HMDB Civil War Updates – Week of November 9

A good crop of marker entries for the Civil War category this week.  Forty-five entries from Civil War related sites and memorials in Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.  Here’s the rundown:

- A state marker in Shelby Springs, Alabama indicates the site of a Confederate cemetery, a reminder of nearby Camp Winn which operated a training site, hospital, and soldiers’ home.

- A memorial to the 24th Connecticut Infantry in Middletown, Connecticut cites battles in far away Louisiana, where the regiment served as part of the Federal 19th Corps.

- A Cultural Tourism DC marker in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC mentions wartime Wisewell Barracks and hospital which stood in the area.  The neighborhood later evolved with row houses, schools, and eventually a playground.

- Four entries this week from the Chickamauga Battlefield – 74th and 84th Ohio Infantry, VanDerveer’s Brigade, Whitaker’s Brigade, and a NPS wayside at the Brotherton Cabin.  On Missionary Ridge in the nearby Chattanooga Battlefield we have the tablet for the 10th Ohio this week.

- Two more markers from the Looking for Lincoln series, both from Clinton, Illinois.  One marker discusses the “Copperhead” or “Peace Democrat” activity in DeWitt County.  The other nearby relates the story of volunteers from the county who served the Union.

- A state marker in Brandywine, Maryland notes the passage of John Wilkes Booth during his attempt to escape after assassinating President Lincoln.

- In May 1864, a Confederate raid attempted to destroy the Blackistone Island lighthouse near Coltons Point, Maryland.  While the lamp and lens were destroyed, the structure was spared, as the lightkeeper’s wife was expecting child.

- A memorial in Riverdale, Massachusetts leaves no doubt about the communities sentiments concerning the war, calling its casualties “martyrs.”

- A memorial near La Russell, Missouri lists Union soldiers and civilians from the local communities who died during the “Terrible Civil War.”

- In Salisbury Mills, New York a memorial honors local heroes – Captain Richard Caldwell of 25th US Infantry from the War of 1812 era and Captain Isaac Nicol of the 124th New York Infantry who served in the Civil War.

- A Civil War Trails marker in New Bern, North Carolina conveys the story of William Henry Singleton, an escaped slave who served in the 35th USCT.  Singleton later wrote an autobiography – “Recollections of my Slavery Days.”

- Lebanon, Ohio was the home of Thomas Corwin, orator of note, congressman, governor, and Lincoln’s minister to Mexico during the war years.

- The Graham Post G.A.R. Memorial in Pottstown, Pennsylvania lists members of the 53rd and 68th Pennsylvania (as well as a few other regiments) from the community who served in the Civil War.

- Several new entries from Charleston, South Carolina within the Magnolia and St. Lawrence Cemeteries.  A memorial to the Charleston Light Dragoons lists members who died in the war and the engagements the unit fought.  A memorial to the Defenders of Charleston indicates the warships, batteries, and forts involved in the city’s defense during the war’s longest siege.  A simple stone with inscription indicates the final resting place for soldiers relocated from the Rose Farm at Gettysburg to Charleston.  Another memorial lists the generals from South Carolina who served in the Confederate army.

- Several markers from around Tullahoma, Tennessee.  A state marker relates that the Confederate Army of Tennessee wintered around the town in the first six months of 1863 after the battle of Murphreesboro.   Many of the 407 unknown dead in a cemetery near Tullahoma date to the that Confederate stay.  In June 1863, after actions to the north, the Army of Tennessee withdrew from Tullahoma.  Colonel James W. Starnes was killed leading a brigade of Confederate cavalry in a rear guard action during the retreat.  South of Tullahoma, a state marker indicates the birthplace of Isham G. Harris, Tennessee’s wartime governor.

- Near Beech Grove, Tennessee, to the north of Tullahoma, a marker indicates a position held by the 18th Indiana Battery during the battle of Hoover’s Gap.  That action opened up the Confederate defensive line in June 1863, precipitating the withdraw from Tullahoma mentioned above.  The battery’s position is today the site of a Confederate Cemetery.

- About half way between Tullahoma and Chattanooga, in Sewanee, Tennessee a marker relates more details of another rear guard action in the Confederate withdrawal from middle Tennessee, fought on July 4, 1863.

- Three markers from Nashville, Tennessee this week.  Federals used the Masonic Hall to store supplies during the war.  The nearby Maxwell House Hotel served as a barracks, hospital, and prison.  A marker just inside the US 440 bypass indicates the XVI line of departure during the Battle of Nashville.

- A wayside marker near the Montpelier Estate in Virginia discusses Confederate encampments during the winter of 1863-64.   Some traces of huts built by McGowan’s Brigade remain, and the marker relates details of archaeological excavations conducted in recent years.

- A memorial featuring a Confederate soldier with musket at the ready honors veterans from Pulaski County, Virginia.

- Eight markers, along the James River Walk, in this week’s collection interpret the site of the industrial complex which supported the Confederacy.  The most notable activity was the Tredegar Iron Works which produced guns for the Confederate Army and Navy.  The foundry was established in 1836, and had supplied weapons to the Federal government before the war.  During the war, one of the foundry’s notable products were Brooke Rifled cannon.  Shells were loaded with powder in a laboratory on Brown’s Island, to isolate the operation from Richmond proper.  Belle Island was the site of a Confederate prison.  Passing upstream from the industrial complex, the Kanawaha Canal brought supplies from locations as far as 200 miles from Richmond.  As such, late in the war the canal became the target for Federal raids.  Closing out the River Walk, a marker relates that during the Confederate evacuation in April 1865 more than 1000 buildings burned.

In all a busy week in the Civil War category at HMDB.

 

Foreign 24-pdr Howitzers

The US Army adopted the 24-pdr caliber for howitzers in conformance with European conventions.   Therefore a look at how the class appeared on the other side of the pond is in order, in the first place to compare with contemporary US manufactured weapons in the class.  Furthermore, a few of these European weapons saw service in American hands during the war.

The Military Commission to Europe of 1855-56 indicated, in their survey of the artillery of European powers, the use of the 24-pdr field howitzer was much as with American practice – in mixed “foot artillery” batteries with 12-pdr field guns.  The European howitzers used bronze, as iron was found unsuitable for light field guns, much as it had in the US.  Some countries continued to use the short 24-pdr, particularly the Prussians, while others included long barrel types or a mix of the two.   And the commission placed much emphasis on French developments to replace the 8-pdr field gun and 24-pdr field howitzer with a single 12-pdr light field gun (which of course lead to the American adoption of the 12-pdr light field gun we came to know as the Napoleon).   The officers noted that several European powers were following the French with regard to the light 12-pdr gun.

For heavier siege operations, officers noted the 24-pdr siege gun was the smallest caliber considered useful, based on experience in Crimea.  However, while the officers listed 24-pdr mortars in the siege artillery park in that war, apparently the 24-pdr howitzer was far too light for the siege.  Thus European experience with the 24-pdr howitzers was not much different from that in North America – too heavy for the field and too light for siege.

In the Ordnance Manuals, Army officers provided some particulars of foreign weapons for comparison and familiarization.  The chart below synthesizes the particulars provided from the Ordnance Manuals of 1850 and 1862.

The annotation 7-pdr is not an error, but reflection of a different scale used by the Prussian, Austrian, and German principalities.  The Army manuals list the Navy’s Boat Howitzer for comparison.  The standard US Army pieces, listed at the bottom, were among the heavier in the caliber.  The American field piece matched well to the English 24-pdr, French 15 cm., Swedish Iron 24-pdr and the long Belgian 15 cm.  The only piece similar to the US flank howitzer was the British 5.5-inch iron siege howitzer.  Unfortunately, the US Army Ordnance Manuals fail to mention the range of these foreign pieces, which would make for an interesting comparison of technology across the different armies.  Readers should note the variation in bore size and windage allowed.  Batteries of mixed nationality presented logistical issues.

Relative to the number of weapons involved, few cannon of foreign manufacture saw active service during the Civil War.  Of course the most widely known types were rifled guns of British origin.  Numbers of “trophies” or otherwise obsolete weapons existed in the United States at the onset of the war.  Given the presence of weapons in the 24-pdr howitzer class of Spanish, French, English, and even Viennese manufacture today in the national parks, museums, and other exhibits, logically a few of these were accessible during the war.  But to my knowledge none of these were utilized by the combatants during the war.

5.5-inch Howitzer - Likely a trophy taken from the Barbary Pirates -Washington Navy Yard

However, the Confederates did make use of imported Austrian 24-pdr howitzers.  In the Ordnance Manual, General Josiah Gorgas mentioned a batch of field pieces imported from Austria, in particular seven 24-pdr howitzers.  He pointed out the bore of these European weapons was 5.87 inches, adding unwanted windage when using standard Confederate (and Federal) shells which were 5.68 inches in diameter by regulation.  Thus with a 0.19 inch windage, Gorgas directed gunners wrap standard ammunition in canvas bags to mitigate the gap.

Two 24-pdr Austrian Field Howitzers represent the Madison (La.) Light Artillery (Moody’s Battery) at Gettysburg, along Confederate Avenue, and are well known to many readers (see Gettysburg Daily article here).

24-pdr Austrian Howitzers - Moody's Battery - Gettysburg

The Austrian howitzers have semi-circular “dauphins” or handles, with a circle cross-section. These howitzers are a bit over 59 inches long with a 5.87 inch bore diameter.

Left Side Base Ring Markings

Left side of the base ring reads “Nro. 35  665 lb” indicating an identification number and weight.  The other piece reads “Nro. 15 652 lb.”  Note the Austrian howitzers have a recessed area over the breech, much like the American pattern.

Right Side Base Ring Markings

On the right No. 35 displays “Wien 1859.” The other piece differs with the year 1858.  On the breech face, both display the markings “7 H  6 B // S” – annotations which I cannot decipher.

Clearly, these two pieces are not the “7-pdr howitzers” mentioned in the Ordnance Manuals, which were 34 inches long.  Rather, given the dates of manufacture, these were likely part of a new system of artillery introduced after the Military Commission’s trip.  Yet at 59 inches long, and only 665 pounds, the Austrian bronze howitzer were significantly smaller and lighter than the regulation US 24-pdrs.

While it is nice to speculate these two pieces were with Moody’s Battery at Gettysburg, two points work against this.  The shorter bores and the additional windage while using standard sized shells reduced both range and accuracy.  As such, its hard to believe Edward P. Alexander might have consider these his “favorite guns” and boasted of their performance.

Secondly, many Austrian 24-pdr Howitzers were used within the chain of fortifications defending the approaches to the Charleston, South Carolina.  The first mention came in November 1862 with the issue of two 24-pdr Austrian Howitzers to a battery on James Island (OR, Series I, Vol. 14, Serial 20, p. 685).  Later in September 1863, General P.G.T. Beauregard summarized the Charleston defenses suggesting three of these howitzers be held at Fort Johnson in reserve, but ready for movement opposing Federal advances.  In the same enclosure, the General indicates three other Austrian howitzers armed batteries on James Island (OR, Series I, Vol. 28, Serial 47, p. 362).  Apparently, additional shipments of Austrian Artillery arrived in 1863, adding more 24-pdrs to those seven mentioned by Gorgas.  In October 1863 another report on the defenses of Charleston indicated thirteen of the type in use in the James Island batteries (OR, Series I, Vol. 28, Serial 47, p. 407).   As late as January 1865, tallies of the weapons in use at Charleston indicated at least eleven Austrian howitzers still in the batteries (OR, Series I, Vol. 47, Serial 99, p. 1026).   Given those reports and the limited number of these weapons imported, likely the two howitzers pointed today at the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg were overlooking the marshes of South Carolina in 1863.

Austrian 24-pdr Howitzer at Gettysburg

In summary, at least thirteen 24-pdr Field Howitzers imported from Austria served the Confederacy in the Civil War, mostly in the Charleston defenses.  While the Austrian types were smaller and lighter than contemporary US models, other European types were comparable to the American howitzers.   But as in the American Army, the 24-pdr caliber howitzer faded in importance after the 1850s.

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Aside from on site notes, inline citations, and links provided above, sources consulted for this post were:

Hazlett, James C., Edwin Olmstead, and M. Hume Parks. Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War, Revised Edition. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004.

Olmstead, Edwin, Wayne E. Stark, and Spencer C. Tucker. The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast and Naval Cannon. Alexandria Bay, NY: Museum Restoration Service, 1997.

Ripley, Warren. Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War, 4th Edition. Charleston, S.C.: The Battery Press, 1984.

New Page and Upcoming Changes

Just an administrative note today……

I placed a new page off the navigation bar (at the top) named “Artillery.”  As I have posted much on Civil War Artillery, I felt a requirement to ease navigation around those posts.  Currently the organization is rather simple – smoothbores field pieces on top, rifled field pieces in the middle and a section for the heavy artillery at the bottom.   My plan is to make that the entry point for more discussions about both the ordnance and tactics used during the war.

As time permits this weekend and next, I will re-arrange the “Battlefields by Markers” page.  The current page, arranged by the date of the battle, is cumbersome to navigate.  First off (DUH!) many of the battlefields were sites fought over multiple times.  So which date to select?  Furthermore, it makes more sense to group these by state.  That change will not affect the individual pages for the larger battles (Gettysburg, Wilderness, etc.).

Also, I’m in the process of cycling out all the books on my “ready” shelf in the office.  Those are the books sitting close at hand for the topics I am researching currently.   With that I will finally stop procrastinating and update the References page.  Not that you all will be impressed with my list of “sources consulted” but rather it will ease things on my end, enabling me to cut and paste citations into posts.

As always, feel free to comment with suggestions, notes, prods, or observations.  I have, however, ceased to accept correspondence by carrier pigeon at this time (cat chased them off).

"Really, I DO like pigeons!"

Confederate 24-pdr Howitzers

As mentioned in the posts concerning the 24-pdr Field Howitzers and Flank Howitzers, the Confederate Army also employed these weapons.  Confederate howitzers in the 24-pdr caliber fit into three categories -  Federal types acquired from arsenals in the south at the start of the war or captured on the battlefield; Examples, both bronze and iron, produced by Confederate foundries; Examples imported from foreign sources.

With the seizure of arsenals and forts, the Confederates took possession of many weapons including examples of the 24-pdr howitzers.  Captain William Maynadier, of the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Department, listed four 24-pdr flank howitzers at Fort Moultrie and five “24-pdr field howitzers, old iron” at the U.S. Arsenal in a report dated December 21, 1860 detailing weapons in the Charleston, South Carolina area (OR, Series I, Vol. 1, Serial No. 1, p. 130).  The later likely were the stubby Model 1819 type.  Presumably all nine were among the weapons turned on their former owners in the spring of 1861.  While certainly useful to defend the main batteries from land attack, likely none fired upon Fort Sumter.

Returns and dispatches from the early war period indicate the Confederates made use of the 24-pdr Howitzers acquired elsewhere.  The defenses of Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas included a “24-pdr brass howitzer” in January 1862 based on a description from Captain H. Walke (OR, Series I, Vol. 4, Serial 4, p. 167).   A report from Major George Randolph indicated the state arsenal at Richmond, Virginia provided four 24-pdr howitzers (type unstated) on field carriages to support the defenses outside Williamsburg, Virginia (OR, Series I, Vol. 4, Serial 4, p. 638).  And there is this howitzer, mentioned earlier, captured on Morris Island outside Charleston, South Carolina:

Alger No. 11 at Washington NY

Like the Federals, the Confederates continued to use the 24-pdrs in fortifications up to the end of the war.   Several 24-pdr howitzers remained in the lines around Richmond and Petersburg, and particularly in the James River forts up to the end of operations in that sector (OR, Series I, Vol. 46, Serial 96, p. 1198).  The Federals captured one 24-pdr Flank Howitzer at Fort Alexis, Alabama in April 1865 (OR, Series I, Vol. 49, Serial 103, p. 231).

At least one Confederate officer rated the 24-pdr Field Howitzer highly.  Edward P. Alexander described the employment of a 24-pdr Field Howitzer in Moody’s Madison (La.) Battery at Fredericksburg in Fighting for the Confederacy:

…we discovered that quite a little body of the enemy were lying down in a shallow depression about 400 yards from another of Moody’s 24pr. howitzers, which were my favorite guns.  Partly to make the enemy unhappy, & partly to show my companions how effective the gun was, I carefully aimed & fired four shrapnel (each of which contained 175 musket balls) so as to burst each one about 15 feet above the ground & about as many yards in front of the little hollow.  While we would not see into it, the bullets & fragment would probe it easily.  From the very first shot, we saw, at the far end, men helping three wounded to get out to the rear, but our infantry sharpshooters opened on them & ran them back.  The next day, Baldwin & Johnston visited the spot together to study the effects, & told me they found 13 dead which they were sure from the fresh wounds & blood were killed by those four shrapnel. (p. 193)

Moody’s Battery, in particular, used the 24-pdrs for much of the war, likely Model 1841 24-pdr Field Howitzers.  The Battery used two howitzers along with two 3-inch Ordnance Rifles at Antietam to good effect.  The same battery brought four of the heavy howitzers to Gettysburg.  But the experience of Moody’s Battery was the exception, as most Confederate field batteries were equipped with lighter weapons.  I have seen references to the use of Confederate 24-pdr Field Howitzers in an indirect mode both at Cold Harbor and Petersburg, but I am not familiar with primary source accounts for such.

Confederate production of the 24-pdrs reflected the dissatisfaction with the heavy howitzers.  Quinby & Robinson, of Memphis, Tennessee, produced a handful of bronze 24-pdrs.  One of which is on display at Shiloh National Military Park, representing Robertson’s Alabama Battery along Ruggles’ Line.

24-pdr Confederate howitzer (left) and 12-pdr Napoleon (right)

Note that Robertson’s Battery used four 12-pdr Napoleons during the battle of Shiloh, so the representation is only partially accurate, but allows for a proper comparison of the types.  Quinby & Robinson used the Federal pattern, but omitted the handles, but retained the recess over the chamber.

Recess on Q&R Howitzer

Only two of the Quinby & Robinson 24-pdrs exist today, and these are the only known Confederate bronze weapons in the caliber.

However records indicate both Tredegar and Bellona Foundries in Virginia produced iron 24-pdr howitzers during the war.  In the case of Bellona, two examples dated 1861 exist conforming to the Federal Flank Howitzer pattern.  Interestingly, contemporary newspaper accounts state the 1st Battery, Washington (La.) Artillery received issue of two 24-pdr iron howitzers from Bellona in the fall of 1861 while at Centreville, Virginia.  Likely Confederate authorities issued two of Bellona’s flank howitzers on modified field carriages to cover equipment shortfalls.

Tredegar, on the other hand, produced 24-pdr iron howitzers to a pattern closer to that of the Federal 1861 models.  These lacked the base, chase, and muzzle rings of the Model 1844, and had no step for the reinforce in front of the trunnions.  The Tredegar howitzers were 69 inches long overall, and retained the same trunnion size and rimbase spacing as the standard flank howitzers.  Four weapons produced averaged 1505 pounds.  These were shipped to Fort Morgan, Alabama in 1861 to reinforce the defenses of Mobile Bay.

One other Confederate gun-maker delivered a 24-pdr Howitzer.  Alvin N. Miller of Savannah, Georgia produced at least one weapon in the class, which was issued for use on the CSS Georgia.  Archeologists recovered such a weapon from the sunken wreck in the Savannah River, and it is now on display at Fort Jackson.

24-pdr Confederate Howitzer - Fort Jackson

Again, sorry for the fuzzy old 35mm photo (see the Fort Jackson page at Civil War Album for more recent photos).  But even on the poor photo, the overall form is clear.  The piece has a chase ring and a step for the reinforce, but lacks the muzzle and base ring as on Federal flank howitzers.  The breech has a rounded appearance.  The trunnions are 4.67 inches in diameter, with rimbases spaced at 13 inches – slightly more than the Federal carriage standards, but easily modified.  Regardless if it would fit such a carriage, the weapon was employed for close defense on the spar deck of the ironclad, and thus should be considered a naval weapon.

I will save the discussion of foreign 24-pdr Howitzers for my next installment.  But in summary for this post, the Confederates, much like the Federals, used the 24-pdr Howitzers without much fanfare.    Tallies of survivors and production records indicate less than a dozen weapons produced of all classes in the caliber.   Aside from Alexander’s story, the weapons served well but largely without note.

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Aside from on site notes, inline citations, and links provided above, sources consulted for this post were:

Hazlett, James C., Edwin Olmstead, and M. Hume Parks. Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War, Revised Edition. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004.

Olmstead, Edwin, Wayne E. Stark, and Spencer C. Tucker. The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast and Naval Cannon. Alexandria Bay, NY: Museum Restoration Service, 1997.

Ripley, Warren. Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War, 4th Edition. Charleston, S.C.: The Battery Press, 1984.

24-pdr Flank Howitzers

The 24-pdr Siege and Garrison Howitzer was the caliber set companion to the 24-pdr Field Howitzer.  Cast of iron and weighing more, the Army used the siege and garrison weapon largely in the “garrison” part of that description.  Conceptually the weapon sprang from a need to cover blind approaches and moats around the masonry fortifications of the day – the flanks of the walls.  Such employment gave the weapon the common name “Flank Howitzer” which I prefer.

Early seacoast fortifications used a mixture of howitzers and even naval carronades to cover the landward approaches. As construction of the “third series” forts began in earnest, the Army required a replacement for the old weapons.

Carronade on Flank Carriage - Fort Morgan, Alabama

Between 1841 and 1844, depending on which regulation is read, the Ordnance Department standardized the 24-pdr howitzer for these requirements.  The Ordnance Manual of 1850 listed the “24-pdr Siege and Garrison Howitzer  Model of 1841″ with the standard 5.82-inch bore for a 24-pdr.   The weapon’s chamber, at 4.62-inch diameter to a depth of 4.75 inches, complied with convention being one step down from the bore size (in this case a 12-pdr caliber diameter).  The other particulars of note are displayed below in comparison to the 24-pdr Field Howitzer, 32-pdr Field Howitzer, and two models of the 8-inch Siege Howitzer.

Of note, the trunnion diameter and rimbase spacing (at 12.8 inches nearly two inches shorter than a 12-pdr Siege Gun) did not allow the howitzer to use any of the standard siege gun carriages.  Also the preponderance (the excess weight of the rear of the piece) was 70 pounds – half that of the 24-pdr Field Howitzer, and even lighter than the 12-pdr Field Howitzer (which had a 90 pound preponderance).   These last two details indicate the weapon was designed for use on a specific mounting within fortifications, in cramped quarters, where rapid training and elevation were called for.   The 1851 Instruction for Heavy Artillery offered a plan for just such a Flank Casemate Carriage:

24-pdr Howitzer on Flank Casemate Carriage

The rails attached to a front pivot point, and traversed with a set of wheels running on a metal race at the rear.  The Howitzer and top carriage sat on brass rollers, with eccentric roller at the rear to reduce travel due to recoil.  A reproduction (possibly with original fittings) of such a carriage is displayed in the Caponiere at Fort Washington in Maryland.

Flank Howitzer on Carriage - Fort Washington

The top carriage basically a cradle holding the howitzer, supported by the wheels and rollers.  Note the eccentric roller at the bottom of the view below:

Top Carriage and Howitzer

The howitzer itself had a plain appearance, with breech, chase, and muzzle rings as its only adornments.  Unlike the 24-pdr bronze field howitzer, the iron flank howitzer had no handles, and the reinforce was flush over the chamber.  Early batches (from Cyrus Alger & Company of Boston) placed the chase ring 7 inches from the muzzle.  All of the later examples had the chase ring 5.5 inches from the muzzle.  Otherwise the weapons exhibited only variations with markings.

24-pdr Flank Howitzer - Fort Washington

At Fort Pulaski, Georgia, the defensive arrangements included flank howitzers covering the interior angles of the inland side of the fort.  In the view below, the port for the flank howitzer is at the interior corner of the bastion, just above the whitish patch of bricks.  This allowed the howitzer to cover the moat with shell, or if the target were close as the photographer in this view, canister.

Flank Howitzer Port - Fort Pulaski

Tactically, the flank howitzer offered no advantage in range over the bronze field piece, and of course was heavier.  However, it could withstand years of use, resisting bore erosion better.  While the durability was certainly a design consideration, particularly with an eye to prolonged siege operations, the weapons were never called on for such.  Another advantage, since the flank howitzer operated in a static role the crew was reduced to only three men.

The 24-pdr Flank Howitzer remained in production from 1845 to 1864.   Cyrus Alger delivered 350 examples.  Fort Pitt Foundry in Pittsburgh contributed twenty-two; and West Point Foundry added another twenty-six in pre-war contracts.  Tredegar Foundry in Richmond delivered twenty-five before the war.  Similarly, Bellona Foundry outside Richmond, Virginia delivered four before the Civil War, and likely a few for the Confederacy after the war broke out.  Mt. Vernon Iron Works of Ohio provided fifty (the only cannon received from that source) in 1863-64.  Seyfert, McManus & Co, also known as Scott Foundry, of Reading, Pennsylvania added an even hundred, mostly in 1864.  All told the Army received 577 24-pdr Flank Howitzers from these seven sources, making it one of the most widely produced smoothbore types in the American Army.

The type’s service record was, however, uneventful for the most part.  Not designed for field issue, the flank howitzers remained at coastal fortifications or complemented new land-locked fortifications in the rear areas.  Dozens supported the defensive works around Washington, D.C. and likely a few found their way to defenses around key cities in the Western Theater.  But for the most part, there just was not a demand for these heavy iron howitzers from the active armies.  The Confederates also used the type, and I plan to cover those instances in a separate post.

Perhaps due to the limited use, a high number of these weapons survived the war to grace town squares and parks today.  Nearly 250 all told grace parks, cemeteries, town squares, museums, memorials, and coastal forts today.   One example stands on display outside the Museum in Boonesboro, Maryland, just north of Antietam.

Alger No. 52 - Cast in 1846

In other cases, the flank howitzers almost hide from visitors.  Anyone who has visited Gettysburg has probably walked passed two examples, yet few notice them.

High Water Mark Monument at Gettysburg

Note the breech of a flank howitzer to the lower right near the foundation for the monument.

Breech of Flank Howitzer

Buried muzzle down, two flank howitzers mark the corners of the monument.  Their manufacture, registry numbers, or other particulars are unknown, and likely the markings have eroded with many years of burial.  Perhaps fitting, given the type’s history, that two 24-pdr Flank Howitzers are granted a somewhat inglorious place, yet at a critical point, on the Gettysburg battlefield.

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Aside from on site notes and links provided above, sources consulted for this post were:

Hazlett, James C., Edwin Olmstead, and M. Hume Parks. Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War, Revised Edition. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004.

Olmstead, Edwin, Wayne E. Stark, and Spencer C. Tucker. The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast and Naval Cannon. Alexandria Bay, NY: Museum Restoration Service, 1997.

Ripley, Warren. Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War, 4th Edition. Charleston, S.C.: The Battery Press, 1984.