The range of the Sawyer gun, with extended elevation, extended all the way to Confederate-held Sewell's Point in Virginia, 3 miles away (where Norfolk Naval Base is now located). The Confederates had built an impressive fort there complete with bastions, a redan and three artillery batteries mounting 45 guns.
The Sawyer gun was rifled and could fire a shot further and with more accuracy than the usual smoothbore cannons in use. It was one of several rifled artillery pieces developed by Sylvanus Sawyer. Sadly for him, none of his designs were widely adopted by Union forces.
A weapon of the type at Fort Wool was tested at nearby Fort Monroe in 1859. Two different Sawyer weapons, a 24-pounder rifle and a 3.67-inch were used at the Siege of Richmond in 1864-1865. The 24-pounder burst on the tenth fire and the 3.67 was rarely used.
Fort Wool had a ringside seat for the Battle of Hampton Roads between the CSS Virginia and USS Monitor during what is referred to as the Battle of the Ironclads on March 9, 1862. The Sawyer gun fired on the Virginia, but no damage was done to the ship because of her armor.
--Old Secesh
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