12-Pounder Confederate Bronze Napoleon, Model of 1863, No. 28 - Gettysburg, PA - Static Artillery Displays on Waymarking.com

Long Description:

There are hundreds of cannons at Gettysburg, many of them flanking monuments and markers. The Rice's Danville Artillery CS Battery Marker (East) and guns/cannons are on West Confederate Avenue, on the left or east side when traveling south, south of Chambersburg Pike; the marker faces the west, both cannons to the east. This area is Seminary Ridge at the Lutheran Theological Seminary. Schultz woods is across the street. Parking is easy at this part of Confederate Avenue. I visited this monument on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at approximately 11:09 PM, just before the clocks were set ahead for the Spring. I was at 507 foot ASL elevation.

The firing tube is no longer shiny but green as the bronze has long since oxidized. The carriage, wheels and other tube carrying mechanisms all look well tended to and in good shape sporting what appears to be fresh paint. My usual SOURCE for cannon documentation provided me with the following line of information (the same information I had trouble reading on the outer muzzle face) about this specific cannon:

Macon - Reg# 28 - INSP RMC - FDY# 34 - YR 63 - WT 1158 - PANG Armory

Macon refers to the Macon Arsenal, a foundry out of Macon, GA and the place where this gun and other Confederate weaponry were manufactured during the Civil War. Read below for a more in depth look at this armory. Reg #28 is simply the registration number and the foundry's way of documenting and identifying each individual gun produced by their company. INSP RMC refers Lieutenant Colonel Richard M. Cuyler (R.M.C.) who commanded the arsenal and the military officer responsible for inspecting the final product to make sure it meets all standards. FDY #34 represents the word 'Foundry' and refers to the foundry's own internal control number. YR 63 is the year of manufacturing and WT 1158 refers to the weight of the cannon or bronze tube which fired projectiles, each cannon being distinct and having its own weight. Finally, the PANG Armory refers to the PA Army National Guard at Armory Rd Route 664 Lock Haven, PA. I can only assume, if my source is accurate, then the guns were originally stored at this armory prior to 2008. The armory does not date back to the Civil War. More information about the specifics of this weapon can be found HERE.

Macon Arsenal focused towards the production of Parrott rifles and 12-pdr Napoleon smoothbores. By far the most common surviving Macon guns are the later. Like the other Napoleons from government arsenals, the Macon guns match the “Type 5? profile designated by historians. Although documents fail to reveal the total number produced, the educated guess is less than eighty. Of those, thirty-six survive today. If the registry numbers were in sequence, the very first Macon Napoleon survives today on Lee Hill at Fredericksburg.

However, if one really wants to study the Confederate Napoleons, go to Gettysburg. Fourteen Macon Napoleons are on display (or being refurbished for display) on that battlefield. The sample allows easy comparison to see variations among the lots. Two different Confederate battery positions on Oak Hill afford just such a comparison. Early Macon Napoleons used a stamping pattern similar to pre-war Army regulations. The registry number and inspector’s initials went on the muzzle face, top and bottom respectively. Sometimes, The foundry stamp appeared on the right trunnion, usually the initials M.A. The inspector placed the weight stamp on the breach at the location normally covered by the pendulum hausse seat.SOURCE

The nearby tablet describes the actions of McCarthy's Battery for the three days at Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863.

Army of Northern Virginia
Hill's Corps Artillery Reserve
McIntosh's Battalion Rice's Battery
Danville Virginia Artillery
Four Napoleons
July 2 Two guns took position here and were actively engaged under the heavy fire of Union Sharpshooters and artillery. Two guns of the Battery were in reserve.

July 3 All the guns were actively engaged in this position.

July 4 Withdrew in the night to Marsh Creek on the Fairfiled Road.

Losses not reported in detail.

What type of artillery is this?: Cannon Where is this artillery located?: Monument grounds What military of the world used this device?: United States Army Date artillery was in use: 7/1/1863 Date artillery was placed on display: 7/1/1910 Cost?: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Artillery is no longer operational: yes Still may work: no Are there any geocaches at this location?: There are several virtual caches nearby Parking location to view this Waymark: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Two pictures are required for this Waymark. Please take a close up picture of the artillery. Take a second with the artillery in the distance and capture as much of the surroundings as possible. Name the Waymark with first the name of the area and second what the artillery is. An example would be if it were a cannon in front of the Montgomery Armory you would name the Waymark: Montgomery Armory Cannon.

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