Civil War Weapons

[Jules362]

Does anyone here know anything about "Parrot Guns?" I've always thought that's a rather peculiar name for a weapon. Does the name have any particular meaning?

In the past week or ten days, dodging the storms that have been devastating the hinterlands and keeping my computer unplugged much of the time to prevent the lightning from frying my hard drive, I've had time to do some reading, and ran across a rather tongue-in-cheek article published in a newspaper known as the "Gazette and Sentinel," at Plaquemine, Louisiana. It appears to have been reprinted from "The Intelligencer," in Oxford, Mississippi, and is dated April 13, 1861. It's titled "Toby Tries His Gun."

"Toby is high private in the 1st regiment of the Mississippi army. His Company is armed with the breech-loading Maynard rifle, 'warranted to shoot 12 times a minute, and carry a ball, effectively, 1600 yards.' Men who fought at Monterey and Buena Vista, call the new-fangled thing a 'pop-gun.'

"To test its efficiency, Toby's captain told his men 'they must try their guns.' In obedience to command, Toby procured the necessary munitions of war, and started with his 'pop-gun' for the woods. Saw [a] squirrel up a very high tree -- took aim -- fired. Effects of shot immediate and wonderful. Tree effectually topped, and nothing of squirrel to be found except 3 broken hairs. 'Pop-gun' rose in value -- equal to a four pounder.

"But Toby wouldn't shoot toward any more trees -- afraid of being arrested for cutting down other people's timber.

"Walked a mile and a quarter to get sight of a hill. By aid of a small telescope; saw hill in distance; made ready; took aim at rock; shut both eyes -- fired. As soon as breath returned, opened eyes; could see, just could; but couldn't hear; -- at least couldn't distinguish any sounds, thought Niagara had broken loose or all outdoors gone to drum-beating. -- Determined to see if shot hit.

"Borrowed horse and started towards hill. After traveling two days and nights reached place; saw setting sun shining through the hill. Knew, right away, that was where the shot hit.

"Went closer -- stumbled over rocky fragments scattered for half a mile in line of bullet. Came to hole -- knew the bullet hit there, because [he] saw lead on the edges. -- Walked in, walked right through; saw teamster on the other side, indulging in profane language; in fact, 'cussin' considerable,' because lightning had killed his team. Looked as his finger directed; saw six dead oxen in line with the hole through the mountain; then that was the bullets work, but didn't say so to angry teamster.

"Thought best to be leaving; in consequence, didn't explore path of bullet any further; therefore don't know whether it stopped at all; in fact rather think it didn't.

"Mounted horse -- rode back through the hole made by the bullet; came home; put gun away; but never told Captain a word about it; to tell the truth, was a little afraid he would think it a hoax.

"..'It is a right big story, boys,' Toby said in conclusion, 'but it's true, sure as shooting. Nothing to do with the Maynard rifle but load her up, turn her North, and pull the trigger. If 20 of them don't clean out all Yankeedom, then I'm a liar, that's all.' "

Many times while reading of Civil War battles, and the time consuming (not to mention 'deadly') process of reloading after every shot, I've mused on how astonished a Civil War soldier would be if he could get a glimpse of what, say, a M-16, can do in today's battles. However, after reading of Toby's experience, I'm thinking he might find modern weapons inadequate and somewhat boring.

[Parrott Gun]

You would think I would know something about this topic, but I don't really. Just that it's a rifled tube named after some guy named Parrott

[gary]

A rifled tube reinforced by an additional band of metal shrunk around the breech. I suppose Parrott is no more unusual than a Dahlgren or a Coehorn. So what German was named "88" (as in 88 mm Flak or 88/L56, 88/L71) and what sort of parents would give their kid a number for a name?

[samgrant]

These are named for those little known arms carried by bodyguards of millionaire Floridian beach bum songster, Jimmy Buffett.

[M E Wolf]

Dear List Members;

A good site to read on the Parrott Gun, invented by Robert Parker Parrott and forming such guns at the West Point Foundry; is at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrott_rifle


Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf

[Jules362]

Thanks, guys. My interest comes largely from the fact that I have some Parrott's dangling from several branches of my family tree, and the name is unusual enough that I wondered if there might be a connection. But I have no information on a Robert Parrott and don't know of any of my Parrotts who were at West Point.

[3rd_PA_Artillery]

Originally Posted by gary

...So what German was named "88" (as in 88 mm Flak or 88/L56, 88/L71) and what sort of parents would give their kid a number for a name?

If his parents were diehard Nazis, I'm sure they would've done that. 88 is an alpha-numeric code that can mean "Hail Hitler!"

[M E Wolf]

Dear List Members,

From what I've gathered the Parrott gun was very popular; used a lot by the Navy.

It was the first barrel ever to be using the cast and wroght iron; first form of welding strengthened the guns; to which the bands re-enforced any weaknesses in the barrel.

Robert Parker Parrott was at one time the superintendant of West Point, having the foundary at his disposal; weaponry was of interests and-- in all wars, improvements to older weapons have been ongoing.

A Parrott gun came in many sized bores. The Union's M1863 3.0 inch bore or 76mm; had a range of 2,000 yards and 1,800 with a trained crew for actual target range.

The Naval Parrott was a 100 pounder taking a 100 pound shell could hurl it 6,900 yards at a 25 degree elevation. With a 80 pound shell, could hurl it 7,810 yards. So, for pounding fortifications and their thick walls; this type of gun was found to be 'workable.'

Just some thoughts.

Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf

[timewalker]

From American Civil War Artillery 1861-1865, by Philip Katcher

"A West Point graduate who resigned his commission in 1836 to head a private foundry, Robert P. Parrott developed this simple, rugged and effective weapon. Essentially his design was a long, cast-iron tube with a wringht-iron reinforcing wedge-shaped bar bar wrapped around the breech, and the joints pounded together until welded shut. In the process, the tube was rotated on rollers, a stream of water being shot inside to keep the rube cool, as the hot band was wrapped around it. Because the rube rotated, the band colled and clamped itself to the breech uniformly, instead of being tighter where the weight pulled the band down on the top of the stationary piece, while the bottom part was less tightly bound to the tube.
"The band allowed the breech to absorb greater stress than an unbanded, or even typically banded cannon. Indeed, the weapon was known as a tough cannon that would take a beating and remain in use. Easy and cheap to produce, they were manufactured at the West Point Foundry under Parrot's supervision."

[ole]

Bottom line, gentleman, the Parrott design was considered to be far superior to all but seige and coastal guns. By the end of the war, very nearly every battery had at least two.

Problem: being a rifled gun, cannister was all but useless. It use was standing off and punching holes in the opposition's batteries. Along about the time of Gettysburg, battery commanders had gotten the idea that you pick one of the opposing guns and collectively seek to disable it. Then you move to the next. The skill of the gunners greatly inluenced the efficiency of the plan, and the Parrot was very accurate. (Not quite a Blakely, but close.)

ole