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THE CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY PAGE |
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THE CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY PAGE |
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This page will included news items about historical artillery, not information about reenactments. Send submissions to webmaster@cwartillery.org.
Germantown Howitzer Discovered
A significantly historic cannon was recently added to Wayne Stark's Register of Surviving Civil War Artillery, bringing the total known survivors to 5,525.
During dredging operations at one of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard slips during May 1999, a bronze cannon was brought to the surface. Wayne was contacted and identified it as 12-pounder bronze Dahlgren light boat howitzer Registry No.38, cast at Washing-ton Navy Yard in 1854. Its marked weight is 431 pounds, and its preponderance is 26 pounds. Its Washington Navy Yard foundry marking of "BO" on the lower muzzle face indicates it was the 67th bronze boat howitzer cast there. The significant historic fact regarding this howitzer is that it was on board the 20-gun sloop Germantown when she was burned at her mooring in order to avoid capture when Gosport Navy Yard was seized by Confederate forces in April 1861.
After eluding discovery for just over 138 years, the howitzer will be displayed in Trophy Park after conservation procedures are completed next year. The Germantown also carried eight 32-pdr guns of 42 cwt. and twelve 8-inch chambered cannon that were evidently appropriated by the Confederates. Several of these were recovered after the Civil War ended, but records indicate they were sold in 1876.
Submitted by Wayne Stark, August 1999. Wayne can be contacted at starkgun@usaor.net.
Update from Wayne Stark, December 16, 1999:
I received word today that the boat howitzer salvaged from the USS Germantown at the slip at Norfolk Naval Shipyard was sent to Colonial Williamsburg on 15 November. It is expected to be there for about ten months to complete the desalination process and will then be returned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard where it will be displayed. Attached are photos taken during loading for shipment to Williamsburg VA. While the photos were taken by a civilian, my friend David Pierce, they have been declared official Navy photos and have been cleared for public use.
Markings on the Germantown howitzer
Cemetery License Revoked
In what is described as an unprecedented action in the history of the state, Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes revoked the license of a cemetery operator in the Peoria area. The revocation was based in part on the sale of two Civil War cannon; officials plan to pursue the return of the otherwise unidentified pieces. (Death Care Business Advisor, October 14, 1999)
Okracoke Discovery a Possible Cannon Bonanza
The remains of what is believed to be the fort at Ocracoke, a Confederate fortification abandoned early in the War, have been discovered under shallow water in Ocracoke Inlet, according to Robert K. Smith, president of Surface Interval Diving, a nonprofit marine archaeological company. The fort was built on the site of prior installations that had guarded the area. The inlet was an important corridor for commerce since early colonial times, and is the site of Blackbeard's last prize. "We believe we found the Civil War portion," Smith said. "It was a 20-gun fortress. . . . There is a very strong possibility that 18 of the 20 guns are still at the fort."The archeological excavation will take time, and we will continue to bring you news as available on this significant historical discovery. (Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA), February 19, 1999)
Fort DeRussy Cannon a "National Treasure"
In March, 1864, US Army forces captured Fort DeRussy, Louisiana from its Confederate defenders, opening Red River to passage by gunboats of the US Navy. Among the captured armament at the fort were eight large cannon. In 1996 the Avoyelles Parish historical society, La Commission des Avoyelles, purchased the main earthworks of Fort DeRussy with the aim of making the area a recognized historical site. Fort historian Steve Mayeux's search for artifacts related to the fort led him to the Internet, where with the help of artillery authority Wayne Stark, he discovered that only one of the fort's cannon is still in existence.The cannon is a Model 1829 32-pounder Seacoast Gun which was banded and rifled by Confederate ordnance men during the Civil War. The gun tube weighs approximately 8,000 pounds, and is considered by the Navy to be part of their core collection of historical materials. It is currently on display with a number of other artillery pieces at the front entrance of The Navy Museum.
The Friends of Fort DeRussy are committed to the goal of having the cannon returned to the Fort, and are enlisting the Louisiana congressional delegation in their behalf. Interested parties should contact Steve Mayeux at svmayeux@kricket.net. For a more detailed story, see The Advocate Online. (Press Release, Friends of Fort DeRussy, February 22, 1999)
Historic Galena Blakely Rededicated
Just over a century after its transfer from the Rock Island arsenal to Grant Park, the Blakely rifle that fired on Fort Sumter has been restored and furnished with an explanatory plaque giving visitors the story of a piece that "is in a class by itself". The gun has a 3.75-inch bore with hook-slant rifling. For more information on this piece, including the story of its service with the Third Battery, 1st Michigan Light Artillery, see our page on The Galena Blakely. The rededication ceremony was held on October 31, 1998, and was the culmination of efforts by local cannon hobbyist John Bookless. (The Artilleryman, Winter, 1998)
Clark Rifle to be Restored
A rare Confederate cannon, housed at The Museum of the Confederacy for the past 20 years, has been removed and will be the subject of a new artillery display there after restoration is complete. The cannon is bronze, made in 1861 in New Orleans by John Clark. The piece is rifled, with a 3.3 inch bore, and is the sole surviving Clark Rifle. The foundry had a short career in the service of the Confederacy, as New Orleans was captured by Federal forces at the beginning of 1862. The piece, which had been a roadside marker in Appomattox for many years, was transferred from the VDOT to the Museum in 1978 after attention was called to it by noted artillery historian Edwin Olmstead, one of the authors of Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War and The Big Guns. (From an "E-dispatch" of the Museum of the Confederacy, as corrected by Wayne Stark, co-author of The Big Guns; January, 1999)
Field Howitzer Restored in Wenatchee, Washington
On September 11, 1915, a model 1844 32-pounder field howitzer was dedicated in Wenatchee's Memorial Park by the Daniel McCook Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. A collector's offer to purchase the piece a few years ago was politely refused, but brought to new attention both the historical and material value of the howitzer, with the result that the cannon has been restored, and was rededicated by the Sons of Union Veterans on the 83rd anniversary of the original dedication. With full recognition of the delight children take in climbing on old pieces of ordnance, the refurbishing of the site has included the installation of "fall absorbing" matting, commonly found around playground equipment. (The Banner: The Official Journal of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, December, 1998)
Rare Confederate Cannon Discovered in Racine
Identification is still uncertain, but a rusty iron cannon buried in a storage area for over a decade may be one of only two surviving specimens of Ellis & Moore, a Nashville Foundry whose production for the Confederacy was cut short by the capture of that city in early 1862. The gun, dubbed "The Union" was purchased for Racine in 1872, and was moved to the Mound Cemetery Civil War plot in 1884. It was loaned to a Confederate reenacting group in 1987, but no restoration was done and the gun was returned to a storage area. Experts Wayne Stark, Larry Daniel and Riley Gunter all suspect this may be an Ellis & Moore piece; investigation and restoration continue, and it is hoped that the markings can be made legible and confirm those suspicions. The City of Racine plans to restore the piece and have it mounted on a replica carriage by Paulson Brothers. (Civil War News, January, 1999)
Columbus-Belmont Cannon Recovered After 55 Years
In 1942, a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River at the Columbus-Belmont State Park was undermined, and a 7545-pound Civil War cannon fell to the riverbank 100 feet below. No rescue attempt was made, and the gun was eventually covered with earth. Eddie Roberts began searching for the piece in 1984, and with the help of a magnetometer, finally succeeded in located the piece last month. It was buried in mud 42 feet deep, which had preserved the gun almost perfectly. The piece is identified by Wayne Stark as a 32-pounder seacoast gun, M1829, produced in 1839 by the Fort Pitt Foundry in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, No. 209. (Cincinnati Enquirer, October 2, 1998)
Proposed Sale of Memorial Cannon Sparks Anger
The 816-pound cannon (a 3-inch ordnance rifle) located at the American Legion Post in Griswold, Iowa, has become the center of a controversy, as the Legionnaires want to sell it to a collector. Local Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War member Brad McGowan, of West Branch, vows to fight the sale and contends that the Post does not have legal title to the cannon and cannot sell it. As the value of these pieces to collectors continues to skyrocket, there is growing concern that those having custody will be tempted by offers from wealthy collectors. (Des Moines Register, October 16, 1998)
The Sons of Union Veterans has since filed a lawsuit in Cass County District Court against the Griswold Legion post, alleging that the veterans group has no legal authority to sell the cannon.
Reynolds Battery Position Established at First Bull Run
The four James rifles of Capt. William Reynolds's Battery have been located with almost pinpoint precision by Park Service archeologist Stephen Potter, thanks to the discovery of a field of the distinctive lead sabots used on the James ammunition. A proposal to pave a parking lot near the historic Stone House, at the controversial intersection of the Sudley Road and Lee Highway, led Potter to survey the area. Knowing the point at which sabots are typically thrown off enabled him to calculate the position of the Battery, on a ridge above the Stone House. (Washington Post, September 6, 1998)
Cushing Memorial Plaque Recovered for Delafield, WI
A memorial to brothers Alonzo, William, and Howard Cushing was stripped of its explanatory bronze plaque in early August, but has since been recovered after passing through the hands of at least two buyers. Alert members of Cushing's Battery, a reenactment group, spotted the piece at an antique show in northern Illinois, and it was returned to Delafield for reinstallation. Lt. Alonzo Cushing was killed in action at Gettysburg while in command of his battery during Pickett's Charge. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 25, 1998)
Noble "Trophy" Moved to Center Stage in Hillsboro, IL
Hillsboro has the distinction of owning one of only three surviving bronze 12-pounder howitzers manufatured by Noble Brothers & Co. of Rome, Georgia. Long neglected, a collector's offer to purchase the cannon spurred interest in the piece. Its rarity led local authorities to take steps to make it more secure, and to move it to a more prominent position on the Montogomery County Historic Courthouse lawn. It is now bolted to a replica Paulson Bros. carriage, which in turn is secured to a concrete base. (State Journal Register, June 28, 1998)
Stolen Mountain Howitzers Returned to Wabasha, MN
Two artillery enthusiasts alerted authorities when they discovered that a mountain howitzer was being advertised for sale at auction in late April. The gun was listed on Wayne Stark's National Register of Surviving Civil War Artillery as having been stolen from the Wabasha, Minnesota, courthouse in 1980. A companion mountain howitzer stolen from Wabasha at the same time has also been recovered. For more information, see The Big Guns Helps Rescue Two Stolen Howitzers. (Civil War News, May 1998)
