These cannons are much smaller than the other cannons used here in 1863 such as the Parrotts or Napoleons. These weapons are quickly identifiable as the tubes are black, very smooth, and almost always in terrific shape and represented at the time, some pretty serious weapon technology. There trunnions are usually devoid of markings, however this example does have a stamp on both trunnions. One reads Patented Dec. 9, 1862 and the other, Phoenix Iron Co.. Their tubes do not have the breech band seen in the similar looking Parrotts. The 3-inch carriages are also always equally pristine. This is an 1861 model but manufactured 5 years later after the Civil War had ended. So far, this is the only example of weaponry I have found manufactured after 1865. This model was also mass-produced by the Confederates as well, but not nearly as well made as their Union counterparts. The stamps on the outer muzzles of both rifles are comparatively well-preserved and I was able to read the stamp muzzle and trace back the manufacturing origins.
Calvin Gilbert owned a Foundry which bore his name in Gettysburg. This man was responsible for creating all of the cast iron battery tablets (including this one) at this park. His work did not end there as his foundry created many of the carriages for the historic cannons at Gettysburg. Although almost all of the cannons are from the Civil War, their carriages, sights, and caissons have been restored at his foundry in the early part of the 20th century. GIlbert was in his 70s when he did this work and competed work at other battlefields as well.
The two rifles and the 5th Massachusetts Battery Monument is just off of Route 15, part of the newly adopted Pennsylvania Byway system. Turn off of Route 15 on to Wheatfield Road. Travel east on Wheatfield Road, pass the intersection of Birney Avenue on your right and a hundred feet on the left is the monument, just past the left had turn for Sickles Avenue. The Peach Orchard is a few hundred feet west of this position, back at the beginning of Wheatfield Road. Parking is available at small, cutout shoulders along the road, some wide, some narrow. Be sure to stay off the grass or you will be tickete by park police. I visited this monument on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at approximately 12:34 AM. I was at an elevation of 570 feet, ASL. I used a Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.
My SOURCE for all things weapons at Gettysburg provided me additional information about this weapon which did not appear on the muzzle. I used red to designate that data. The rest is as it appears exactly on the muzzle, starting at the top or 12 o'clock position and moving clockwise.
No. 921 ......PICo ......1866 ......J.G.B. ......816 ......FDY #991 ......GRVS 7RH
No. 921 refers to the Army registration number, a way for the military to keep track of the guns. PICo refers to the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, PA, the foundry where the fun was manufactured. I believe when the Rebels were able to capture one of these guns, they copied it and produced their own, although this one was federally made. 1866 refers to the date of manufacture even though this is an 1861 model. 816 lbs refers to the weight of the firing tube. This number is on the bottom of the muzzle. Each gun is usually very unique and has its own weight which distinguishes it from every other gun, like a fingerprint. J.G.B. are the initials of James Gilchrist Benton, the inspector who gave the gun a once over before it was shipped out to the Federal army. FDY #991 is information not found on the muzzle but provided by the website. This is an internal control number specific to the foundry. The carriages were approximately 900 pounds which makes this entire weapon over 1,700 pounds. The GRVS 7RH, more information provided by my source, refers to number of rifling grooves, left or right twist. In this case, 7 right hand twists were made to rifle this cannon.
About the Foundry
The Phoenix Iron Works (1855: Phoenix Iron Company; 1949: Phoenix Iron & Steel Company; 1955: Phoenix Steel Corporation), located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was a significant manufacturer of iron and related products during the 19th century and early 20th century. Phoenix Iron Company was a major producer of cannons for the Union Army during the American Civil War. The company also produced the Phoenix column, a significant advance in construction material. Phoenix Iron Works is a core component of the Phoenixville Historic District, a National Register of Historic Places site and in 2006 was recognized as a Historic Landmark by ASM International. SOURCE & SOURCE
About the Inspector
James Gilchrist Benton (Sep. 15, 1823 - Aug. 23, 1881) was graduated from West Point in 1842 and appointed additional Second Lieutenant of ordinance. He was stationed at Waterville Arsenal, West Troy, Washington, D.C. and on temporary duty at several other arsenals. In 1857 he was ordered to West Point, as Instructor of Ordinance and Gunnery, and while there wrote Ordinance and Gunnery, a Course of instruction for the Cadets of the Military Academy, which was used as a text book until some time after his death, when the changes in modern science made a new course necessary. When the war broke out in 1861 he was ordered to Washington as principal assistant to the chief of ordnance, General James W. Ripley. In September 1863 he was ordered to the command of Washington arsenal and in 1866 to the command of the national armory, Springfield, Massachusetts He was promoted Major, Lieutenant Colonel and in 1865 Colonel for faithful and meritorious service. SOURCE & SOURCE
About the Gun
The second most common rifled field artillery in both Armies generally, and the most common on the Maryland Campaign, the 3 inch Ordnance gun was made of hammer-welded, formed, machined iron. It was popular because of its accuracy and reliability, at least those examples built in Federal shops. Less precise machining and lower-grade iron gave their Confederate counterparts more trouble. Those built by the firm of Burton and Archer were know to be problematic. The 3-inch rifle normally fired Hotchkiss or Schenkel shells that weighed between 8 and 9 pounds. In an emergency it could use 10-pounder Parrot ammunition. It could also be used to fire cannister but, as a rifle, was not as effective with this as howitzers or Napoleons. The maximum range of this weapon was 1830 yards, with the barrel/tube Length 69 inches, the bore 3 inches (hence the name) and the total combined weight (already mentioned above), approximately 1720 pounds. Johnson, Curt & Anderson, Richard C., Artillery Hell: Employment of Artillery at Antietam, College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1995; and
Schwartz, Peter, Artillery at Gettysburg online. SOURCE & SOURCE.
The tablet marks the position of the 5th Massachusetts Battery on July 2, 1863 reads as follows:
(Front):Fifth Massachusetts Battery
(Right):7 enlisted men killed
1 officer, 12 enlisted men wounded
700 rounds fired
Chas. A. Philips Capt. Comdg.
July 2, 1863.
(Left):The Nation Lives
Reserve Artillery
This area is loaded with all types of cannons and guns, a veritable outside museum. I would suggest allowing up to an hour to fully inspect all the tablets, monuments and weapons in this area.