Looking for Help Locating A Period Photo of a U. S. 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer

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Sep 3, 2015
I am trying to showcase a 24 Pdr. Howitzer at the Starkville Civil War Arsenal and I would like to show a period photograph in the display. I have found photos of the 12 Pdr. and the 32 Pdr. but no photos of a 24 Pdr. If you know of any photos of a 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer, please let me know. Thank you for any help with this project.
 
Duffy, I see what I can find but thats a tough order, as you know there weren't that many in the US inventory by late 1861. The South had many but a photo is going to be hard to find. Hopefully our jam up members can dig you one out.
 
Sorry it took so long to respond to your input on my quest to locate a photo of 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer. The information you supplied is for a 24 Pdr. Sea Coast Gun. It's the same size bore but a very different weapon than a Field Howitzer. Thank you for your interest in my project.
Sure thing! Good luck with your search.
 
Not sure but this is at Picacho Peak....reproduction. I visited your place this past may with Robert B.

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I am trying to showcase a 24 Pdr. Howitzer at the Starkville Civil War Arsenal and I would like to show a period photograph in the display. I have found photos of the 12 Pdr. and the 32 Pdr. but no photos of a 24 Pdr. If you know of any photos of a 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer, please let me know. Thank you for any help with this project.
Simply type in 24IB Field Howitzer in Google their are pictures on the Wiki.

Their is a picture of an Austrian 24IB that was used by the CSA not so sure about CSA made 24lB they are very rare i would imagine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1841_24-pounder_howitzer
 
Simply type in 24IB Field Howitzer in Google their are pictures on the Wiki.

Their is a picture of an Austrian 24IB that was used by the CSA not so sure about CSA made 24lB they are very rare i would imagine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1841_24-pounder_howitzer
I hope things are going well across the pond and I thank you for your input. Current day pictures of a 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer, I can find. What I haven't been able to locate is a Civil War Period photo of a U. S. 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer for a display in my museum
 
I hope things are going well across the pond and I thank you for your input. Current day pictures of a 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer, I can find. What I haven't been able to locate is a Civil War Period photo of a U. S. 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer for a display in my museum
My apologies I misread your post.
 
SCWA, I keep returning to see if an image has been found/shared. At your behest I’ve scoured the web,
places you’ve likely already been, and the few books in my library, but no luck. Fortunately recent images provide a reference for your novice helpers (like me) to use for comparison. Beyond Colonel ucvrelics points, why are these images so rare? Were images of Confederate activities so few? Regardless I’m hoping to see that 24 Pdr. FH in its day.
 
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P.S. Just read Zack Plair’s January 16, 2021 article in The Gazette. Absolutely wonderful stuff. Congratulations on the addition of the aforementioned piece. Anxious to view the YouTube video, Behind the Scenes of the Starkville Arsenal. As with most subjects the more I learn the greater my appreciation. This can be said for both CW era artillery and its collectors.
 
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I think this may just be a case of a gun that was mostly retired from the field before a photograph was able to be taken. Not that I’m saying there isn’t one, but it’s possible there isn’t. The large majority of photos are Union guns, or guns captured by the Union.

From memory, I don’t think any 24 pdr Howitzers served in the field on the Union side, except perhaps at a fort for defense. The Confederates just didn’t have many 24 pdr Howitzers, nor many Artillery photos taken overall during the war years, and that lowers the probability of finding good photos quite a bit. A lot of those guns were melted down and made into Napoleon Guns too, so that lowers the available population…

You might find a photo of the barrel alone stacked at an Arsenal during the war, but then it becomes more challenging to exactly ID.
 
24 pdr Howitzers were often mounted in the bastions of forts to fire down the ditch or moat and repel attackers attempting to scale the walls. Perhaps one might show up in a photo of a fort. Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob, Missouri, a hexagonal earthwork, mounted three 24 pdr Howitzers and four 32 pdr siege guns. Unfortunately, no photos of them are known.
 
SCWA, I keep returning to see if an image has been found/shared. At your behest I’ve scoured the web,
places you’ve likely already been, and the few books in my library, but no luck. Fortunately recent images provide a reference for your novice helpers (like me) to use for comparison. Beyond Colonel ucvrelics points, why are these images so rare? Were images of Confederate activities so few? Regardless I’m hoping to see that 24 Pdr. FH in its day.
Thank you for your interest in my project. I am afraid I'm looking for a unicorn but I have to exhaust all possibilities before I give up looking. I want to invite you to come see the Ames No. 6 24 Pdr. Field Howitzer at the Starkville Civil War Arsenal. If you can't come in person go to StarkvilleCivilWarArsenal.com and look at Featured Items on the Homepage.
 
I think this may just be a case of a gun that was mostly retired from the field before a photograph was able to be taken. Not that I’m saying there isn’t one, but it’s possible there isn’t. The large majority of photos are Union guns, or guns captured by the Union.

From memory, I don’t think any 24 pdr Howitzers served in the field on the Union side, except perhaps at a fort for defense. The Confederates just didn’t have many 24 pdr Howitzers, nor many Artillery photos taken overall during the war years, and that lowers the probability of finding good photos quite a bit. A lot of those guns were melted down and made into Napoleon Guns too, so that lowers the available population…

You might find a photo of the barrel alone stacked at an Arsenal during the war, but then it becomes more challenging to exactly ID.
CivilWarTalk,

Thanks for looking at my thread and thank you for all you do for artillery minded readers. As far as usage of the 24 Pdr. Howitzer in the field, out here in the Western Theater they were more common than you may think. The 1st Illinois Light Artillery Battery D had four of them. They started at Fort Henry, then on to Fort Donaldson, Shiloh, Corinth, Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill and Vicksburg where they fired over 5,000 rounds. The 1st Illinois ended up going on the Atlanta Campaign. They kept their 24 Pdrs throughout the war and turned them in at war's end.
 
24 pdr Howitzers were often mounted in the bastions of forts to fire down the ditch or moat and repel attackers attempting to scale the walls. Perhaps one might show up in a photo of a fort. Fort Davidson at Pilot Knob, Missouri, a hexagonal earthwork, mounted three 24 pdr Howitzers and four 32 pdr siege guns. Unfortunately, no photos of them are known.
I believe you are thinking of 24 Pdr. Flank Howitzers. Thanks for your imput. I appreciate you looking for these. Let me know if you find anything else.
 
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