Fort Fisher’s Armstrong Cannon

Fort Fisher’s Armstrong Cannon. . , The most effective gun in the fort. – Col. William Lamb, Fort Fisher commander, The Confederacy relied heavily on English artillery during the Civil War. A variety of English cannons, including Whitworths and Blakelys, were imported and used at Fort fisher. The most imposing cannon at the fort was the Armstrong 150-pounder mounted at Purdie battery midway along Fisher’s sea face., Manufactured by Sir William Armstrong and Co. in England, the rifled tube weighed 16,000 pounds and could accurately hurl a 150-pound shell a distance of up to five miles. But even the great Armstrong gun could not prevent the capture of Fort Fisher. In fact, because the Confederates did not have an adequate supply of shells for the gun, it was rarely fired during the final Battle of Fort Fisher in January 1865., (captions) , The Armstrong gun was mounted in Purdie Battery (No. 4) located approximately mid-way along the sea face. After observing artillery practice on December 3, 1864, Colonel Lamb confirmed the gun’s accuracy in his diary entry: “1st shot struck rearmost chimney of Condor; 2nd struck her forward smoke stack; 3rd shot [illegible] struck wreck of blockader. (Library of Congress), In the 1850s England’s Sir William G. Armstrong (1810-1900) produced a line of highly coveted artillery and projectiles. The British government had such great regard for these weapons that their sale to foreign countries was forbidden until the rearmament of English services was completed in 1862. (British Library), According to Colonel Lamb, prior to the first battle “the Armstrong gun had only one dozen rounds of fixed ammunition.” Forced to save his ordnance, the gun was fired only four times on the second day of the first battle. Confederate reports indicate that one round might have struck the boiler of Admiral Porter’s flagship, the USS Malvern., The Armstrong required a propellant charge of thirty pounds of gunpowder when fired. Local foundries attempted to manufacture two types of bolts (solid shot) for the gun. Southern factories proved incapable of replicating the sophisticated British ordnance. Colonel Lamb described the Confederate-made bolt as “useless.” (Notice the bolts on the floor of the gun pit directly behind the sentry). (National Archives), On September 7, 1864, Wilmington district commander Maj. Gen. W.H.C. Whiting notified Richmond of the Hope’s arrival. His successful request for possession of the weapons seems to dispel the myth that they were British “gifts” for Fort Fisher. The guns were divided between New Inlet and Old Inlet, with one gun going to Fort Fisher and the other to Fort Caswell. (UNC Wilmington), On August 24, 1864, the Hope (or Hope of Wilmington), described as being “larger and superior to most [blockade-runners],” left Nassau for her maiden attempt to run the blockade. Among the valuable cargo were two 8-inch, 150-lb. Armstrong cannons. (N.C. Office of Archives and History), The Armstrong shell stood 16.33 inches tall and weighed 143 pounds, minus the explosive charge. The 8-inch shell featured six spiraling rows of five brass studs to correspond with the grooves in the bore of the rifle. The gun employed shunt rifling. At the muzzle of the cannon the grooves were cut deep on one side and shallow on the other. Gradually the grooves tapered to an equal depth. In loading, the studs of the projectile hugged the deep portion of the grove, but when fired the reverse rotation “shunted” the round to the shallow side, insuring a snug fit and accurate release. (West Point)