These two nice examples of the 10-ponder Parrott rifle are in terrific shape: their limbers, carriages, barrels and all other things weaponry are in terrific condition. I know as of a few years ago these two cannons were restored. These rifles are more rarer than the 3-inch ordnance rifles and the Napoleons which seems to be everywhere. The Parrot is very similar to the 3-inch ordnance save for the band around the breech which makes it distinguish it self from the 3-inch ordnance. Also, the Parrott has a flare at the end of the muzzle and the 3-inch does not. Another similarity the two rifles share is the deep incised stamp that runs along the outer muzzle which make identification very easy and accurate. I noticed writing on the cannon's right trunnion (viewer's left) which read R.P.P.. R.P.P. are the initials of Captain Robert Parker Parrott, the inventor of this waymark, the parrott Rifle. Also, stamped at the top of the breech is 3. IN. BORE..
The two rifles and the Battery A, 1st New Jersey Artillery Monument are located on the right or east side of South 
Hancock Avenue (RD310), if traveling north along the avenue and directly in front of the gigantic Pennsylvania Memorial (MN260). The monument faces the west so one would have to face the east to read the inscription. The monument is flanked on either side by Parrott Rifles, which I revisited and snapped photos of on Monday, August 13, 2012. To the viewer's left of the monument is a 3-inch Parrott rifle, registry no. 149, and to the right, a 2.9-inch (10-pounder) Parrott rifle, registry no. 241. Both rifles point to the southwest, presumably in the direction of the once attacking enemy. 
This site offers the easiest parking opportunities as there are a lot in back of the Pennsylvania Monument as well as enlarged shoulders up and down Hancock Avenue near this site. Whatever you do, do not park on grass or anything green as park police will ticket you. This was my last monument to visit on this day; official sunset was still 8 minutes away (7:51 PM) My picture was taken Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 @ 7:43 PM whilst I was on Spring Break from my middle school. I used my cr@ppy General Electric 10.1 megapixel model # A1050 digital camera.
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 just to the left of the 12 o'clock position and moving clockwise.
No. 149 ......1864 ......W.P.F. ......3 IN. ......R.M.H. ......890 ...... FDY #179
No. 149 refers to the Army registration number, a way for the military to keep track of the guns when the received a shipment from the various foundries which supported the Union efforts. 1864 refers to the date of manufacture, a year after the model was introduced. This rifle did not fire at Gettysburg. W.P.F. refers to the foundry, West Point Foundry out of Cold Spring, NY. The foundry is on the National Register of Historic Places. 3 IN. refers to the size of the bore in inches. The 10-Pounder designation in the name refers to weight of the projectile which was more like 9.5 pounds. These weapons go by both names. R.M.H. are the initials of the inspector who gave the gun a once over before it was shipped out to the Federal army. Those initials stand for Richard Mason Hill. 890 refers to the weight of the firing tube, usually a kind of a fingerprint for these things as each one is unique to the rifle. Finally, FDY #179 is an internal control number specific to the foundry.
About the Foundry
The West Point Foundry was an early ironworks in Cold Spring, New York that operated from 1817 to 1911. Set up to remedy deficiencies in national armaments production after the War of 1812, it became most famous for its production of Parrott rifles and other munitions during the Civil War, although it also manufactured a variety of iron products for civilian use. The rise of steel making and declining demand for cast iron after the Civil War caused it to gradually sink into bankruptcy and cease operations in the early 20th Century.
In 1835, Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate, was appointed inspector of ordnance from the foundry. The next year, he resigned his commission and on October 31, 1836 was appointed superintendent of the foundry. It prospered under his tenure, and was the site of numerous experiments with artillery and projectiles, culminating in his invention of the Parrott rifle in 1860. During Parott's tenure, in 1843, the foundry also manufactured USS Spencer, a revenue cutter which was the first iron ship built in the U.S. The foundry's operations peaked during the Civil War due to military orders: it had a workforce of 1,400 people and produced 2,000 cannon and three million shells. Parrott also invented an incendiary shell which was used in an 8-inch Parrott rifle (the "Swamp Angel") to bombard Charleston. The importance of the foundry to the war effort can be measured by the fact that President Abraham Lincoln visited and inspected it in June 1862.
SOURCE
About the Inspector
Richard Mason Hill (Died March 25, 1876) entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in July of 1857. He was a member of the 1861 (June) Class, and was ranked 7th in the standing upon graduating. As customary, he was brevetted 2nd lieutenant at this time and was assigned to the Ordnance Department. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on June 24, 1861, and was brevetted major on March 13, 1865 for "faithful and meritorious service in the Ordnance Department." He remained in the United States military achieving the rank of full major.
About the Gun
The gun was invented by Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He resigned from the service in 1836 and became the superintendent of the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. He created the first Parrott Rifle (and corresponding projectile) in 1860 and patented it in 1861. SOURCE
I also remembered the Antietam Battlefield people placed a small identification marker sticking out of the ground next to one of their Parrotts which read:
10-POUNDER PARROT RIFLE
The cast iron rifle with its band of wrought iron reinforcing
the breech was a modern weapon of the day. It was effective at
moderately long range. The 20-pounder, similar except for size,
was the heaviest rifled cannon used at Antietam.
The most common rifled field artillery piece in Civil War service generally, the 10-pdr. Parrott was made of cast iron with wrought iron breech reenforcement. It was an accurate and reliable weapon. Confederate versions of the Parrott Rifles were built by the Noble Brothers Foundry and the Macon Arsenal in Georgia. This Parrott design went through several improvements during the war and was changed in 1863 to a larger 3-inch bore and matching Parrott shell. By 1864 the 3-inch Parrott was standardized and most of these 2.9-inch guns were withdrawn from service.
One of the pages of the Historical Marker Database also provided some interesting facts about this weapon and history about the rifle: This 3-inch Parrott Rifle was produced at West Point Foundry in 1864, well after the battle. At the battle, the Parrott Rifles on the field were actually 2.9-inch bore models, commonly called 10-pounder Parrotts. Problems arose with logistical support, since similar shells were made for the 3-inch Ordnance Rifles. The Army opted to replace all 2.9-inch weapons with the slightly larger bore, and West Point began producing "new" Parrott rifles with 3-inch bores.
About the Battery
The 1st New Jersey Artillery Battery “A” was also known as Hexamer’s Battery. Battery A was part of the Artillery Reserve - 4th Volunteer Brigade. During the battle of Gettysburg, it served as a member of Fitzhugh’s Brigade in the Artillery Reserve, Army of the Potomac and was commanded by Lt. Augustin N. Parsons (1830-?). Parsons was a carpenter. Under Parson's command the battery brought 116 men onto the field serving six 10-pounder Parrott Rifles. Among the men, two were killed and seven were wounded.
The tablet marks the position and actions of the Battery A, 1st New Jersey Artillery on July 3, 1863 reads as follows:
(Front):Battery A, 1. N.J. Art.
From its position in
reserves s.w. of Powers'
Hill Galloped into action
at 3 p.m. July 3, 1863.
Fired 120 rounds shrapnel
at Pickett's column and
80 shell at a battery
in left front
Erected by the
State of New Jersey 1888
Hexamer's New Jersey
Battery
commanded in this battle by Firs Lieutenant
Augustin N. Parsons
(Left):Served Aug. 12. 1861
to June 22. 1865.
Engaged in 30 battles.
(Right):Losses. Killed 2. Wounded 7.
Position in action 45 yards E. of this stone.