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Lou's Place in Cyberspace |
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THE SWAMP ANGEL
One of the most famous artillery pieces used during the Civil War was the "Swamp Angel", an 8-inch Parrott rifle which was a new weapon introduced during the war. The gun was of a new design which departed from the standard smooth bore cannon prevalent at that time. This gun also had barrel rifling which greatly increased its accuracy and range. The Parrot Rifle was named after its inventor Robert Parrott. What gave it its distinct look from any other type of cannon of that time, was a thick metal band around the breech section of the gun. This reinforcing band gave this type of weapon its characteristic look. Because this was a new piece of ordnance and was a trial period, records were kept of the performance of each gun used during the siege of Charleston. These records were to prove essential in positively identifying the actual cannon known as the SWAMP ANGEL for posterity. Information for this story on the Swamp Angel was obtained from the Manuscript Room at the TRENTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, TRENTON , NEW JERSEY. These consisted of several articles from local Trenton papers and articles published in the Boston Journal 1893. Most of the detailed engineering information came from General Quincy Adams Gilmore's book "Engineering and Artillery Operations against the Defenses of Charleston", 1865. An original copy of this book is available at the New York Public Library, New York City, and GOOGLE BOOKS. SECTION 1SECTION 2SECTION 3 |