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{{Short description|Muzzle loading artillery weapon}}
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[[File:A 200-pound Parrott rifle in Fort Gregg on Morris Island, South Carolina, 1865 - NARA - 533271.jpg|thumb|300px|A 200-poundpounder Parrott rifle on [[Morris Island]], South Carolina, 1865]]
The '''Parrott rifle''' was a type of [[Muzzleloader|muzzle-loading]] [[Rifling|rifled]] [[artillery]] weapon used extensively in the [[American Civil War]].<ref name=hmdb>{{cite web|title=6.4" (100 pounder) Parrott Rifle / 7" Brooke Rifle|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=69898|website=Historical Marker Database|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
 
==Parrott rifle==
The gun was invented by Captain [[Robert Parker Parrott]],<ref name=hmdb /> a [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] graduate. He was an American soldier and inventor of military ordnance. 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.<ref name="RAP">{{cite book| last=Pritchard, Jr,.| first=Russ A.| [url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YOmZolJJktAC&pg=PA82&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&lrpg=&sigPA82| title=3W9wyByS8IFq95FEMRm87LoKapc Civil War Weapons and Equipment]| {{Webarchive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114195218/http://books.google.com/books?id=YOmZolJJktAC&pg=PA82&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&lr=&sig=3W9wyByS8IFq95FEMRm87LoKapc | archive-date=2012-11-14| }},url-status=dead| p.page=82. | publisher=Globe Pequit Press,| year=2003. {{ISBN| isbn=978-1-585748406-4935456-X1}}.</ref> [[Daniel Treadwell]], who developed a method for making [[built-up gun]]s in the early 1840s, tried to claim that his patent infringed on an earlier one, but in 1866 [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|S.D.N.Y.]] court dismissed it, deciding that Treadwell's claim was invalidated by a 1843 British patent to John Frith.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yM09AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA43| title=A Treatise on the Law of Patents for Useful Inventions: As Enacted and Administered in the United States of America| last1=Curtis| first1=George Ticknor| year=1873| location=Boston| publisher=Little Brown}}</ref>▼
 
Parrotts were manufactured with a combination of [[cast iron|cast]] 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.<ref name="Gusley">Gusley, Henry O. and Edward T. Cotham. [https://books.google.com/books?id=JqBHWZXuOsQC&pg=PA195&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&lr=&sig=ZFAnLUGTAEO6Gwv2j8JL1cSO-To#PPA195,M1 The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine], p.195. University of Texas Press 2006. {{ISBN|0-292-71283-9}}</ref> There were priorearlier [[cannon]]s designed this way,{{clarify|date=July 2022}} but the method of securing this band was the innovation that allowed the Parrott to overcome the deficiencies of these earlier models.{{source?|date=July 2022}} 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.<ref name="Gusley">{{cite book| last1=Gusley| first1=Henry O.| first2=Edward T.| last2=Cotham| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JqBHWZXuOsQC&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&pg=PA195| title=The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine| page=195| publisher=University of Texas Press| year=2006| isbn=978-0-2927-1283-6}}</ref> 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 Parrott rifle]] up to the rare 300-pounder.<ref name="TLJ">{{cite book| last=Jones,| first=Terry L.| title=Historical Dictionary of the Civil War,| p.page=1047. | publisher=Scarecrow Press,| year=2002.| {{ISBN|isbn=978-0-8108-4112-63}}</ref> In the field, the 10- and 20-pounders were used by both armies. The [[20-pounder Parrott rifle]] was the largest field gun used during the war, with the barrel alone weighing over {{convert|1800|lb|kg}}. The smaller size was much more prevalent; it came in two bore sizes: {{convert|2.9|in|mm}} and {{convert|3.0|in|mm}}. [[Confederate States Army|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|Union]] batteries used only the {{convert|2.9-|in|mm}}. The M1863, with a {{convert|3-.0|in|mm}} [[gauge (bore diameter)|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 {{convert|2000|yd|m}} with a trained crew.<ref name="Big Guns at Gettysburg">National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park. [http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/soldierlife/artillery.htm "Big Guns at Gettysburg"]. Retrieved January 18, 2008. (dead{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117170716/http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/soldierlife/artillery.htm link)|date=January 17, 2008 }}</ref>▼
beans are a good source of beans
 
On June 23-24, 1862, [[Abraham Lincoln|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 [[United_States_Department_of_War|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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=102390793/ |title=The President at West Point |date=26 June 1862 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523163528/https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=102390793/|archive-date=23 May 2022|url-status=live |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com |quote=One of them, which sends a {{convert|100|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell, was fired fifteen times, and another, which sends a {{convert|200|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell, was fired five times. |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
▲The gun was invented by Captain [[Robert Parker Parrott]],<ref name=hmdb /> a [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] graduate. He was an American soldier and inventor of military ordnance. 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.<ref name="RAP">Pritchard Jr, Russ A. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YOmZolJJktAC&pg=PA82&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&lr=&sig=3W9wyByS8IFq95FEMRm87LoKapc Civil War Weapons and Equipment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114195218/http://books.google.com/books?id=YOmZolJJktAC&pg=PA82&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&lr=&sig=3W9wyByS8IFq95FEMRm87LoKapc |date=2012-11-14 }}, p.82. Globe Pequit Press, 2003. {{ISBN|1-58574-493-X}}.</ref>
 
Naval versions of the 20-, 30-, 60-, and 100-poundpounder Parrotts were also used by the Union navy.<ref name="NNSY">[http://www.nnsy1.navy.mil/History/CWG.HTM "Norfolk Naval Ship Yard: Civil War Guns in Trophy Park"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110115201/http://www.nnsy1.navy.mil/History/CWG.HTM |date=2008-01-10 }}</ref> 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 {{convert|80-pound|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell 7,810 yards (7,140 m) at 30 degrees elevation.<ref name="NNSY"/>▼
▲Parrotts were manufactured with a combination of [[cast iron|cast]] 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.<ref name="Gusley">Gusley, Henry O. and Edward T. Cotham. [https://books.google.com/books?id=JqBHWZXuOsQC&pg=PA195&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&lr=&sig=ZFAnLUGTAEO6Gwv2j8JL1cSO-To#PPA195,M1 The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine], p.195. University of Texas Press 2006. {{ISBN|0-292-71283-9}}</ref> There were prior [[cannon]]s 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.<ref name="Gusley"/> By the end of the Civil War, both sides were using this type of gun extensively.
 
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.<ref name="Perils of Gunnery">New York Times, April 20, 1889. [https://www.nytimes.com/1889/04/20/archives/perils-of-gunnery-the-frequent-bursting-of-the-parrott-guns-during.html "Perils of Gunnery.; The Frequent Bursting of the Parrott Guns During Practice"]. ''The New York Times''. April 20, 1889. Retrieved January 18, 2008.</ref> ▼
▲Parrott rifles were manufactured in different sizes, from the [[10-pounder Parrott rifle]] up to the rare 300-pounder.<ref name="TLJ">Jones, Terry L. Historical Dictionary of the Civil War, p.1047. Scarecrow Press, 2002. {{ISBN|0-8108-4112-6}}</ref> In the field, the 10- and 20-pounders were used by both armies. The [[20-pounder Parrott rifle]] was the largest field gun used during the war, with the barrel alone weighing over {{convert|1800|lb|kg}}. The smaller size was much more prevalent; it came in two bore sizes: {{convert|2.9|in|mm}} and {{convert|3.0|in|mm}}. [[Confederate States Army|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|Union]] batteries used only the 2.9-in. The M1863, with a 3-in [[gauge (bore diameter)|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 {{convert|2000|yd|m}} with a trained crew.<ref name="Big Guns at Gettysburg">National Park Service: Gettysburg National Military Park. [http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/soldierlife/artillery.htm "Big Guns at Gettysburg"]. Retrieved January 18, 2008 (dead link)</ref>
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 Ordnanceordnance rifle]]. When the Parrott gun burst in battle, artilleristsgunners would chip out the jagged parts and continue firing.<ref name="Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War">Hess, Earl J. Hess(2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=k96hzmOJX6sC&pg=PA272&lpg=PA272&dq=parrott+rifle&sourcepg=web&ots=MKEBoCDxvJ&sig=qo72vVa8nPPEtaOZSCiBPYicWUg#PPA271,M1PA272 "Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War: The Eastern Campaigns, 1861-1864"],. p.271. University of North Carolina Press, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-8078-2931-8}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Perils of Gunnery"/>▼
 
Several hundred Parrott gun tubes remain today, many adorning battlefield parks, county courthouses, museums,and etcmuseums. 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.▼
▲Naval versions of the 20-, 30-, 60-, and 100-pound Parrotts were also used by the Union navy.<ref name="NNSY">[http://www.nnsy1.navy.mil/History/CWG.HTM Norfolk Naval Ship Yard: Civil War Guns in Trophy Park] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110115201/http://www.nnsy1.navy.mil/History/CWG.HTM |date=2008-01-10 }}</ref> 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 80-pound shell 7,810 yards (7,140 m) at 30 degrees elevation.<ref name="NNSY"/>
 
The larger sizes of Parrott rifles (100-pdrpounder and up) were deployed in [[Seacoast defense in the United States|coast defense]] from circa 1863 to circa 1900, when they were replaced by [[Board of Fortifications|Endicott period]] forts and weapons. Along with [[Rodman gun]]s, 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 [[East Coast of the United States|US East Coast]].<ref name=ComRep1>[{{cite journal| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RUtZAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA3780&lpg=PA3780&dq=submarine+mine+kennebec&sourcepg=bl&otsPA3780| journal=4xAi23wWH6&sig=dWoH11emgzCGV43fUkYyNlaVEDM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4r5Hc167JAhUUXWMKHQZJAI8Q6AEIOjAI#v=onepage&q=submarine%20mine%20kennebec&f=false Congressional serialSerial set,Set| year=1900,| ''title=Report of the Commission on the Conduct of the War with Spain'', Vol.| volume=7, pp.| pages=3778–3780,| location=Washington:, D.C.| publisher=Government Printing Office]}}</ref>▼
▲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.<ref name="Perils of Gunnery">New York Times, April 20, 1889. [https://www.nytimes.com/1889/04/20/archives/perils-of-gunnery-the-frequent-bursting-of-the-parrott-guns-during.html "Perils of Gunnery.; The Frequent Bursting of the Parrott Guns During Practice"] Retrieved January 18, 2008.</ref>
▲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, artillerists would chip out the jagged parts and continue firing.<ref name="Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War">Earl J Hess.[https://books.google.com/books?id=k96hzmOJX6sC&pg=PA272&lpg=PA272&dq=parrott+rifle&source=web&ots=MKEBoCDxvJ&sig=qo72vVa8nPPEtaOZSCiBPYicWUg#PPA271,M1 Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War: The Eastern Campaigns, 1861-1864], p.271. University of North Carolina Press, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-8078-2931-8}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Perils of Gunnery"/>
 
▲Several hundred Parrott gun tubes remain today, many adorning battlefield parks, county courthouses, museums, etc. 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-pdr and up) were deployed in [[Seacoast defense in the United States|coast defense]] from circa 1863 to circa 1900, when they were replaced by [[Board of Fortifications|Endicott period]] forts and weapons. Along with [[Rodman gun]]s, 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 [[East Coast of the United States|US East Coast]].<ref name=ComRep1>[https://books.google.com/books?id=RUtZAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA3780&lpg=PA3780&dq=submarine+mine+kennebec&source=bl&ots=4xAi23wWH6&sig=dWoH11emgzCGV43fUkYyNlaVEDM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4r5Hc167JAhUUXWMKHQZJAI8Q6AEIOjAI#v=onepage&q=submarine%20mine%20kennebec&f=false Congressional serial set, 1900, ''Report of the Commission on the Conduct of the War with Spain'', Vol. 7, pp. 3778–3780, Washington: Government Printing Office]</ref>
 
==The 300-pound solution==
By summer 1863, Union forces became frustrated by the heavily fortified Confederate position at [[Fort Sumter]], and brought to bear the {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on}} Parrott, along with several smaller cannons. In all, two 80-pounder Whitworths, nine 100-pounder Parrotts, six 200-pounder Parrotts, and a 300-pounder Parrott<ref name="Johnson">Johnson, John. [https://archive.org/details/defensecharlest00johngoog/page/n135 <!-- pg=119 quote="10 inch" parrott. --> "The Defense of Charleston Harbor: Including Fort Sumpter and the Adjacent Islands, 1863-1865"]. Walker, Evans, and Cogswell Co, 1890. [https://archive.org/details/defensecharlest00johngoog <!-- quote="10 inch" parrott. --> Digitized by Harvard University], August 9, 2006.</ref> were deployed. It was widely believed in the north that a massive 10-ininch Parrott would finally break the previously impenetrable walls of the fort, which had become the symbol of stalwart steadfastness for the Confederacy.<ref name="NYT2">[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9902E0D71E3BE63BBC4C52DFBE668388679FDE "The Big Gun: What the Three-Hundred Pound Parrott is Expected to Do"]. ''The New York Times,''. August 14, 1863. Byline: From the Washington Republican.</ref>
 
The ''Washington Republican'' described the technical accomplishments of the 10-in Parrott:<ref name="NYT2"/>▼
{{Quote|The breaching power of the 10-inch 300-pounder Parrott rifled gun, now about to be used against the brick walls of Fort Sumter, will best be understood by comparing it with the ordinary 24-pounder siege gun, which was the largest gun used for breaching during the Italian War.<p>▼
 
▲The ''Washington Republican'' described the technical accomplishments of the {{convert|10-|in|cm|adj=on}} Parrott:<ref name="NYT2"/>
The 24-pounder round shot, which starts with a velocity of 1,625 feet per second, strikes an object at the distance of 3,500 yards, with a velocity of about 300 feet per second. The 10-in rifle 300-pound shot has an initial velocity of 1,111 feet, and has afterward a remaining velocity of 700 feet per second, at a distance of 3,500 yards.<p>
▲{{QuoteBlockquote |text= The breaching power of the 10-inch 300-pounder Parrott rifled gun, now about to be used against the brick walls of Fort Sumter, will best be understood by comparing it with the ordinary 24-pounder siege gun, which was the largest gun used for breaching during the Italian War.<pref name="NYT2" />}}
 
The {{convert|3.75|in|cm|adj=mid|-bore}} {{convert|24|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shot, with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1625|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}, strikes a target at {{convert|3500|yd|m|abbr=on}} with a velocity of about {{convert|300|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} (this is almost beyond the range of the weapon). In contrast, the {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=mid|-bore}} {{convert|300|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shot, with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1111|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}, strikes the target at the same range still moving at {{convert|700|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}, due to its much higher mass-to-drag ratio. The resulting huge difference in impact energy, {{convert|33000|ftlbf|J|abbr=on}} for the {{convert|24|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell, and over {{convert|2000000|ftlbf|J|abbr=on}} for the {{convert|300|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell, means the penetrating energy of the larger shell is 20 times that of the smaller.
From well-known mechanical laws, the resistance which these projectiles are capable of overcoming is equal to 33,750 pounds and 1,914,150 pounds, raised one foot in a second respectively. Making allowances for the differences of the diameters of these projectiles, it will be found that their penetrating power will be 1 to 19.6. The penetration of the 24-pounder shot at 3,500 yards, in brick work, is 62 {{sic|?}} inches. The penetration of the 10-inch projectile will therefore be between six and seven feet into the same material.<p>
 
In terms of the ability to punch holes in fortifications, at that long range the light {{convert|24|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell would be expected to only breach a {{convert|6|in|mm|adj=mid|-thick}} brick wall. In contrast, the greater mass and retained velocity of the {{convert|300|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell would enable it to penetrate {{convert|6|to|7|ft|cm|abbr=on}} of brick (given the quality of the material back then). The Union soldiers knew Fort Sumter's brick walls averaged about {{convert|5|ft|cm}} thick, and thus recognized the potential for such a cannon to help them succeed in taking back their Fort.
To use a more familiar illustration, the power of the 10-in rifle shot at the distance of 3,500 yards, may be said to be equal to the united blows of 200 sledge hammers weighing 100 pounds each, falling from a height of ten feet and acting upon a drill ten inches in diameter.|The Washington Republican|August 12, 1863}}
 
==Swamp Angel==
[[File:The Swamp Angel.jpg|thumb|left|The Swamp Angel]]
One of the mostA famous Parrott cannons was the Swamp Angel, anlarge {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} gunParrott cannon, called the Swamp Angel, was used by federal [[Brigadier general|Brigadier General]] [[Quincy Adams Gillmore]] to bombard [[Charleston, South Carolina]]. It was manned by the [[11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment]].<ref name="Wise">Wise, Stephen R. (1994). [http://www.awod.com/cwchas/swamp.html ''Gate of Hell: Campaign for Charleston Harbor, 1863'']. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217063201/http://www.awod.com/cwchas/swamp.html |date=2008-02-17 }}. University of South Carolina Press, 1994. {{ISBN|978-0-87249-985-0}}.</ref>
 
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.<ref name="Wise" /> The battle was made more famous by [[Herman Melville]]'s poem [http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/swamp-angel "The Swamp Angel"].<ref name="Vincent">Vincent, Howard P. (1947). ''Collected Poems of Herman Melville''. Packard and Company, 1947.</ref>
 
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]].<ref name="NYT">[https://www.nytimes.com/1876/12/01/archives/the-swamp-angel-a-monument-made-of-the-old-gun-which-was-used-in.html "The Swamp Angel"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 1, 1876.</ref><ref>{{Citecite web |url=http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc4/swamp-angel1.htm |title=Pictures of the Swamp Angel at Cadwallader |access-date=2008-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229073457/http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc4/swamp-angel1.htm |archive-date=2008-02-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
==Parrott rifles by size==
[[File:American Civil War era 10 lb parrott rifle used in the battle of Corydon reenactment.jpg|thumb|A replica 10-pound Army Parrott rifle]]
[[File:Parrott gun No. 107, from USS Kanawha - St. Johnsbury, Vermont - DSC04154.JPG|thumb|Parrott gun No. 107 (USS ''Kanawha''), a 3.67-in (20-lb) Naval Parrott]]
[[File:Parrot Rifle - Freeport NY 20211102 180223377.jpg|thumb|Parrot Riflerifle ofin Freeport, New York, from U.S.S.''Hartford'', Adm Farragut's flagship in Mobile Bay]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Parrott Guns by Size'''<ref name="NNSY"/><ref name="CWArt">[http://www.cwartillery.org/ve/parrott.html The Encyclopedia of Civil War Artillery: "Parrot Rifles"]. {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20060330014308/http://www.cwartillery.org/ve/parrott.html |date=2006-03-30 }}. ''The Encyclopedia of Civil War Artillery''. Accessed January 18, 2008.</ref><ref name="NPSANB">[http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/arty.htm National Park Service: Artillery at Antietam]. Accessed January 18, 2008.</ref><ref name="Bigelow">Bigelow, John (1910). [https://archive.org/details/campaignchancel00bigegoog/page/n43 <!-- pg=22 quote=range of parrott gun. --> "The Campaign of Chancellorsville"]. Yale University Press, 1910.</ref><ref name="Mirkwood">[http://mirkwood.ucs.indiana.edu/acw/cwhart.htm mirkwood.ucs.indiana.edu "Civil War Heavy Artillery"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113131920/http://mirkwood.ucs.indiana.edu/acw/cwhart.htm |date=2008-01-13 }}. ''The American Civil War''. Citing Martin, David G. "Data File 023: Civil War Heavy Artillery". ''Strategy & Tactics'', No. 81, Jul/Aug. 1980</ref><ref name="CWTable">[http://www.civilwarartillery.com/tables.htm "Projection Tables"]. ''The Encyclopedia of Civil War Artillery: Projection''. Tables], citingCiting "The Confederate Ordnance Manual". Accessed January 21, 2008.</ref>
|-
! Model !! Length !! Weight !! Munition !! Charge size !! Maximum range at elevation !! Flight time !! Crew size
|-
| 2.9-in (10-lb) Army Parrott || {{convert|73 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|890|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|10|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|1|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|5000|yd|abbr=on}} at 20 degrees || 21 secs || 8
|-
| 3.0-in (10-lb) Army Parrott || {{convert|74 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|890|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|10|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|1|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|1830|yd|abbr=on}} at 5 degrees || 7 secs || 8
|-
| 3.67-in (20-lb) Army Parrott || {{convert|79 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|1795|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|19|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|2|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|4400|yd|abbr=on}} at 15 degrees || 17 secs || 8
|-
| 3.67-in (20-lb) Naval Parrott || {{convert|81 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|1795|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|19|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|2|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|4400|yd|abbr=on}} at 15 degrees || 17 secs || 8
|-
| 4.2-in (30-lb) Army Parrott || {{convert|126 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|4200|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|29|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|3.25|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|6700|yd|abbr=on}} at 25 degrees || 27 secs || 9
|-
| 4.2-in (30-lb) Naval Parrott || {{convert|102 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|3550|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|29|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|3.25|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|6700|yd|abbr=on}} at 25 degrees || 27 secs || 9
|-
| 5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott || {{convert|111 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|5430|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|50|lb|abbr=on}} or {{convert|60|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|6|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|7400|yd|abbr=on}} at 30 degrees || 30 secs || 14
|-
| 5.3-in (60-lb) Naval Parrott (breechload) || {{convert|111 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|5242|lb|abbr=on}}|| 50-lb or {{convert|60|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|6|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|7400|yd|abbr=on}} at 30 degrees || 30 secs || 14
|-
| 6.4-in (100-lb) Naval Parrott || {{convert|138 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|9727|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|80|lb|abbr=on}} or {{convert|100|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|10|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|7810|yd|abbr=on}} at 30 degrees (80-lb) || 32 secs || 17
|-
| 6.4-in (100-lb) Naval Parrott (breechload) || {{convert|138 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|10266|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|80|lb|abbr=on}} or {{convert|100|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|10|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|7810|yd|abbr=on}} at 30 degrees (80-lb) || 32 secs || 17
|-
| 8-in (150-lb) Naval Parrott || {{convert|146 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|16500|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|150|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|16|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|8000|yd|abbr=on}} at 35 degrees || 180 || ?
|-
| 8-in (200-lb) Army Parrott || {{convert|146 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|16500|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|200|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|16|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|8000|yd|abbr=on}} at 35 degrees || ? || ?
|-
| 10-in (300-lb) Army Parrott || {{convert|156 |in|cm|abbr=on}} || {{convert|26900|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|300|lb|abbr=on}} shell || {{convert|26|lb|abbr=on}} || {{convert|9000|yd|abbr=on}} at 30 degrees || 202.5 secs* || ?
|}
 
(*) 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 {{convert|133&nbsp;|ft per second/s|m/s|abbr=on}} to be in flight for 202 seconds to cover 9,000yds{{convert|9000|yd|m|abbr=on}}. A more accurate estimate will be in the range of 30 seconds.
 
==See also==
Line 104 ⟶ 100:
* Johnson, Curt, and Richard C. Anderson, ''Artillery Hell: Employment of Artillery at Antietam'', College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1995
* Coggins, Jack, ''Arms and Equipment of the Civil War''. Wilmington N.C.: Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1989. (Originally published 1962).
* {{ cite book | title = The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast, and Naval Cannon | authors author1= Edwin Olmstead, |author2=Wayne E. Stark, and |author3=Spencer C. Tucker | publisher = Museum Restoration Service | location = Alexandria Bay, NY | year = 1997 | isbn = 0-888-55012-X }}
 
==External links==
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrott_rifle"