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3 Years in The Army
BIG GUN DRILL The principle
Battery at Fort Sumner was composed of what were called "Sea Coast 32 pounders".
They were cast iron guns of 6 inches bore and the solid cast iron shot
weighed 32 lbs. The gun weighed about 7000 lbs. and was mounted on a wooden
carriage on a platform made of 3 inch pine plank. The end of the carriage
next to the parapet turned on a pivot, the rear end was on two cast iron wheels
that ran on an iron rail in a circular form, so that the gun could be pointed
to the right or left as the occasion should require to hit the target.
There was a detail from my company about twice each week to learn the Artillery drill. Whenever I was in the detail my station was at one of the Seacoast guns. 1 was gunner and had command of the gun while in practice. The sights of the 32 pounders were white chalk marks on the top of the muzzle and breach. We went through the motions of loading and firing same as in battle with the exception that we did not handle the powder and ball. I remember of firing my gun only once, that time I aimed for a target on the side of a hill 1000 yards away, hit the ground under it. There was one 100 lb. Parrott Rifle Gun, this was the largest gun in the fort. It was of six inch bore and the shell was about 16 inches long and weighed 100 lbs. This gun was 16 feet long and weighed 17000 lbs. Mounted on a steel carriage. The first time they fired this big gun at a target up on the north side of the Potomac three miles away it rebounded and slid off the rear of the carriage and tumbled over into the middle of the fort. Had to send to Washington for a derrick and crew to get her back on the carriage. Nobody hurt. Did not hit the target. Don't remember whether the shell landed in Maryland or Virginia. |