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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>
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,{{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"/> 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">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>
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