3-inch (10-pounder) Army Parrott Rifle No. 5 - Sharpsburg. MD
N 39° 28.491 W 077° 44.735
18S E 263834 N 4373072
There is a display of 4 cannons near the visitor center (off to the left if facing the bldg.). This weapon is on the far left and an example of a common weapon used during the Civil War. It has been restored & is in beautiful condition.
Waymark Code: WMDCPQ
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 12/25/2011
Views: 7
This cannon looks restored or freshly painted, dark and new looking. The wheels and hitch are in good shape. The wheels sit about 5 feet high or so. The inside or bore is sealed off so I could not see inside nor detect any of the rifling the cannon is supposed to bear. The muzzle is stamped thusly: 1864 W.P.F 3 IN R.M.H. 895 No 5. No. 5 is the registry number, W.P.F. refers to the foundry, West Point Foundry out of Cold Spring, NY. 1864 is the manufacture date. 895 lbs. refers to the weight of the tube or cannon. Richard M. Hill (R.M.H.) was the inspector who gave it the once over before it was shipped out for business. The 3-inch designation in the name refers to the size of the bore in inches. the 10-Pounder designation in the name refers to weight of the projectile which was more like 9.5 pounds. You can visit this SITE for very specific specifications for the weapons and the munitions is used.
My SOURCE for all things weapons at Antietam provided me with the following line of information about this weapon:
WPF - Reg# 5 - INSP RMH - YR 64 - WT 895 - GRVS 3RH - Visitors' Center
The GRVS 3RH refers to number of rifling grooves, left or right twist. All other abbreviations and specifications were explained in the previous paragraph.
There is a small identification marker sticking out of the ground which reads:
10-POUNDER PARROT RIFLE
The cast iron rifle with its band of wrought iron reinforcing
the breech was a modern weapon of the day. It was effective at
moderately long range. The 20-pounder, similar except for size,
was the heaviest rifled cannon used at Antietam.
The artillery display includes examples of common weapons used during the Civil War. From right to left are this gun, a 6-pounder Field Gun Model 1841, next to it a 12-pounder Field Gun Model 1857 "Napoleon", next to that a 3-inch Ordnance Rifle Model 1861 and finally on the far left, this weapon, a 3-inch Parrott Rifle Model 1863. All are in excellent condition and all have little identification plaques to the rear of them.
The most common rifled field artillery piece in Civil War service generally, the 10-pdr. Parrott was made of cast iron with wrought iron breech reenforcement. It was an accurate and reliable weapon. Confederate versions of the Parrott Rifles were built by the Noble Brothers Foundry and the Macon Arsenal in Georgia. This Parrott design went through several improvements during the war and was changed in 1863 to a larger 3-inch bore and matching Parrott shell. By 1864 the 3-inch Parrott was standardized and most of these 2.9-inch guns were withdrawn from service.
here were about 69 10-pdr. Parrotts in Federal Service on the Campaign and 48 or more in Confederate batteries. Find units equipped with these. SOURCE
The gun was invented by Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He resigned from the service in 1836 and became the superintendent of the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. He created the first Parrott Rifle (and corresponding projectile) in 1860 and patented it in 1861. SOURCE