What is this? Disable Your Ordnance, Explosively!

[CivilWarTalk]

So, I've been doing Patent Research today for a bunch of different reasons, and I stumbled across this:

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And, well, it looked sorta like a cannon cross section, and it is. It's a patent for 1863, so we are talking a War-Time patent, oh, and this is from Cold Springs, New York too, that's the home of West Point Foundry.... I wonder if Mr. Parrott signed off on this?

So, I'm looking at the description, it says "Disabling Ordnance", okay, so they are putting voids in the trunnions, that much is clear....

Then I read this part: "....cavities in the trunnions for the reception of charges of gunpowder..."

Yes! That's right! As if your cannon wasn't explody enough already... You can make it even more explody!

Here is the full second page for your enjoyment!

 

[rob63]

That's pretty interesting, actually planning ahead for when the enemy captures your equipment. Dated March of 1863, I can't help but think that the idea was killed off by the Union victories in July!

 

[UCVRelics]

Very Interesting patent but it was never put into use as the US Army really wasn't in the market for items that would admit failure or retreating and giving up their guns, which is why the US Army was the largest supplier of artillery for the CS Army.