http://www.first-team.us/journals/div_arty/fep_saga/fepndx01.htmlI first saw this in The American Legion Magazine back in the maybe the early 80s when I and a Blacksmith friend in Arkville, New York (no fooling. It's "Arkville") built my wrought iron breechblock 2 pdr. at his forge.
Somehow, it all just seemed to be perfect
Well, while I was surfing last week, I came across this site which had copied the article and I thought I'd share it with you for the 4th of July.
As an aside, not many people realize that in reality, an actual blacksmith turned out a couple of wrought iron cannons in Pennsylvania for the Continental Army.
William Denning (1737-1830), Revolutionary War veteran, manufacturer of wrought iron cannon. Served as a sergeant March 1778-April 1780 in Nathanial Irish's Company of Artillery Artificers in Benjamin Flower's Regiment.
Denning's company was stationed just outside of Carlisle, Pennsylvania at Washingtonburg Forge, now Carlisle Barracks. Washingtonburg Forge provided armaments for the Continental Army, including cannon.
It was at this forge that William Denning made the wrought iron cannons in a process of welding gads (strips) of wrought iron in successive layers to produce a cannon that was lighter and better able to resist failure during firing than cast iron cannon.
One of his wrought iron cannon was captured by the British at the Battle of Brandywine and deposited in the Tower of London as a trophy. Unfortunately, it is now gone without a trace; probably destroyed in the fire of October 30, 1841 which destroyed the Grand Store House which contained the, "Train of Artillery".
Below, is an image of his monument which illustrates the "gad" construction. There is a Pennsylvania State Park named in his honour and elsewhere the good sergeant is mistakenly identified as a "Colonel". On the other side of the "pond", this patriot was probably called a "terrorist". Twas ever thus!
