Wondering whether any of our light-artillery enthusiasts have ever seen an original 12-pounder mountain howitzer whose barrel has been deliberately shortened and the muzzle trimmed smooth, presumably as the result of damage from a shell bursting near the muzzle or something of that nature. (We know this was done with other pieces, such as Parrott rifles.)
I have never seen one nor have I ever read about such an occurrence. Just off the cuff, I can't imagine a scenario of that happening. Mountain howitzers played only a minor role in the war. Compare their production figures to other field pieces. From 1836 to 1863, Ames and Alger combined produced only about 420 MHs. By mid-war, they had all they needed. I believe the Confederates only cast a couple dozen.
However, if it happened, and the barrel was damaged to that extent, it would have been turned in to the Ordnance Department where it would be condemned and either sold or melted down. It would take a well-equipped machine shop/foundry to shorten the barrel and make it operational. To be blunt, the juice just ain't worth the squeeze.
In addition, shortening the barrel would alter the ballistics in unknown ways. Also, if the muzzle ring, which strengthened the muzzle, was damaged, not many artillerists would want to fire it and risk a catastrophic rupture.
As I said, I doubt that this ever happened, but perhaps someone can prove me wrong. Regardless, I hope this provides a bit of perspective.
Bringing the