Guns of the The Revolutionary War
The museum is housed in three connected structures: a large, open central one that contains only the large diorama, an information desk area, a tall WWI German artillery periscope, and somewhat incongruously a section of the Berlin Wall. Leading from it are two short corridors right and left, that connect with two other gallery buildings which house the collection. The galleries are arranged chronologically, with the left gallery containing artifacts from ca. the 1500's through the Spanish-American War and Boxer Rebellion. The first real exhibit is the one shown here containing items from the American Revolution; since this is the Civil War Forums I will concentrate my coverage to the earlier displays.
Two of the guns are British-made trophy guns engraved with the place and date of their capture by American forces during the Revolution. One was a small three-pounder
Grasshopper surrendered at Saratoga; the one above is a 24-pounder bearing the large Royal Cypher
GR (
Georgius Rex) was surrendered at Yorktown. Another trophy gun on display was cast in Britain but captured from the Mexican Army at the Siege of Vera Cruz.
Two other original guns on replica carriages are the ones above and below.
The War of 1812
Above is a handsome example of the type of gun and carriage as well as the uniform and equipments of the artillery at the time of the War of 1812. (At this period and until just before the Civil War
yellow, not
red, was the branch color of the artillery.)
Inter-War Artillery
Above is a display devoted to the M.1840 Mountain Howitzer featured in a recent thread; below, a rare example of an 1819 six-pounder
Walking Stick:
The "Walking Sticks" were made of cheaper cast iron which cost 1/4 of good bronze tubes but were also prone to splitting or exploding in service! Cast iron guns remained impractical and dangerous until Robert Parker Parrott developed the Civil War-era cannon that bears his name.
Below, artillery officer's uniforms and sidearms of the 1820's.
Below, another look at the M. 1840 Mountain Howitizers:
Next, Civil War Guns