Muzzle Loading Cannon

[Benji]

I am told by a member of the Sons of The Union Veterans of The Civil War that all Civil War muzzle loading weapons were given to them by order of the Federal government after the war because the Army was transitioning into breech loading weapons. True or false.

 

[RedRover]

False. Maybe some. Definitely not all. Most were sold for scrap. Bannerman's bought up lots of military surplus post-war, and instead of scrapping, sold them cheap. Many were purchased for constructing monuments in cemeteries, etc.

Naval guns, plenty in stock, 1903...

in 1903, $275 bucks for a mountain howitzer...

An Iron 1841 pattern 6-pounder complete for 175 bucks:

Limbers for sale too...

Or a 3-inch ordnance rifle for 100 bucks...

 

[Rhea Cole]

At the end of the war ordinance of all kinds was returned to ordinance depots. Into the 20th Century a surprising number of Civil War cannons lingered in deep storage. The Rock Island Arsenal still has a collection of CSA artillery.

Here is a link to a unique CSA rifled cannon received from Rock Island. Bet nobody has seen one of these:

Story County's Historic Civil War Cannon | Story County, IA - Official Website

Story County's Historic Civil War Cannon

www.storycountyiowa.gov

There was a process where local governments, civic organizations & clubs could apply for cannons. The ins & outs were predictably convoluted sometimes, but it was routine to release inventory for public display.

Link to Rock Island Arsenal:

RIA

( You gotta admit this a cool looking link. )

One of the pleasures of volunteering at a black powder park is getting to poke around the maintenance area where visitors never go. There are some real curiosities waiting to be displayed to the public.

I realize that it has a "to shepherds sheep are different" sound to it, but the Army & Ordinance Bureau are very different animals.

Note: The link is an excellent citation you will want to save. It is rare to find one this good on this topic.