drawing of traveling carriage for a coehorn?

[Santa Dave]

Has anyone a drawing of the traveling carriage for a coehorn mortar?(where they "tip it on it's nose" to ready it? there is a drawing of one on the internet but I need enough detail to "fake" one. ( in scale)
Santa Dave

[threepdr]

Santa Dave,

The coehorn mortars use a simple solid oak block "bed".  John Muller's "Treatise on Artillery" lists the appropriate sizes for coehorns.  I've give you the demensions he lists for a 4.6 inch bore size (12 pdr)mortar and maybe you can scale it down to the bore size of your tube.

Length - 28.5 inches
breadth - 14
hiegth - 9
lenght of tube cavity - 5.7
trunnion cut, end to end - 11.7
trunnion hole depth - 2.2
trunnion hole diameter - 2.4

The tube was locked in the bed at a fixed elevation of 45 degrees.  The range was adjusted by powder charge.

[threepdr]

Found this also.  Here is a way to build one with laminated peices of oak.

Good luck

http://www.buckstix.com/MortarBed.htm

[Santa Dave]

if you "google" coehorn mortar there is a site with a rough drawing of a carriage to transport a coehorn mortar.

I tried to put in a hyper link for it. but it won't work! it is the article titled : COEHORN MORTAR by WL RUFFELL
at the
 riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/mortar/mort2.htm
the "sled" is inlet on the bottom for the axle of a pair of wheels. there is a trail mounted on the rear which attaches to the limber.
to unload the whole thing is tipped up on it's nose, (the sled extends just foreward of the muzzle) and the wheels are removed, then it is tipped back into the firing position on the sled.
NOT quick but the mortars wern't known for thier mobility.

Santa Dave

[CU_Cannon]

Coehorn mortars were the lightest of the mortars during the Civil War.  They would most likely be transported on regular wagons.  

The Hand-Book of Artillery mentions the typical siege-train as having wagons for the 8" and 10" but not for coehorns.

Hand-Book of Artillery-Siege Artillery

[GGaskill]

New Zealand mortar link.  The error above is m z a  instead of r n z a.

[Santa Dave]

thanks!

[guardsgunner]

The ( US ) 1862 Ord. manual show's has a plate of a simular " Mortar Wagon". However, They do not list a bill of material for it in the text. I will see if I can copy the plate without damaging the book.
    CU is right in that these wagon's were not used for coehorn mortars just seige stuff 8" and up. Could be a cool way to drag it out to the range though.

[Santa Dave]

i am interested for exactly that reason!
Santa Dave

[threepdr]

I think we are confusing terms.  The Coehorn was a specific mortar style that was small enough to carried by four men or less.   They were for the most part 24pdrs or smaller.  They would have been trasported in a regular cargo wagon when not in use.

Morters larger than Coehorns were the 8, 10 and 13 inch siege morters.  They did have specific traveling carriages to transport mortar and bed from location to location.   These mortars, once on the ground were not moved with levers and lifts.

[guardsgunner]

there is a plate in Gibbons Manual showing a carriage for the 8 and 10 " mortar.

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/books/GIBBON.PDF

Pg176

[Santa Dave]

:grin:
Thank you VERY much!
Absolutly fasinating reading!
Santa Dave