There are hundreds of cannons at Gettysburg, many of them flanking monuments and markers. Such is the case with this artillery piece. The carriage, wheels and other tube carrying mechanisms all look well tended to and in good shape, sporting what appears to be fresh paint. The firing tube has some green patina from constant exposure to the elements. I peered into the bore and saw rifling grooves, making this a rifled Napoleon. There are several Confederate guns located here as this was a Rebel stronghold during the Battle. Fourteen Napoleon guns and two 20-pdr Parrotts from Macon Arsenal survive today at Gettysburg, including this piece. I learned the man who made the tablets which accompany the cannons also had a hand in restoring these cannons as well. Gettysburg National Military Park has hundreds of these historic artillery pieces on its field of battle. Their carriages, sights, and caissons, however, have been restored. Much of the restorative work came from Major Calvin Gilbert who owned the Gettysburg foundry.
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 completed work at other battlefields as well.
The two Napoleons and the 
Monument to the King William Artillery is northwest of Gettysburg on Oak Hill, to the left or west of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. The guns are just off of the northern most part of Confederate Avenue. This cannon to the viewer's right was manufactured at the Augusta Foundry in Georgia. The other gun, registry no. 43, was manufactured at the Macon Arsenal, also in Georgia. Both guns are on asphalt, unusual as artillery pieces are almost exclusively on grass. Both cannons point to the south, the tablet, to the north. From this high position, the gunners had a clear view of the Federal I Corps positions around the Chambersburg Pike. Parking is available at a large lot constructed for the Peace memorial. I first visited these guns on Wednesday, Thursday, April 20, 2011 @ 4:23 PM EDT (635 feet ASL) and again on July 5, 2012 @ 10.11 AM EDT (630 feet ASL). On the second visit, 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 explanatory information to understand the muzzle stamp. I noticed a mistake in the information on the page. The page incorrectly associates Hurt's battery with the two flanking 12-pounder Napoleons. That battery actually used Whitworth & 3-inch rifles. These two Napoleons are really associated with The King William Artillery. The stamping pattern on the muzzle conforms with other Confederate Napoleons (and mimics the Federal instructions of 1861). The following information appears on the muzzle at the top or starting at the 11 o'clock - 12 o'clock position and then just about every quarter hour on the face. There is additional information on the right rim base which I highlighted in red. The registry information on the muzzle reads as follows:
Macon Arsenal [11-12 o'clock]...1864 [2 o'clock] ... No 43 [3 o'clock] ...E.T. [6 o'clock] ...1184 [9 o'clock]... 54
Registry Information Explanation
Macon Arsenal was a government facility in Macon, GA and the place where this gun was manufactured. 1862 refers to the production date. No 43 refers to the registration number, a way for the military to keep track of the guns when they took receipt of them from the various Confederate foundries. There is some conjecture on the internet about whether that number was actually a 45 or 48. I am absolutely positive the number is a 3 as the top of the number is flat and the bottom is curled, a typical font style of 19th century numbering. E.T. refers to the ordnance officer responsible for inspecting the final product to make sure it met all standards. As of now, I cannot fathom who that man was or if perhaps E.T. stands for something else like perhaps a collective. 1184 refers to the weight of the firing tube. Each gun is usually very unique and has its own weight which distinguishes it from every other gun, like a fingerprint. The carriages were approximately 900 pounds which makes this entire weapon approximately 2,100 pounds. 54 is the internal foundry number. "Just as with Federal Napoleons, the Macon guns had a foundry sequence number on the right rimbase. Clear for this gun is the “No. 54? indicating this was the 54th casting from the foundry." SOURCE. Also on the rifle, over the top of the gun, just back of the trunnions, is the “C.S.” acceptance mark. This mark can be seen in my 'breech' photo.
About the Foundry
During the American Civil War, Macon served as the official arsenal of the Confederacy. Initially, there were not enough private foundries to serve the confederacies so government run facilities were turned to. The Confederates acquired a private foundry to establish Macon Arsenal. The 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. SOURCE During the American Civil War, Macon served as the official arsenal of the Confederacy. I read an article which explained that just after the war, while the arsenal was being 'defused', one of the shells went off and then another and then a chain reaction leveled the place to smithereens.
About the Gun
The twelve-pound cannon "Napoleon" was the most popular smoothbore cannon used during the war. It was named after Napoleon III of France and was widely admired because of its safety, reliability, and killing power, especially at close range. The Federal version of the Napoleon can be recognized by the flared front end of the barrel, called the muzzle-swell. Confederate Napoleons were produced in at least six variations, most of which had straight muzzles, but at least eight catalogued survivors of 133 identified have muzzle swells This bronze gun does not have that flare. Casting of these bronze Napoleons by the Confederacy ceased due to lack of resources and in January 1864 Tredegar began producing iron Napoleons. Just before this in early 1863, resources were so scarce, Robert E. Lee sent nearly all of the Army of Northern Virginia's bronze 6-pounder guns to Tredegar (another foundry) to be melted down and recast as Napoleons. SOURCE
Commonly referred to as the "Napoleon", this bronze smoothbore cannon fired a twelve-pound ball and was considered a light gun through each weighed an average of 1,200 pounds. This powerful cannon could fire explosives shell and solid shot up to a mile and charges of canister up to 300 yards with accuracy. The Napoleon was a favorite amongst some Northern artillerists because of its firepower and reliability. Two Union batteries armed with Napoleons at Gettysburg were very effective in holding back Confederate infantry attacks and knocking down opposing southern batteries. Battery G, 4th U.S. repeatedly slowed Confederate infantry attacks against the Eleventh Corps lines on July 1, while Captain Hubert Dilger's Battery G, 1st Ohio Light Artillery almost annihilated two Confederate batteries with accurate and punishing counter-battery fire at long distance. Most Union Napoleons were manufactured in Massachusetts by the Ames Company and the Revere Copper Company. SOURCE
12-pounder bronze gun, Model of 1857 Specifications
| Tube Material |
Bronze |
| Tube Weight |
1,227 lb (557 kg) |
| Powder Charge |
2.5 lb (1.13 kg) |
| Range (5° Elevation) |
1,619 yd (1,480 m) |
| At Gettyburg |
142 |
About the Battery:
Formed in King William County, the King William Artillery was originally under the command of Capt. Thomas H. Carter. Enlisted on June 1, 1861 the company was reorganized June 1, 1862. Sometime after the reorganization of batteries in the Army of Northern Virginia, the King William Artillery received new members from several disbanded batteries, including Samuel T. Bayley's Co. Va. Heavy Arty., Cropper's Co., Walter D. Leake's Co. and Fraser's Washington/Hampton Artillery. SOURCE The artillery served under Carter’s Battalion, as a member of Rodes’ Division in the Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. The battery was under the command of Thomas Henry Carter (June 13, 1831 – June 2, 1908), an artillery officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. His battalion played an important role in the Battle of Gettysburg. Carter died in 1908. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.
The tablet narrates the events associated with this battery from opening of the battle to July 4th and reads as follows:
Army of Northern Virginia
Ewell's Corps Rodes's Division
T.H. Carter's Battalion W.P. Carter's Battery
The King William Artillery
Two 10 pounder Parrotts and two Napoleons
July 1 Soon after arriving here it opened an enfilading fire on the Union forces near the Chambersburg Pike causing some to seek shelter in the railroad cuts. Their guns replied slowly but not without inflicting some losses on the Battery in its exposed position. Later in the day it moved to the foot of this ridge to aid Doles's Brigade in repelling the Eleventh Corps and rendering effective service. When the fight ended by the withdrawal of the First Corps it pursued the Union forces to the edge of the town.
July 2 In position but was not engaged.
July 3 The Parrott guns on Seminiary Ridge near the railroad cut took part in the cannonade preceding Longstreet's assault.
July 4 After nightfall began the march to Hagerstown.
Losses Killed 4. Wounded 7. Ammunition expended 572 rounds.
Writer's Note:
Before I seriously began to explore Gettysburg and all the subtle nuances which make up the battlefield such as individual registry numbers for artillery pieces, I wrote cursory waymarks, not giving much thought to historical documentation or individual significance of battlefield artifacts and relics. Waymarking in a single area over a period of four years is an evolutionary process. As one begins to learn more about the Civil War, individual battles and all of the little details involved, the quality and usefulness of one's waymarks increase to the point where this author hopes each waymark will be someday useful to someone else as a serious and thorough piece of documentation. To wit, look at the original cr@p I produced less than two years ago for this smoothbore gun