THE RELATIVE MERITS OF RIFLED AND SMOOTHBORE GUNS

Interesting. I wonder what "gun blocks" were used for? Could it be correct to assume that when a narrative for a ships armament (especially earlier in the war) says her armament had 6-inch rifles that these could be rifled 32-pounders?
 
Many guns of the time were cast solid and then bored out; this was the typical method for casting a Dahlgren. Rodman was a proponent of hollow-casting, and the XV-inch Dahlgrens were hollow-cast similar to the Rodman method (sometimes leading them to be referred to as Rodmans, though they really weren't). I believe the rough un-bored casting is what is being referred to as a gun block.
 
Captain Samuel Barron's report of 10 June 1861 details the disposition of 343 of the pieces captured at Norfolk, which I have summarized as:

Qty / Gun size / Gun weight
4 / 24-pounder / 31-cwt
20 / 32-pdr carronade / 15-17-cwt
28 / 32-pounder / 27-cwt
13 / 32-pounder / 33-cwt
24 / 32-pounder / 42-cwt
10 / 32-pounder / 46-cwt
40 / 32-pounder / 51-cwt
45 / 32-pounder / 57-cwt
6 / 32-pounder / 59-cwt
52 / 32-pounder / 61-cwt
10 / 42-pounder / 70-cwt
1 / 64-pounder / 106-cwt
12 / 8-inch / 55-cwt
41 / 8-inch / 63-cwt
35 / 9-inch / 9,000#
2 / 10-inch / 12,000#

(Naval guns only. Guns in Barron's report noted as "Army Columbiads" have been omitted, as have pieces noted as howitzers or field artillery.)
The 9- and 10-inch guns mentioned are Dahlgrens. Some of the others may be as well (Dahlgren did have 32-pounder and 8-inch designs).

"Cwt" (hundredweight) is a traditional method of expressing the weight of a piece. In the US, a hundredweight was 100 pounds (as opposed to traditional British measurement, which we won't get into here...) so a 51-cwt piece weighed approximately 5,100 pounds. The wide variation in weights of pieces otherwise simply known as "32-pounders" is notable.

Hi Mark:

I have a rather different gun list for Norfolk, as follows:

List of Guns Captured at Norfolk
Compiled by Mr. Wm H. Peters
by order of the Governor of Virginia

1
 
Captain Samuel Barron's report of 10 June 1861 details the disposition of 343 of the pieces captured at Norfolk, which I have summarized as:

Qty / Gun size / Gun weight
4 / 24-pounder / 31-cwt
20 / 32-pdr carronade / 15-17-cwt
28 / 32-pounder / 27-cwt
13 / 32-pounder / 33-cwt
24 / 32-pounder / 42-cwt
10 / 32-pounder / 46-cwt
40 / 32-pounder / 51-cwt
45 / 32-pounder / 57-cwt
6 / 32-pounder / 59-cwt
52 / 32-pounder / 61-cwt
10 / 42-pounder / 70-cwt
1 / 64-pounder / 106-cwt
12 / 8-inch / 55-cwt
41 / 8-inch / 63-cwt
35 / 9-inch / 9,000#
2 / 10-inch / 12,000#

(Naval guns only. Guns in Barron's report noted as "Army Columbiads" have been omitted, as have pieces noted as howitzers or field artillery.)
The 9- and 10-inch guns mentioned are Dahlgrens. Some of the others may be as well (Dahlgren did have 32-pounder and 8-inch designs).

"Cwt" (hundredweight) is a traditional method of expressing the weight of a piece. In the US, a hundredweight was 100 pounds (as opposed to traditional British measurement, which we won't get into here...) so a 51-cwt piece weighed approximately 5,100 pounds. The wide variation in weights of pieces otherwise simply known as "32-pounders" is notable.

My list is a big different.

List of Guns Captured at Norfolk
Compiled by Mr. Wm. H. Peters
by order of the Governor of Virigina

1 11-inch Columbiad
2 10-inch guns
52 9-inch guns
4 8-inch 90 cwt guns
47 8-inch 63 cwt guns
27 8-inch 55 cwt guns
1 8-inch 57 cwt gun
4 64-pounders 106 cwt
225 32-pounders 61 cwt
173 32-pounders 57 cwt
44 32-pounders 51 cwt
28 32-pounders 46 cwt
116 32-pounders 33 cwt
44 32-pounders 27 cwt
235 61-cwt guns, old style
50 70-cwt guns, old style
44 40-cwt Shubrick guns
63 42-pounder carronades
35 32-pounder carronades

1195 guns total

As printed in "Recollections of a Naval Officer, 1841-1865", pg 247

Does anyone know the caliber or ratings of the "old style" guns or anything about the Shubrick guns?
 
That seems to accord fairly well. Keep in mind that Barron's report was only noting pieces that that been shipped outside of Norfolk to be deployed... if we line the two lists up:

1 11-inch Columbiad……… --
2 10-inch guns…………… 2 / 10-inch / 12,000#
52 9-inch guns…………… 35 / 9-inch / 9,000#
4 8-inch 90 cwt guns……… --
47 8-inch 63 cwt guns……… 41 / 8-inch / 63-cwt
27 8-inch 55 cwt guns……… 12 / 8-inch / 55-cwt
1 8-inch 57 cwt gun……… --
4 64-pounders 106 cwt……… 1 / 64-pounder / 106-cwt
225 32-pounders 61 cwt…… 52 / 32-pounder / 61-cwt
173 32-pounders 57 cwt…… 45 / 32-pounder / 57-cwt
44 32-pounders 51 cwt……… 40 / 32-pounder / 51-cwt
28 32-pounders 46 cwt……… 10 / 32-pounder / 46-cwt
116 32-pounders 33 cwt…… 13 / 32-pounder / 33-cwt
44 32-pounders 27 cwt……… 28 / 32-pounder / 27-cwt
235 61-cwt guns, old style… = 6 / 32-pounder / 59-cwt ?
50 70-cwt guns, old style… = 10 / 42-pounder / 70-cwt ?
44 40-cwt Shubrick guns…… = 24 / 32-pounder / 42-cwt ?
63 42-pounder carronades…… --
35 32-pounder carronades…… 20 / 32-pdr carronade / 15-17-cwt
--…………………….................. --
--…………………..................… 4 / 24-pounder / 31-cwt

Shubrick was a senior naval officer, so it's not impossible his name may have become attached to a particular gun design in some way.
 
Ah... found this list elsewhere (at http://archive.org/stream/documentsofconve00virg/documentsofconve00virg_djvu.txt) from the Virginia State Convention of 1861, which also agrees closely:

REPORT OF ARTICLES ON HAND 21ST APR., 1861, WHEN POSSESSION
WAS TAKEN IN THE NAME OF VIRGINIA.

REPORT
Of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on hand at the Gosport Navy
Yard on the 21st April, 1861, when possession of it was taken
in the name of Virginia.


1 11-inch Columbiad;

2 10-inch Guns;
52 9-inch Guns;

4 8-inch 90 cwt. Guns;
41 8-inch 63 cwt. Guns;

27 8-inch 55 cwt. Guns;
1 8-inch 57 cwt. Gun;

4 64-pounders, of 106 cwt.;
225 32-pounders, of 61 cwt.;
173 32-pounders, of 57 cwt.;
44 32-pounders, of 51 cwt.;

28 32-pounders, of 46 cwt.;
82 32-pounders, of 33 cwt.;

34 32-pounders, of 33 cwt.;
44 32-pounders, of 27 cwt.;

1 Boat and Field Howitzer, 1,200 lbs.;

2 Boat and Field Howitzers, 250 lbs.;

Amounting to 293,346.91

235 61 cwt. Guns, old style;
50 70 cwt. Guns, old style;
44 40 cwt. Shubrick Guns;
63 42-pounder 27 cwt. Carronades;

35 32-pounder 32 cwt. Carronades;

Amounting to 160,243.20


----------------

Obviously from the same source there, since the differences are 41 versus 47 8-inch 63-cwt. guns, which is obviously a transcription error (1 vs. 7), and the two quantities of 32-pounders of 33 cwt. (82 and 34) have been summed to yield 116.
 
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Interesting. I wonder what "gun blocks" were used for? Could it be correct to assume that when a narrative for a ships armament (especially earlier in the war) says her armament had 6-inch rifles that these could be rifled 32-pounders?
Yes Andy19k10, the first versions were simply rifled, later versions were single banded.
 
The .69 caliber smoothbores fired a Buck and ball (1 ball and 3 buckshot) and they were quite effective at close range.

That seems so odd but it would increase your chances of at least catching a piece of them. It was specifically three? It must have been fairly large buckshot. Did you pour in the shot on top of the powder and then tamp the ball down?
 
That seems so odd but it would increase your chances of at least catching a piece of them. It was specifically three? It must have been fairly large buckshot. Did you pour in the shot on top of the powder and then tamp the ball down?
About a 00 size, the powder went in , then the three buckshot, then the ball and all was then packed down. The Irish Brigade in particular found these loads to be particularly effective in close in fighting such as the found themselves in at Antietam's Sunken Lane.
 
As Mark noted, there's no hard-and-fast rule for elongated projectiles, but here's something that might be helpful. We can calculate the volume of various shapes, which can be used to compare weights for solid projectiles.

The volume of a sphere of diameter (correction, radius) r is 4/3 pi r cubed. Let's consider a 6" diameter ball: 4/3 x 3.14 x (3x3x3) = ~113 cubic inches

Now consider a cylinder of comparable size, 6" in diameter and 6" long. Its volume is the area of the circular face, pi r squared or 3.14 x (3x3) = 28.26 times the 6" length or 169.56 cu. in., 50% heavier than the ball.*

Of course a cylinder isn't very aerodynamic :wink: To turn it into a projectile, let's tack a hemisphere on the front; this is half the volume of the ball or 56.5 cu. in., making the whole thing about 226 cu. in. Our simple projectile, 6" in diameter and 9" long, is twice the weight of the 6" ball.**

More generally, twice the weight of the ball would be about the minimum weight for an elongated "bullet-shaped" projectile in the same size gun.

* mathmatically this could be expressed as pi r squared x 2r or 2pi r cubed, 50% greater than 4/3 pi r cubed.

** or 2pi r cubed + 2/3 pi r cubed (volume of the hemisphere), total 2 2/3 pi r cubed, which is twice 4/3 pi r cubed.
 
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Just gonna throw this out there....

Engagement between USS Savannah and CS Tug Harmony


US Ship Savannah

Off Newport News, August 30, 1861

Sir: I have the honor to report that at 11:45 a.m. this day a small steamer under the Confederate flag, with a red flag also flying passed down from Norfolk, outside of Craney Island, to Pig Point, and after communicating with a battery at that place, she approached this ship and commenced firing upon us with a rifled gun from her bow, our ship being at anchor. Her firing was promptly returned, our shot falling short, much to the mortification to all on board. She continued firing for forty-five minutes, which we answered with all the guns that could be brought to bear upon her. During the firing, one shot struck our mainmast, about halfway from deck, and carried away one of the mast hoops, injuring the mast considerably; another exploded under our port forechains, striking the second launch, lying at the boom, and carrying away her bow; another exploded under our port quarter, apparently underwater, very sensibly jarring the ship, although as yet no injury has been discovered; others passed through the rigging with slight damage. Toward the close of the engagement, several shots were fired from the rifled gun in the Battery at Camp Butler, Newport News

I am gratified to that no injury has been sustained by any person on board.

I am, with great respect, Your Obedient Servant,

J.B. Hull

Captain

Hon. Gideon Welles

Secretary of the Navy, Washington.
 
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