Norm53
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2019
- Location
- Cape May, NJ
Were these large howitzers, guns, and mortars fired with pins and cords like their small relatives or in some other way? Were they both muzzle loaders and breech loaders?
There is another possibility - that the gun in the photo at Fair Oaks is an "old" (M 1819 or so) US iron howitzer. See Craig Swain's site at
It looks similar , but it lacks the rectangular reinforcement at the vent and lacks the reinforcement band around the trunnion area . Also it looks like the muzzle flair is more pronounced . A very nice piece though .There is another possibility - that the gun in the photo at Fair Oaks is an "old" (M 1819 or so) US iron howitzer. See Craig Swain's site at
https://markerhunter.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/early-us-24-pdr-how/
A LoC photo of a 24# flank howitzer in a Civil War installation.
Yep - by coincidence i just found Craig's entry on this a few minutes ago. Should have looked there first. Mystery solved.M1841 8" Siege Howitzer
Yep - by coincidence i just found Craig's entry on this a few minutes ago. Should have looked there first. Mystery solved.
8-inch Siege Howitzers – Model 1841
I featured this type while discussing the 1863 Christmas action outside Charleston but it is time for a more formal introduction. American use of 8-inch howitzers dated back to the Revolution, with…markerhunter.wordpress.com
Any idea what the carriage is in the Fair Oaks photo?We have a few on display at Petersburg NPS, that I walk past all the time, so immediately knew what they were. Also know some folks that have private ownership of several that they actually fire. What a beast !
You might also be interested in Craig's post on M 1861 8-inchers - he says you have a couple there. It looks like the difference is in the iron manufacturing process. It appears that the M 1861's weigh slightly less. He did have an answer for my question - both apparently used the 24 lb siege gun carriage.We have a few on display at Petersburg NPS, that I walk past all the time, so immediately knew what they were. Also know some folks that have private ownership of several that they actually fire. What a beast !