Parrott rifle: Difference between revisions

[[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 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&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&pg=PA82| title=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&dq=%22parrott+rifle%22+%22robert+parker+parrott%22&pg=PA195 The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine], p.195. University of Texas Press 2006. {{ISBN|0-292-71283-9}}</ref> There were earlier [[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. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117170716/http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/soldierlife/artillery.htm |date=January 17, 2008 }}</ref>

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-poundpounder 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 |location=New York |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com |quote=One of them, which sends a {{convert|100-pound|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell, was fired fifteen times, and another, which sends a {{convert|200-pound|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell, was fired five times. |url-access=subscription}}</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"/>

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>

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, 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&dq=parrott+rifle&pg=PA272 "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"/>

The larger sizes of Parrott rifles (100-pdrpounder and up) were deployed in [[Seacoast defense in the United States|coast defense]] from 1863 to 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&dq=submarine+mine+kennebec&pg=PA3780| journal=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>

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 {{convert|10-|in|cm|adj=on}} Parrott:

The {{convert|3.75|in|cm|adj=mid|-3/4" bore}} {{convert|24-pound|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shot, with a muzzle velocity of 1,625 feet per second{{convert|1625|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}, strikes a target at 3,500 yards{{convert|3500|yd|m|abbr=on}} with a velocity of about {{convert|300 feet per second|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-pound|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shot, with a muzzle velocity of 1,111 feet per second{{convert|1111|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}, strikes the target at the same range still moving at {{convert|700 feet per second|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}, due to its much higher mass -to -drag ratio. The resulting huge difference in impact energy, 33,000 ft-lb{{convert|33000|ftlbf|J|abbr=on}} for the {{convert|24 |lb|kg|abbr=on}} shell, and over 2,000,000 ft-lb{{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.

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 feet|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 feet|ft|cm}} thick, and thus recognized the potential for such a cannon to help them succeed in taking back their Fort.

A famous large {{convert|8|in|mm|adj=on}} Parrott 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 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>

| 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* || ?

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.