HMdb, Historical Marker database recently ran an article about the 150-pdr Armstrong gun captured at Fort Fisher January 15, 1865.
At the time it was considered one of the most-advanced artillery pieces in the world and was made in 1864 by Sir W. G. Armstrong & Co. in England and was said to be a gift from private donors in England to the Confederacy (most likely from folks with interests in blockade-running). It was a rifled, muzzle-loading cannon.
After its capture, it was shipped to the Military Academy in 1865 and had a prominent place at Trophy Point for the next hundred years until deterioration of the wooden carriage. A new, identical carriage was made and the gun was returned in 1982 as a gift from the USMA Class of 1932.
One Magnificent Gun. --Old B-R
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
