12 pounder Whitworth Rifle

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The 12 pounder Whitworth Rifle was a medium caliber field gun deployed during the mid-19th century. Designed in the early 1850's by British manufacturer Joseph Whitworth, during the ACW the weapon was exported and saw service in the Union and Confederate armies, though it was considered a rarity. One Whitworth was used in the Confederate defense of Charleston and others were attached to the ANV. The weapon saw some service in the Union army, most notably with the AOP during the Peninsula Campaign.

whitworth.jpg
 
The 12 pounder Whitworth Rifle was a medium caliber field gun deployed during the mid-19th century. Designed in the early 1850's by British manufacturer Joseph Whitworth, during the ACW the weapon was exported and saw service in the Union and Confederate armies, though it was considered a rarity. One Whitworth was used in the Confederate defense of Charleston and others were attached to the ANV. The weapon saw some service in the Union army, most notably with the AOP during the Peninsula Campaign.

View attachment 419266
Their biggest shortcomings seemed to be the relatively small bursting charge in the shells, unless they had a cage over the primer hole on the breech, they tended to send the primer out like a projectile when the round was fired, the breech mechanism was somewhat finicky and their recoil was very hard on their carriages and axles. It may not seem like it, but I am a big fan of the Whitworths and they were the view of the future as far as Civil War era artillery pieces were concerned.
 
Here's one that was touched off at Gettysburg. It's gouged in a twisting pattern from it's path thru the rocky Gettysburg soil.View attachment 425700
To give some idea about the Whitworth’s range, on the third day at Gettysburg; the Alabama battery firing the Whitworths, were located near the location of the present day Peace Monument and hitting in the area of the Union lines. When the rounds were going through the air, it was said that they made a distinctive shrieking or whirring sound.
 
To give some idea about the Whitworth’s range, on the third day at Gettysburg; the Alabama battery firing the Whitworths, were located near the location of the present day Peace Monument and hitting in the area of the Union lines. When the rounds were going through the air, it was said that they made a distinctive shrieking or whirring sound.
Fascinating.
 
The 12 pounder Whitworth Rifle was a medium caliber field gun deployed during the mid-19th century. Designed in the early 1850's by British manufacturer Joseph Whitworth, during the ACW the weapon was exported and saw service in the Union and Confederate armies, though it was considered a rarity. One Whitworth was used in the Confederate defense of Charleston and others were attached to the ANV. The weapon saw some service in the Union army, most notably with the AOP during the Peninsula Campaign.

View attachment 419266

British imported Whitworth cannon were used very rarely in the Civil War. The gun had a hexagonally rifled barrel and was a breechloader. It fired a 12 pound, 11 ounce, narrow elongated solid bolt, which was less devastating than ammunition used in other types of artillery. However, it had a longer range and was more accurate than conventional artillery pieces at the time.
 
British imported Whitworth cannon were used very rarely in the Civil War. The gun had a hexagonally rifled barrel and was a breechloader. It fired a 12 pound, 11 ounce, narrow elongated solid bolt, which was less devastating than ammunition used in other types of artillery. However, it had a longer range and was more accurate than conventional artillery pieces at the time.
Was the hexagonal barrel twisted like rifling? Never mind I'll read better next time.
 
I imagine it would've been very loud. Do you think that Hexagonal barrel could be used against armored plating?
Not the 12pdr, but the 5" 70pdr was an armour piercer. The original layout of the Laird rams proposed their use and both CSS Stonewall and her sister mounted two. Brazil made great use of them, but that's outside our remit.
 
Surprising that these guns didn't have more of an impact at Gettysburg. Seems that their accuracy could have at least diminished the Federal fire from LRT on Pickett's charge.
 
Surprising that these guns didn't have more of an impact at Gettysburg. Seems that their accuracy could have at least diminished the Federal fire from LRT on Pickett's charge.
There were only two Whitworths at Gettysburg and (often only one firing as they were rather fragile creatures) and they had two main problems: 1. a rather anemic bursting charge in the shells and 2. like the majority of the Confederate guns, (in the days before forward observers) they couldn't see where they were hitting and there were a great many overshoots. There were by many accounts only 7 breech loading and 5 muzzle loading Whitworth 12# (2.75") guns in the US during the Civil War and the two at Gettysburg belonged to Hurt's Battery of Hardaway's Alabama Artillery. As shown in this photo (James N.'s) from an earlier thread on Whitworths at Gettysburg, at one time these two Whitworth's (on incorrect carriages) were misplaced along the Seminary Ridge line and had stacks of Witworth bolts and shells stacked up with them. As the going rate of a Whitworth bolt/shell these days is between 1250 and 1500 dollars, you've got to wonder what happened to them...the NPS finally got wise and starting making replica rounds which are easy to spot as they lack the quality of construction that the originals have.
Whitworth Cannon.jpg
 
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A fascinating thread, that led me to sign up so I could add a related anecdote of interest.
There is a visible and possibly "live" Whitworth bolt in Gettysburg. It's lodged in the brick of the building next to the Wills' house on York Street, just under a second story window. That had to have come from Oak Hill, which measures about 1-1/4 miles away, where Hurt's Battery (Hill's corps) was firing a pair (THE pair?) of Confederate Whitworth cannon. Guides often point this artifact out, and until last year I assumed it was a 3" ball that somehow survived the weather and was protected by occasional re-pointing of the mortar around it. For years they had a small U.S. flag mounted on that windowsill, but it's been gone in recent years. From a local enthusiast I learned that what is visible is the tail end of a ten-inch Whitworth bolt.

The building was a commercial rental owned by the Wills's, and the second floor had been rented by my great-grandfather, Charles John Tyson, to house the first photo studio in Adams County. He and his brother, Isaac (who had learned photography), had left Philadelphia in 1859, and, having found studios already operating in Lancaster and York, opened their business in Gettysburg. Charles and his new bride went to Littlestown during the battle. He reported that in addition to the projectile in the wall, a minie ball had come through a rear window, which was raised. The ball made a hole without cracking the glass of the first pane, but cracked the second pane, then went through a one-inch wood partition and lodged in the far wall. Mrs. Wills prevented pillage during the three-day battle by telling Confederate troops that the studio contained "dangerous chemicals."

Tyson and 15-year-old apprentice Tipton took nearly 600 glassplate photos after the shooting stopped. But that's another story....
 
Welcome to the forum from middle Alabama and yes, there was only two Whitworths at Gettysburg (Hardaways Alabama Battery) and for all their good points, they were rather fragile creatures. And that is some great information about your family.
 
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