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The Parrott rifle was a type of Muzzleloader Rifling artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.
Parrotts were manufactured with a combination of cast iron and wrought iron. The cast iron made for an accurate gun, but was brittle enough to suffer fractures. Hence, a large wrought iron reinforcing band was overlaid on the breech to give it additional strength. There were earlier designed this way, but the method of securing this band was the innovation that allowed the Parrott to overcome the deficiencies of these earlier models. It was applied to the gun red-hot and then the gun was turned while pouring water down the muzzle, allowing the band to attach uniformly. By the end of the Civil War, both sides were using this type of gun extensively.
Parrott rifles were manufactured in different sizes, from the 10-pounder up to the rare 300-pounder. The 20-pounder was the largest field gun used during the war, with the barrel alone weighing over . Both the 10- and 20-pounders were used by both armies. The smaller size was much more prevalent; it came in two bore sizes: and . Confederate forces used both bore sizes during the war, which added to the complication of supplying the appropriate ammunition to its batteries. Until 1864, Union army batteries used only the . The M1863, with a bore, had firing characteristics similar to the earlier model; it can be recognized by its straight barrel, without muzzle-swell. Its range was up to with a trained crew.National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park. "Big Guns at Gettysburg". Retrieved January 18, 2008.
On June 23-24, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln made an unannounced visit to West Point, where he consulted with retired Gen. Winfield Scott regarding the handling of the Civil War and the staffing of the War Department. Following this meeting, President Lincoln visited the West Point Foundry at which the 100- and 200-pounder Parrott cannons were successfully demonstrated in live firing.
Naval versions of the 20-, 30-, 60-, and 100-pounder Parrotts were also used by the Union navy. "Norfolk Naval Ship Yard: Civil War Guns in Trophy Park". The 100-pound naval Parrott could achieve a range of 6,900 yards (6,300 meters) at an elevation of 25 degrees, or fire an shell 7,810 yards (7,140 m) at 30 degrees elevation.
Although accurate, as well as being cheaper and easier to make than most rifled artillery guns, the Parrott had a poor reputation for safety and they were shunned by many artillerists. "Perils of Gunnery.; The Frequent Bursting of the Parrott Guns During Practice". The New York Times. April 20, 1889. Retrieved January 18, 2008. At the end of 1862, Henry J. Hunt attempted to get the Parrott eliminated from the Army of the Potomac's inventory, preferring the 3-inch ordnance rifle. When the Parrott gun burst in battle, gunners would chip out the jagged parts and continue firing.Hess, Earl J. (2005). "Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War: The Eastern Campaigns, 1861-1864". p.271. University of North Carolina Press. In 1889, The New York Times called on the Ordnance Bureau of the War Department to discontinue use of the Parrott gun altogether, following a series of mishaps at the West Point training grounds.
Several hundred Parrott gun tubes remain today, many adorning battlefield parks, county courthouses, and museums. The gun tubes made by Parrott's foundry are identifiable by the letters WPF (West Point Foundry), along with a date stamp between 1860 and 1889, found on the front face of the gun tube. The first production Parrott gun tube (serial number 1) still exists, and is preserved on a reproduction gun carriage in the center square of Hanover, Pennsylvania, as part of a display commemorating the Battle of Hanover. A list of many of the surviving tubes can be found at the National Register of Surviving Civil War Artillery.
The larger sizes of Parrott rifles (100-pounder and up) were deployed in coast defense from 1863 to 1900, when they were replaced by Endicott period forts and weapons. Along with , some were deployed shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in 1898 as a stopgap; it was feared the Spanish fleet would bombard the US East Coast.
The Washington Republican described the technical accomplishments of the Parrott:
The Union soldiers knew Fort Sumter's brick walls averaged about thick, and thus recognized the potential for such a cannon to help them succeed in taking back their fort.
On August 21, 1863 Gillmore sent Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard an ultimatum to abandon heavily fortified positions at Morris Island or the city of Charleston would be shelled. When the positions were not evacuated within a few hours, Gillmore ordered the Parrott rifle to fire on the city. Between August 22 and August 23, the Swamp Angel fired on the city 36 times (the gun burst on the 36th round), using many incendiary shells which caused little damage and few casualties. The battle was made more famous by Herman Melville's poem "The Swamp Angel".Vincent, Howard P. (1947). Collected Poems of Herman Melville. Packard and Company.
After the war, a damaged Parrott rifle said to be the Swamp Angel was moved to Trenton, New Jersey, where it rests as a memorial today at Cadwalader Park. "The Swamp Angel". The New York Times, December 1, 1876.
(*) This time is an educated guess, the time is unknown. Flight times appear to be extremely inaccurate. Example: 10-in (300-lb) projectile would have to average only to be in flight for 202 seconds to cover . A more accurate estimate will be in the range of 30 seconds.
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