Siege Artillery in the Campaigns Against Richmond......Abbot, Gen.

[cannonmn]

Siege artillery in the campaigns against Richmond, with notes on the 15-inch gun, including an algebraic analysis of the trajectory of a shot in its ricochets upon smooth water. This is a well-known classic technical artillery book based on General Abbot's experiences, observations, and experiments during the Civil War.  It includes a very interesting chapter on mortars of various sizes, their accuracy, effectiveness, etc.

The book is at this site so you can read it online or download:

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=moa;idno=ahe3909.0001.001;frm=frameset;view=image;seq=3;page=root;size=s

[lance]

cannonmn, excellent book!!! will take many enjoyable hours for this one, something for everybody. i happened to notice on page 44, it was felt that the 12pd mortar was more useful than the 24pd mortar. i'll print that page out,and keep it handy, if anybody bugs me about why i have a 12pd'er............

[Double D]

I love this.

The great weight of the 13-inch mortar (17,000 pounds) renders it difficult to move, and some satisfactory experi. ments were made with a novel platform. An ordinary railroad platform car (eight wheels) was strengthened by additional beams tied strongly by iron rods, and was plated on top with iron. The mortar was placed upon this car, (top of mortar nine feet above track,) and run down on the Petersburg and City Point railroad, to a point near our lines, where a curve in the track afforded facilities for changing the plane of fire by advancing the car or drawing it back. The mortar,fired with fourteen pounds of powder, recoiled less than two feet on the car. which moved ten or twelve feet on the track.

Incredible power!!!

[Double D]

A case for weighing vs volume.


 

For weighing the charge, the system in use in our service (measuring it in powder measures of different sizes with their interior surfaces ungraduated) is radically wrong; because the amount of powder which they will contain depends upon whether it is loose or compact, i. e. upon how it is introduced; because the measures are inexact (I have rarely tested a set of which the smaller and larger measures would correspond, and they sometimes differ twelve per cent. among themselves;) and lastly because the want of interior graduation prevents any accurate measurement unless the full capacity of the measure happens to be required. The weight, not the volume, of the charge is to be determined, and in sea-coast batteries an accurate balance only should be used. In the field, where extreme precision is not generally so essential, a measure made upon the system adopted by the confederates would be a great improvement upon ours. Their measure (Fig. 3, Plate I) consisted of a hollow copper cylinder containing as a bottom a sliding copper cylinder closed at each end and graduated to ounces. The latter, which was made to fit so tightly as to retain its place by friction, could be so adjusted as to cause the measure to exactly contain the desired charge, and thus permit a straight-edge to be always used.

[Double D]

Here's the passge to which Lance referenced:

In my opinion, Coehorn mortar batteries should be added to the reserve trains of armies in the field. A single government wagon would easily carry a 24-pounder Coehorn mortar, with 100 rounds of ammunition complete In other words, the transportation required would only be about onehalf that of ordinary field artillery. I also think that, like the confederates, we should introduce a 12-pounder Coehorn mortar into our service, which, with 200 rounds of ammunition complete, could be carried on a government wagon over any roads where light artillery could follow. Its am-. munition being identical in calibre with that of the light 12-pounder, could always be readily supplied from the general ammunition trains in case of.necessity. For practice against troops, the 12-pounder Coehorn is decidedly more deadly than the 24-pounder; as its shell, when the fuze burns too slowly, does not bury itself on striking, and the fragments thus scatter widely

[seacoastartillery]

     Thanks cannonmn; this is a truly first class resource!  There are quite a few references to mortar fire, methods, practices, etc.  The photos below were taken this past summer about 80 yards from the Connecticut state capitol in Hartford, CT.  We are NOT saying that this is the famed "Dictator".













     From our field notes we have the following markings as appearing on the muzzle-face:  At the top,  17197 lbs.  No. 95  J.R.E.  and, along the bottom,   Fort Pitt PA. 1862

FYI, Mike and Tracy

[lance]

 Double D, that's the page! i was trying to be nice and only used the word "useful", i left out the DEADLY part

[Double D]

M&T that picture is germane to the discussion and the reference text for sure.  The author commnanded the Connecticut  artillery. 

[cannonmn]

Tx for pic of the CT 13".  When I wrote the article back in '86 or so, I decided it could not be the Dictator since the weight did not match the weight shown in the painting of the D. at P'burg.  Wnen the State of CT wanted the Dictator for display at the capitol, there were extras at Fort Monroe, VA., and one of them was selected (probably the one stored closest to where it had to be loaded on a barge!)   and sent.  Fort Monroe was in fact the depot where the Dictator was sent to P'burg from, and was most likely where it was returned to.

[Double D]

Tim,

How about adding John's link in the first post to the references section. There is some interesting stuff in there.

[Cat Whisperer]

Will do!

(Not tonight, got to be up at 05 in the am.)