It’s a long story, but basically this strange saga started with Federal troops stripping boards off houses in Legareville, a tiny southern town on the Stono River just south of Charleston, South Carolina. Say what? That’s right, it started with the Confederates saying, “They’re stealing our houses!!”
The object of this story is two 8-Inch Siege&Garrison Howitzers , Pattern 1840, first authorized to be cast in 1841, the inspiration for the one Ed Hart is making right now, link:
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,234355.0.html Let’s see a photo of the beast in question which is normally mounted on a siege carriage with heavily built, 60” wheels, thanks DD. How the heck did the Federal Navy come to build a Marsilly carriage for one of these 2,600 pound beasts?
From the Navy Historical Center Washington, DC The 8" Army howitzer onboard the Federal ship Pawnee in 1863.
The real question that needs to be answered is this one: How did the Federal Navy come into possession of two Confederate, 8-Inch Siege Howitzers? The Rebels were very, I mean Really Upset! about the ‘theft of boards’ from their houses. They decided to launch an Artillery attack upon the troops doing it and the Federal gunboats supporting them. We get the following very brief synopsis of events from
The Big Guns by Olmstead, Stark and Tucker: “Two surviving in Washington Navy Yard, one of them trophy No. 6, are defaced beyond specific identification. Tredegar Foundry might have cast them from Federal patterns at hand. Exceptionally complete documentation related their role in defending the southern approaches to Charleston, South Carolina. Federal troops drove Confederates, commanded by Major Edward Manigault, from both howitzers on Christmas day, 1863. Their recapture frustrated, they were removed three days later by Union landing parties from U.S. ships Pawnee, Marblehead, and C. P. Williams.”
If you don’t like to read about historical events, you can stop right here. If you want to find out exactly why ship’s carpenters had to design and build a carriage for a big Army howitzer, read on.
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The following map from the book,
Siege Train, The Journal of a Confederate Artilleryman in the Defense of Charleston, Edited by Warren Ripley, shows the position of the 8” Howitzers and other significant places mentioned in Maj. Manigault’s Diary.
A map of Maj. Manigault's area of responsibility for the CSA Artillery Siege Train showing various batteries and significant locations noted in his diary entries pertaining to the CSA Expedition against Federal troops and Gunboats near Legareville.
From
Siege Train edited by Warren Ripley who also wrote
Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War.
Confederate Maj. Manigault’s diary, which covers the period from July 1863 to August of 1864 provides an extremely detailed, day to day, record of what happened as the Federals laid siege to Charleston, SC and all the forts and batteries surrounding it. The rebel artillerymen labored under the morale crushing knowledge that while about 80% of the enemies shells exploded on or at least close to their intended targets, the shells large and small supplied to Confederate artillerymen displayed opposite statistics. Manigault’s diary records the miserable performance of CSA ordnance. On average 70 to 80% of CSA munitions were duds!!, and normally landed short, long or wide of the target.
From Siege Train we learn this: “It was known from Capt. Walpole’s Scout Company on John’s Island that the Yankees were pulling down the houses at Lagareville and carrying the Materials over to Kiawah Island to erect buildings for sheltering the troops there. The party engaged in pulling down these houses was protected by one, or sometimes two, Gunboats anchored just in front of Legareville.
It was accordingly determined to send an Expedition to endeavour to capture, sink, or cripple the Gunboats, or at least to drive them off, and to capture the party in the village engaged in pulling down the houses. As our Pickets were tolerably near the village so as to prevent the Yankees from roving about, workmen and laborers were sent down, who constructed two sunken batteries for each of two guns on a peninsula (and masked by a wood), about ¾ mile below Legareville in direct line. These two Batteries were only 50 to 75 yards apart, both sunken batteries. Another Battery was constructed 250 to 300 yds. lower down on another peninsula although the distance round by land was probably from 1 to 2 miles. This battery was a raised battery. Another platform or battery was said to be placed on the Road in rear of Legareville from which Lagareville might be shelled.
Col. Page of 56th Virginia regt. Commanded the Expedition composed as follows – 460 Infantry from 56th and 27th Virginia; Artillery, Co. “A” Siege Train with two 30 Pndr. Parrotts, Co. “B” Siege Train with 4, 8 in. Howitzers, Capt. Schulz’s Light Battery, Captain Charle’s Light Battery, (“Inglis Light artillery”), 1 Seaction of Marion Arty.,Lieut. Strohecker Comdg.; Cavalry, “The Rebel Troop”, “The Cadet Rangers” and Capt. Wahpole’s Company of Mounted Scouts (20) men.
Through some mistake Cos. A & B of Siege train received no orders until Tuesday Night 22nd inst. 11 ½ P.M. They marched before 3 A.M. Wednesday 23.
The whole force assembled at (Camp at Walpole’s place about 6 miles from Lagareville and 7 miles beyond Church Flats) on the afternoon of Wednesday 23. That night and the next day the force rested.
At dark Thursday 24th, the train moved on and everything was got into position so as to be ready to open fire on the enemy at daylight next morning. The following was the disposition of the force: Capt. Webb’s 2 30 pndr Parrotts were put in Right one of the Batteries ¾ mile below Legareville and Two of Lieut Nesbit’s 8 in. Howitzers in the left Battery 50 or 100 yards from it. The third one of Lt. Nesbit’s Howitzers was put in the Lower Battery (250 or 300 yds. lower down) with 3 of Capt. Schulz’s field pieces – Lieut. Spivey in charge of the howitzer (Capt Schulz comdg, the Battery). The fourth 8 in. Howitzer (under Sergt. Causey) with Section of Marion Artillery on the road in the rear of Legareville in order to shell the village at the proper signal. Captain Charles’ Battery was put between Legareville and Capt. Webbs 30 pndr Howitzers [should be Parrotts]in order to fire on either the Gunboats or Legareville.
The Infantry was in the woods closest to Legareville to charge the village as soon as it had been sufficiently Shelled, and the fire of the gunboats was kept under or drawn away by our own artillery fire.
There was only one Gunboat (supposed to be the Marblehead) visible. The night was a brilliantly clear Moonlit night. Moon full, pretty cold. At 6 A.M. Webb’s two 30 pndr. Parrotts and Nesbit’s two 8 in. Howitzers opened fire on the gunboat, distance estimated variously at from 600 to 1,000 yds. Capt. Chrles’ Napoleon guns also opened on the Gunboat. It was some minutes before Marblehead replied, but the officers all say that when she did her practice was beautiful. The Pawnee which was lying round a point, and before [she moved] was invisible to our troops, immediately got under way and and ran into the Kiawah River where She took up a position and enfiladed the different Batteries. A schooner-rigged Gunboat [C. P. Williams] also immediately made sail from her anchorage near Cole’s Island and came to the assistance of the Marblehead. After about ¾ of an hour the enemies fire became so hot that Col Kemper determined to withdraw the guns. Pvt. Ancrum of Co. “A” had his leg shot off by a shell which killed both of the horses he was driving (he was next to the lead driver of one of the 30 pndr. Parrott Guns. Webb who was within a few feet of him 9he had gone to the rear by order of Col. Kemper to bring up the horses to carry off the Guns) received a severe concussion from the explosion of the same shell. Corpl. Bland of the same company was stunned by a concussion. Private Zorn was shot through the hand by [a] fragment of shell. One of the other horses of Company “A” was killed, and a fourth wounded, probably mortally. By great exertions the two 30 pndr. Parrotts were got off.
One of the 8 in. Howitzers of Lieut. Nesbit was got off;but the other had to be abandoned; as two horses belonging to it were Killed & several wounded and the remainder had run off in great alarm so that it was impossible to get together more than 7 horses with which the first howitzer was got off. Private W. F. Johnson of Co. “B” was killed instantly by the same shell which killed his two horses. Several others experienced concussions from bursting of shells near them.
The 8 in. Howitzer at the lower Battery under command of Capt. Schultz [Schulz] was also abandoned in consequence of of the breaking of the harness and running away of the horses, who were twice hitched in, and broke away both times; after which Capt. Schultz ordered the howitzer to be abandoned. Capt. Charles lost one man killed and one wounded. The Infantry is said to have done nothing. In a short time the whole force retreated to Roper’s place 2 ½ or 3 miles in rear of Legareville where they remained until [time omitted in manuscript]. They then went on to Walpole’s place where they had encamped the first night.”
Our conclusion is that incomplete intelligence about the Federal presence in the area, especially the fact that Confederate forces didn’t know that the Gunboat Pawnee, a 1,289 ton, twin-screw, steamer could enfilade all of their artillery batteries with her 100 pdr. Parrott rifle and 50 pdr. Dahlgren rifle plus eight nasty 9” Dahlgren guns from her anchorage at the confluence of the Stono and Kiawah Rivers with support from the 13” mortar of the schooner C. P. Williams which fired 20 huge mortar shells during the fracas. With room to maneuver, the gunboat Marblehead swept the Rebel batteries with her repeated broadsides of 24 pdr and 9” smoothbores and 20 pdr. Parrott rifle. All of these assets combined were more than enough to cause this disaster for the Confederate Expedition, especially the loss of the men and two 8” Siege Howitzers which now reside at the Washington Navy Yard. It took several days, but the Federal Navy’s sailors finally found creeks which led to one dismounted gun (dismounted by sailors who landed immediately after the Rebel artillerymen withdrew), and came within 100 yds. of the other. A Confederate plan to haul a sling cart to these locations was not executed in time. The guns were lost.
Tracy and Mike P.S. Although the Confederate artillerymen hit the Marblehead 20 times, causing some serious damage and wounds to her sailors, they didn’t know this. All of their ordnance which hit the Gunboat was defective and Did Not Explode! To add insult to injury, the CSA commanding general ordered Maj. Manigault to have his artillerymen practice shooting weekly at a range near headquarters so he could keep an eye on them.
