Union Seacoast Mortar - Springfield, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 07.348 W 072° 32.294
18T E 703492 N 4666307
A 13 inch Union Seacoast Mortar in St. Michael's Cemetery is dedicated as a Civil War memorial.
Waymark Code: WMC898
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/07/2011
Views: 6
At St. Michael's Cemetery in Springfield there is a most uncommon memorial. Set among the headstones is a Civil War Era 13 inch Union Seacoast Mortar, attach to which is a plaque honoring the brave men who fought in the Civil War. The mortar was cast at the Fort Pitt Foundry (PA) in 1862. There is an anchor insignia on the piece which suggests it was once used by the Union Navy.
A 13-inch Union Seacoast Mortar is relatively uncommon. They were manufactured between 1860 and 1864. They had a maximum range of 4,300 yards using a 20 lb powder charge firing a 200 lb projectile through a 56.5 inch tube. The mortar weighs 17,250 pounds.
Since it was used by both the Army and the Navy, the 13" Union Seacoast Mortar was used in many different places during the Civil War.
At the rear of the mortar is a plaque which reads:
Honor the Brave
This memorial is here placed by
E. K. Wilcox Post 16
Department of Mass. G.A.R
to mark the last resting place
of brave men who in 1861-5 offered
their lives for the honor
and integrity of the nation.