offered greater accuracy and range than smoothbores and could fire explosive shells, but bronze rifled barrels wore out quickly, prompting the adoption of more durable iron pieces such as the Ordnance Rifle and Parrott Rifle. Used mainly from 1861 to 1863, particularly by Federal artillery in the Western Theater, James rifles were gradually phased out in favor of these more reliable designs.
Post a Comment