3-Inch Ordnance Rifle, Model of 1861, No. 303 - Austin, TX - Static Artillery Displays on Waymarking.com

This particular 3-inch (76mm) Ordnance Rifle -- No. 303 -- is located a few yards south of the Texas Eighth Cavalry (a.k.a. "Terry's Texas Rangers") monument on the main grounds of the State Capitol in Austin, Texas.

It is one of the five cannons currently on display within the Capitol's grounds (the other four being two 12-pounder Napoleon light-field guns and two 24-pounder Howitzers), and is an original except for its wooden casing which has been replaced with more durable metal. The barrel is in excellent condition; stamped on the muzzle are the following inscriptions (with personal comments in parentheses):

"N-303 P.I. Co 1862" (i.e. Number 303, Phoenix Iron Company, cast in 1862)
"T.T.S.L." (initial of the inspector, found on several other similar rifles throughout the US)
"816lb" (816 lbs., which is in line with the average 820 lbs. weight for this type of wrought iron rifle)

These types of wrought iron cannons were cast by the Phoenix Iron Company, an artillery producer for the Union Army (read: not the Confederate Army) during the American Civil War. A plaque near this cannon's vicinity (which is located next to the "Great Walk" walkway) does unfortunately not elaborate in which battle(s) this particular artillery piece was used, but one can assume that it is perhaps one of the many captured or confiscated by the Confederacy and used against the Union in subsequently battles; it is estimated that two-thirds of all Confederate field artillery used in that War were actually pieces originally belonging to the Union.

As elaborated on several web sources, including Wikipedia: (visit link)
"The 3-inch (76 mm) rifle was the most widely used rifled gun during the [US Civil] war. Invented by John Griffen, it was extremely durable, with the barrel made of wrought iron, primarily produced by the Phoenix Iron Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. There are few cases on record of the tube fracturing or bursting, a problem that plagued other rifles made of brittle cast iron. The rifle had exceptional accuracy. During the Battle of Atlanta, a Confederate gunner was quoted: "The Yankee three-inch rifle was a dead shot at any distance under a mile. They could hit the end of a flour barrel more often than miss, unless the gunner got rattled."

What type of artillery is this?: Ordnance Rifle (cannon) Where is this artillery located?: Government building What military of the world used this device?: Union Army (and Confederate Army), American Civil War Date artillery was in use: 01/01/1862 Date artillery was placed on display: 01/01/1900 Parking location to view this Waymark: N 30° 16.424 W 097° 44.245 Cost?: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Artillery is no longer operational: yes Still may work: no Are there any geocaches at this location?: GC142B - Virtual Cache Mania II - Texas Heritage

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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