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 an extreme green patina from constant exposure to the elements. I peered into the bore and saw no grooves, making this a smooth bore Napoleon. There are several Confederate guns located here as this was a Rebel stronghold during the Battle. 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. 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, limbers, wheels 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 Napoleon and the 
monument to the Page’s Morris Artillery is northwest of Gettysburg on Oak Hill, to the right or east of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. The guns are just off of the northern most part of Confederate Avenue. The gun points to the southeast, the tablet, to the northwest. The tablet is 21 feet northeast of the gun. From this high position, the gunners of the battery had a good field of fire both enfilading the Federal line on Oak Ridge and into Gettysburg. The Federal Eleventh Corps left flank was posted in the valley below, beyond the McClean farm. Craig Swain Parking is available at a large lot constructed for the Peace memorial. I first visited these guns on Wednesday, Thursday, April 20, 2011 @ 4:36 PM EDT (609 feet ASL) and again on July 5, 2012 @ 10.18 AM EDT (620 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. The stamping pattern on the muzzle did not conform with other Confederate Napoleons I have found @ Gettysburg. 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. Although the date and weight appear below, I could not discern them on the muzzle. Also, I found the weight of the firing tube incised on the breech (see gallery). The registry information on the muzzle reads as follows:
10 [12 o'clock] ......1863 [3 o'clock] ...... R.M.C. [6 o'clock] ......1185 [9 o'clock]
Registry Information Explanation
No 10 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. 1863 refers to the production date. R.M.C. refers to the ordnance officer responsible for inspecting the final product to make sure it met all standards. Those initials stand for Richard M. Cary. 1185 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.
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 Inspector
Information on this officer was very hard to find. Colonel Richard Melton Cary was a commander or superintendent at the Macon Arsenal. His initials "R.M.C." are also found on a few Bellona Foundry weapons and a Bellona Arsenal piece indicating that he may have inspected weapons at those facilities from 1863-1864. The initials "M.A." generally coupled with "R.M.C.", although not in this case. I did learn from an odd message board he was buried in the UK. SOURCE
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:
The Page’s Morris 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
Carter's Battalion Page's Battery
The Morris Artillery
Four Napoleons
July 1 Not engaged until the Union forces on Seminary Ridge extended their line to the right when it opened upon them with a rapid enfilading fire in support of the Infantry in the conflict which ensued. Meanwhile it suffered from the fire of Union Artillery in the valley north of the town. Afterward moved to the foot of the ridge and aided in dislodging both the Artillery and Infantry of the Eleventh Corps.
July 2 Held in readiness to move into position but was not engaged.
July 3 On Seminary Ridge in reserve.
July 4 After nightfall began the march to Hagerstown.
Losses. Killed and mortally wounded 4. Wounded 26.
Ammunition expended 215 rounds. Horses killed or disabled 17.
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