These four "cadet" 6-pounders were designed specially for the use of the students at the Virginia Military Institute. They were slightly lighter than the regulation M1841 6-pounder and were mounted on custom designed smaller carriages.
ARTILLERY PROFILE
The Four Apostles, pained green at the time of this photo, 2006.
Maj. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson instructed artillery tactics with the red guns for 10 years prior to the Civil War. Many of Jackson’s most colorful moments at VMI relate to his command of the Cadet Battery.
At the start of the Civil War the guns were turned over the the 1st Rockbridge Artillery (then under the command of Pendleton). Pendleton loved working with these cannons and felt it was a "good sign from God".
The guns of Rockbridge Artillery saw their first action on July 2, 1861, in a small skirmish at Falling Waters. After first imploring, "May the Lord mercy on their souls!" battery commander Pendleton shouted, "Fire!" and a large body of charging Union cavalry was sent scurrying for safety.
VMI Parade Grounds, Lexington, Va. ©James N, 2018.
Nineteen days later the Cadet Battery was used in the fighting on Henry House Hill at the Battle of First Bull Run, and played a part in the repulse of repeated attacks on that position. The guns also accompanied the Stonewall Brigade on the winter campaign to Romney, WV, and were heavily engaged in Jackson's famous spring 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign.
On May 14, 1863, the guns fired every half hour as a memorial tribute to their old commander, Thomas Jackson.
Superseded by heavier guns, they were retired and were later taken to Richmond, where they were captured when Richmond fell. It is interesting to note that these guns, among the prized mementos of V.M.I., never participated in the Battle of Newmarket.
The Cadet Battery was returned in 1874 to V.M.I., where the cadets continued to train on them until official retirement ceremonies were held May 10, 1913. The guns also served for a short time in training men during World War I.
The Cadet Battery was placed at the foot of the Jackson monument on the parade ground at VMI where they can still be seen today.
FOR FURTHER READING
ARTILLERY PROFILE
- Model: 6 pdr. Smoothbore "Cadet Guns"
- Type: Four Identical Lightweight Muzzleloading Smoothbore Guns
- In Service With:
- Pre-war and Post-war: Virginia Military Institute (V.M.I.)
- Civil War Years: 1st Rockbridge Artillery, Confederate States Army
- Under the Command of:
- Civil War Service: Captain William N. Pendleton
- Purpose: Training cadets in School of Artillery, without need of horses
- Current Disposition: On display at the Virginia Military Institute
- Location: Parade Grounds, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia
- Map Coordinates: 37°47'26.2"N 79°26'09.9"W
- Also Known As: The Four Apostles
MANUFACTURINGThe Four Apostles, pained green at the time of this photo, 2006.
- US Casting Foundry: Cyrus Alger & Company, Boston, Massachusetts
- Year of Manufacture: 1848
- Tube Composition: Bronze
- Muzzle Markings:
- Top: Registry No.
- Bottom: R.L.B. (Ordnance Inspector Initials)
- Registry Numbers: 86, 87, 88, and 89
- Foundry Numbers: n/a
- Trunnion Markings:
- Right: C. & A. CO. / BOSTON
- Left: 1848
- U.S. Ordnance Inspector: R.L.B. - Rufus L. Baker
- Purchase Price in 1848: About $228.00 (US) each gun barrel.
- Price was set at $0.40 per pound for these gun barrels.
- The cost for engraving the "Seal of Virginia" was extra.
- Special Markings: Large "Seal of Virginia" between trunnions
- Bore Diameter: 3.67 inches
- Bore Length: 43 inches
- Rifling Type: no grooves
- Trunnion Diameter: 2.8 inches
- Tube Length: 51 inches
- Tube Weight: 576, 562, 568, & 568 lbs. (300 lbs. less then the typical 6 pdr.)
- Carriage Type: Down-scaled No. 1 Field Carriage (in 2016 the Wood Carriages were replaced with Cast Aluminum ones)
- Special Note: On the old marker near the site where the Battery is on display, it explains that the guns were made by Watervliet Arsenal in New York, but we know the barrels were all cast by Cyrus Alger in Boston. One might wonder if the carriages were built by Watervliet, and the person who wrote the first plaque just made an error when examining the completed guns and assumed the name on the carriage was the maker. If anyone can confirm any markings on the carriages, specifically a stamp by Watervliet on the front of the cheeks, it would explain a lot!
- Standard Powder Charge: 1.25 lbs. Cannon Grade Black Powder
- Projectiles Type: Solid Shot
- Projectiles Weight: 6 lbs.
Maj. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson instructed artillery tactics with the red guns for 10 years prior to the Civil War. Many of Jackson’s most colorful moments at VMI relate to his command of the Cadet Battery.
At the start of the Civil War the guns were turned over the the 1st Rockbridge Artillery (then under the command of Pendleton). Pendleton loved working with these cannons and felt it was a "good sign from God".
The guns of Rockbridge Artillery saw their first action on July 2, 1861, in a small skirmish at Falling Waters. After first imploring, "May the Lord mercy on their souls!" battery commander Pendleton shouted, "Fire!" and a large body of charging Union cavalry was sent scurrying for safety.
VMI Parade Grounds, Lexington, Va. ©James N, 2018.
Nineteen days later the Cadet Battery was used in the fighting on Henry House Hill at the Battle of First Bull Run, and played a part in the repulse of repeated attacks on that position. The guns also accompanied the Stonewall Brigade on the winter campaign to Romney, WV, and were heavily engaged in Jackson's famous spring 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign.
On May 14, 1863, the guns fired every half hour as a memorial tribute to their old commander, Thomas Jackson.
Superseded by heavier guns, they were retired and were later taken to Richmond, where they were captured when Richmond fell. It is interesting to note that these guns, among the prized mementos of V.M.I., never participated in the Battle of Newmarket.
The Cadet Battery was returned in 1874 to V.M.I., where the cadets continued to train on them until official retirement ceremonies were held May 10, 1913. The guns also served for a short time in training men during World War I.
The Cadet Battery was placed at the foot of the Jackson monument on the parade ground at VMI where they can still be seen today.
FOR FURTHER READING
- Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War, by Olmstead, Hazlett, & Parks, Univ of Delaware Press, 1988.
- Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War, by Warren Ripley, Battery Press, 1984.
- The First and Second Rockbridge Artillery, Robert J. Driver, Virginia Regimental Histories Series, 1987.
Cast for Training, Used in Battle: The Cadet 6-pdrs
Although the regulation 6-pdr Model 1841 remained in production right up to the Civil War, several non-regulation light field guns appeared from the mid-1840s onwards. These were cast to fill mili…
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