Author Topic: Shooter2 in the USA (Read 2928 times)

shooter2 · « **on:** August 22, 2011, 04:15:24 AM »

My partner and I have arrived in Buffalo NY after a 26 hour travel marathon that involved two dawns and two sunsets in one day crossing the pacific and the continental USA. Today we see Niagra Falls and Old Fort Niagra. The adventure begins.
Shooter2

Cannoneer · « **Reply #1 on:** August 22, 2011, 04:50:43 AM »

Today starts your travelogue, keep us up to date; so good luck, stay safe, and happy sightseeing!

shooter2 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 22, 2011, 05:26:02 PM »

Went to but not over Niagra Falls today. After Lunch went to Old Fort Niagra. Saw lots of reproductions and more than few originals. There was a whole stack of Civil War era bronze tubes in one redoubt, just laying there side by side. I identified a few by Cyrus Alger and another by Ames. I also found and catalogued a James Rifle 3.8 inch on a civil war carriage hidden under a rampart. I suppose it is out of character for the War of 1812 so they do notshow it. Photos willfollow when I get time to upload to Photobucket. Also happy to find a couple of original mortars. The cannon firing demo involved a repro Coehorn Mortar on small wooden bed. Entertaining at least and the commentator seemed to have his facts right, so different from Australia.

On to Watervliet Arsenal tomorrow. We are stopping just 1.5 hours from the town for the night.

shooter2

KABAR2 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2011, 07:13:48 PM »

Welcome to you from Down under from us up yonder
what's your itinerary? Will you be heading south as far as Virginia? if so let me know

Allen <><

flagman1776 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2011, 10:54:22 AM »

shooter2 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 24, 2011, 02:29:34 AM »

A refresh on our itinerary seems in order. We are going to West Point today for a guided tour at the kind invitation of the curator. We then go to NY city for 2 days, Gettysburg, Richmond VA and then driving up towards Washington DC following the famous battles, Mechanicsville, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Manassas, tour DC for a couple of days and then fly to Florida for cruise that includes Key West (Fort Zachary Taylor). Fly to London on 10 September and then attack Europe.
Watervliet Arsenal was definitely worth the drive. Mark, the new curator was more than helpful and gave me access to the displays, the back room and the 19th century workshop which was fascinating as it is still being used. There was no end of historic and original cannon, some in carriages and most unfortunately parked on the floor. The machinist in me was very impressed by the moodern machining being carried out there as well.
West Point this morning.
shooter2

Cannoneer · « **Reply #6 on:** August 24, 2011, 09:18:45 AM »

Hey, after you're done at West Point, let us know how many photos are already stored on your camera's card.

KABAR2 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 24, 2011, 11:46:39 AM »

Richmond? You are not coming down to tour the Yorktown battlefield? or Colonial Williamsburg?
you are selling yourself short by missing these, the museum at Colonial Williamsburg has a great
arms collection including some cannon, and York town has a great many original cannon, if you decide to change your plans pm me and I will send you my phone number for when you get down this way, maybe we can meet up.

Allen <><

shooter2 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 24, 2011, 02:15:14 PM »

Kabar2,
When I put the itinerary together I was following the Civil War battlefields and trying to keep my lovely partner happy on alternate days where possible. I will check google maps and see how close it is to where we are scheduled to go. I would love to get together with a fellow forum member if possible.

shooter2

eod20 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 24, 2011, 06:34:20 PM »

when you get to gettysburg give me a call im in carlisle, pa about 20 miles north and home of the army heritage center and the army war collage. you can still see the musket ball damage to the old court house when them southern boys came thruand we have Lt Denning referred to as Col. Denning burried about 3 blocks from my home - he made the first iron cannon for Gen. Washington at pine grove furnance.

shooter2 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 25, 2011, 01:24:55 AM »

West Point today. What a buzz. Thanks to the generosity of Mr Les Jensen of the West Point Museum I was able to spend many hours examining and photographing so many cannon I have actually lost count. Highlights included Mexican War cannon originally made in England and poring all over an original 1861 carriage with a 10 inch Rodman gun atop it. My next Rodman gun project will have a much more accurate carriage. Of course I also saw the 150 pr Armstrong Gun that the Seacoast boys measured extensively. New York New York today and tomorrow. Battery Point to Central Park, lookout world here we come.

shooter2 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 25, 2011, 01:27:49 AM »

Eod20,
Will do! Arriving in Gettysburg sometime Saturday Morning.

shooter2 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 25, 2011, 05:44:19 PM »

Cannoneer,
By my estimate I have obtained over 800 photos of cannons this trip. Already downloaded onto the computer harddrive. Keep meaning to post but like tonight I am writing this post really late and I am dog tired. Did NY today, first day without cannons, already feeling deprived. This addiction needs to be continuously fed doesn't it?

Shooter2

DaveSB · « **Reply #13 on:** August 26, 2011, 03:20:11 AM »

Can't wait to see pics of your travels!

Double D · « **Reply #14 on:** August 26, 2011, 06:03:31 AM »

800 pictures all in one post. Besure to resize them to no more than 576 pixels wide at 72 dpi...that way instead taking a week to 10 days to open the post, should take 4 or 5 days...

.

Don't worry about perhaps posting pictures of cannons we have seen before, we want to see them again...

shooter2 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 27, 2011, 01:45:04 PM »

We left the NY area this morning. No traffic issues, no evidence of the Hurricane. Now in Gettysburg, I spent the equivalent of the Australian National Debt on trinkets and cannon models in the Wax Museum Gift Shop. Totally self indulgent, but what the hell. Doing the battlefield tour tomorrow. Cannot speak highly enough of the whole town, very friendly, nice slow pace. So much better than NY. I did enjoy NY but the pace nearly killed me and Sue. We are better suited to the country life. We just tried to package all the souveniers and bits and pieces in one box. It would give our postie a hernia, so it looks like a couple of boxes instead being mailed back.
Photos tomorrow, I promise
shooter2

shooter2 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 28, 2011, 05:03:12 PM »

Completed the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour today. Another item to strikeoff from my bucket list. As promised I can now start to publish photos. As mentioned I have hundreds so to keep it manageable I will show 4 or 5 from each site of the ones I like the most.
Lets start with Fort Niagara.

Impact Damage on Carronade from above

shooter2 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 28, 2011, 05:13:15 PM »

Watervliet Arsenal next

CSA Secret Weapon, Breech loading quick firing cannon

They have the most exquisite collection of models, about 1/16 scale I reckon.

Brilliantly laid out 19th century workshop

A fair number of fired cannonballs in stock,

RocklockI · « **Reply #18 on:** August 28, 2011, 07:30:36 PM »

Sweet ,those are some very nice pictures ! Nice models . And a very nice mortar !

I bet that dent in the Carronade focused the crews attention ! BIG TIME !

Was that seacoast mortar bronze ?

More pictures please

Gary

Cannoneer · « **Reply #19 on:** August 29, 2011, 02:39:53 AM »

Good work, shooter2! It looks like this thread is going to develop into a fine photo journal; and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

shooter2 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 29, 2011, 06:10:09 PM »

Gary,
The seacoast mortar model in the Watervliet series was made from brass. There were so many other cannons that I took shots of but these were some of the highlights. This series is West Point.
First up - Thayer Hall - French gun captured in 1847.

Inverted mortars on each corner of the building

A feature of the building is the cannon mounted into the walls.

Closeup of damaged barrel mounted in wall.

shooter2 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 29, 2011, 06:19:29 PM »

Continuing the West Point series

British Howitzer

Muzzle damage

Bronze guns at Trophy Point

More Trophy point guns

Confederate Letterbox Gun (No doubt copied from my letter box)

shooter2 · « **Reply #22 on:** August 29, 2011, 06:32:32 PM »

Third part of West Point series!

Bronze Stone Mortar

A rather familiar Armstrong Gun (Hey Mike and Tracy?)

A ten inch Rodman gun, I took a huge number of detail shots of the carriage and rails. Hopefully my next attempt at a Rodman model will be more accurate in detail.

The Civil War Memorial

Replicas on the memorial proper named for each battle.

Original Confederate barrels buried in the ground around the memorial.

More tomorrow! Exploring Fredericksburg and surrounding areas after doing the Tredagar Iron Works at Richmond today. Still keeping up the pace, but feeling it.

DaveSB · « **Reply #23 on:** August 30, 2011, 02:55:34 AM »

wow, amazing pictures!! keep em coming.

seacoastartillery · « **Reply #24 on:** August 30, 2011, 10:23:04 AM »

Quote from: shooter2 on August 29, 2011, 06:32:32 PM

Third part of West Point series!

Bronze Stone Mortar

A rather familiar Armstrong Gun (Hey Mike and Tracy?)

That's right, Shooter2, we have that 150 Pdr. Armstrong on our list as the last of the Magnificent Seacoast Gun Series and are looking forward to making a 1/6 scale re-creation, but not until early 2014 after a year of rifling tubes and other goodies for the 1" to 2" rifled cannon shooter.

We have been following your exploits closely. Looks like you are maximizing the time available. Great pics!!

Mike and Tracy

P.S. Someone please tell RocklockI that his next mortar project should be to make one of those Bronze Stone Mortars and to please make mine full size. I've always wanted to throw a basket full of fuzed 6 pdr. shells from one. THAT would be exciting!!!

shooter2 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 30, 2011, 05:04:03 PM »

After West Point I gained some Brownie Points by not chasing cannons whilst we explored New York. OF course we visited all the sights including Empire State Building, Liberty and Ellis Islands, the 9/11 memorial to pay our respects and the NYPD museum where I bought enough souveniers to outfit my own police force.

I did sneak one photo of Governors Island though! Not much but something.

Irene's impending arrival prevented my getting the ferry there that day. Oh well, one failure to achieve on my trip.
shooter2

shooter2 · « **Reply #26 on:** August 30, 2011, 05:15:41 PM »

After New York we drove straight west to Gettysburg to avoid Irene and to complete one of the things I have always wanted to do, visit this battlefield site.

The Museum at the visitor centre had some interesting guns mounted on the walls including this ellsworth breech loader.

Also found a battery of 20 pdr Parrott rifles at the National Cemetery

Finally I found the only pair of Whitworth rifles on the field.

There were so many cannon placed about the battlefield indicating the positions of batterys and groups. These were the different ones, I took pics of Napoleons, 3 inch rifles and Howitzers as well but the unusual ones stood out.

shooter2 · « **Reply #27 on:** August 30, 2011, 05:25:41 PM »

After Gettysburg we drove south to Richmond and visited the Tredegar Iron Works, Motto "Heavy Metal since 1837".

Highlights included this 6.4 inch Brooke Rifle out the front of the Iron Works

A Vandenburg Volley Gun

What is alleged to be the first Bronze gun produced at Tredegar

And finally the Civil War Museum next door labelled this an Iron Napoleon?

shooter2 · « **Reply #28 on:** September 01, 2011, 02:54:49 PM »

Frederisksburg, Chancellorville, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania and the Stonewall Jackson Shrine. All within 20 to 25 miles of each other and a great circuit drive.

Overlooking Marye's heights

Fifth Corps monument at Fredericksburg with a cannon at each point of the compass.

One of the cannons at the monument.

shooter2 · « **Reply #29 on:** September 01, 2011, 03:08:48 PM »

Moved into Washington DC. Found cannon at Arlington and the Smithsonian American History Museum.

An example of perfect drill and devotion to duty at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I was awestruck by the precision.

Revolutionay War Cannon at Smithsonian

Swivel gun on the Philadelphia, Benedict Arnold's gunboat.