From Wikipedia.
James Rifles were the generic terms to describe any cannon rifled to the James Pattern. Charles T. James developed a rifled projectile and rifling system.
James worked with the Ames Manufacturing Co. of Chicopee, Massachusetts, to produce 3.80" bore rifled cannons and there are at least six-known variants, collectively referred to as 14-pdr. James Rifles.
Some were converted 6-pdr. Model 1841 cannons which had their bores increased to 3.80" and the n riffled. The other five variants were newly-cast cannons.
James projectiles were falling out of favor by the time of James' death in 1862 and most gradually phased out.
The More You Know. --Old Secesh
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
Showing posts with label James Rifle Shells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Rifle Shells. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2015
Unearthed Civil War Shell Blown Up in Arkansas-- Part 2
And, remember, that if you ever found and old 150+ year-old shell from that long-ago war, handle with care, or better, don't handle at all. According to the article, they have heard of 2-3 shells exploding after being found and someone was killed.
The shell was apparently live based on the way it blew up. (And there it was bouncing around in the bed of the service truck.) The Prairie Grove State Park is hopping mad about the shell's quick destruction. They say that they've had live shells donated before and later had them disarmed in U.S. arsenals.
They actually have two of the James Rifle shells on display and eight in storage. Each one is 9 inches long and 3.8 inches in diameter.
In 2004, two USMC ordnance disposal experts disarmed a rare Britten shell from the wreck of the CSS Alabama off Cherbourg, France.
At the Battle of Prairie Grove, the Confederates had two cannons capable of firing a 14-pound James Rifle shell. They were Union-made and had been captured at the Battle of Lone Jack, Missouri, in August 1862. The Union Army had ten of the James Rifles at the Battle of Prairie Grove. These were the largest-diameter shells fired that day on either side.
Thousands of the shells were fired and their fragments are frequently found, but it is rare to find one intact. This one was apparently dropped before firing or lost.
--Old Secesh
The shell was apparently live based on the way it blew up. (And there it was bouncing around in the bed of the service truck.) The Prairie Grove State Park is hopping mad about the shell's quick destruction. They say that they've had live shells donated before and later had them disarmed in U.S. arsenals.
They actually have two of the James Rifle shells on display and eight in storage. Each one is 9 inches long and 3.8 inches in diameter.
In 2004, two USMC ordnance disposal experts disarmed a rare Britten shell from the wreck of the CSS Alabama off Cherbourg, France.
At the Battle of Prairie Grove, the Confederates had two cannons capable of firing a 14-pound James Rifle shell. They were Union-made and had been captured at the Battle of Lone Jack, Missouri, in August 1862. The Union Army had ten of the James Rifles at the Battle of Prairie Grove. These were the largest-diameter shells fired that day on either side.
Thousands of the shells were fired and their fragments are frequently found, but it is rare to find one intact. This one was apparently dropped before firing or lost.
--Old Secesh
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Unearthed Civil War Shell Blown Up in Arkansas-- Part 1
From the May 27, 2015, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette by Bill Bowden.
A photo of the 14-pound shell accompanies the article.
Prairie Grove, Ark. A bomb squad and historians are at odds over the recent discovery of a 14-pound James Rifle shell unearthed earlier this month by a gas line crew working along Villines Road in Prairie Grove. The shell was apparently left by Confederate troops during the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862.
It was tossed into the back of a service truck and rattled around there for a couple days before being turned over to the city of Prairie Grove which planned to donate it to the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. Someone from the Bentonville (Ark.) Bomb Squad saw a post about it on Prairie Grove's Facebook page and they confiscated it May 13 and destroyed it that day by the military in a rock quarry near West Fork.
More to Come. --Old Secesh
A photo of the 14-pound shell accompanies the article.
Prairie Grove, Ark. A bomb squad and historians are at odds over the recent discovery of a 14-pound James Rifle shell unearthed earlier this month by a gas line crew working along Villines Road in Prairie Grove. The shell was apparently left by Confederate troops during the Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862.
It was tossed into the back of a service truck and rattled around there for a couple days before being turned over to the city of Prairie Grove which planned to donate it to the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. Someone from the Bentonville (Ark.) Bomb Squad saw a post about it on Prairie Grove's Facebook page and they confiscated it May 13 and destroyed it that day by the military in a rock quarry near West Fork.
More to Come. --Old Secesh
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