A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
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Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War |
| Civil War Artillery | |
| by Harry Ridgeway |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Harding design Research Center: Artillery4200-Harding   Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery4200-Harding.html. |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Harding design, Confederate manufacture, hollow shot bolt, copper ring sabot, Confederate rifled 32 pounder, 6.4in. Projectile is Confederate manufacture, apparently following the design of "Harding", although at this point we really do not know who this designer was. The Harding sabot is very similar to the Federal Parrott sabots, it is a copper ring cast onto the shell and secured by notches. Shells are short and appear to have been manufactured for use in 32 pounder smoothbores, reconditioned and banded with rifling. Bolt has smooth sides, a hollow core perhaps to achieve greater velocity in short range engagements, flat nose. The inner core, usually left empty, was plugged with a threaded plug on the bottom. All recoveries have been from Charleston, South Carolina, attack of the Dia Ching in January 1865. Projectile measures: diameter 6.3in., length 11.5in., weight 49lbs, approximate (core is hollow). Research Center: Artillery4211-Harding, Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 228.   Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery4211-Harding.html. |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Harding design, Confederate manufacture, bursting shell, Girardey wood percussion fuze, copper ring sabot, Confederate rifled 32 pounder, 6.4in. Projectile is Confederate manufacture, apparently following the design of "Harding", although at this point we really do not know who this designer was. The Harding sabot is very similar to the Federal Parrott sabots, it is a copper ring cast onto the shell and secured by notches. Shells are short and appear to have been manufactured for use in 32 pounder smoothbores, reconditioned and banded with rifling. Bolt has smooth sides, pointed nose. Fuze employed was a wood sleeved Girardey percussion fuze, Jones pg. 66, usually only the wood sleeve is recovered. All recoveries have been from Charleston, South Carolina. Projectile measures: diameter 6.3in., length 11in., weight 51lbs. Research Center: Artillery4212-Harding, Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 230.   Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery4212-Harding.html. |
A1123...Rifled artillery projectile, Harding design, 6.4in.,fragment of base  fragment of base, showing fired sabot and bottom. Recovered: Charleston SC, only known site for this pattern. |
A3132...Rifled artillery projectile, Harding design, 6.4in.,ground burst.             All of these fragments were found in one hole on Long Island, Charleston SC. This was Federal battery, the seige lasted for a couple of months, neither side gained an advantage and eventually the seige was ended more or less with a draw. Long Island, a local name, has been the subject of several development efforts over the years, at this point there is only one significant dug battery embankment, and it is substantial, at least 15 feet in height. On the back side there is a lesser bank, about 5 feet in height. This ground burst was found in the rear embankment, which means it was a near miss. It burrowed into the ground and exploded. Most of the overshoots would easily clear the rear embankment, and land in the marsh behind the fort, this one did not. The frags burrowed about six feet into the ground, and all of these frags came out of that hole. There is about 75 pounds of frags, a complete Harding is around 50 pounds, there are at least three distinct bases found, so there are frags from at least three different shells. I have run the frags through electrolysis but not attempted to put them together. I can account for enough frags to round out the nose, and the base with the sabot is whole. Several of the pieces seem to fit the base and there is one small fragment that seems to join the top and the bottom. There are enough frags to make up more of the middle, but I have not attempted to complete the puzzle. |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Harding design, Confederate manufacture, bursting shell, Girardey wood percussion fuze, copper ring sabot, Confederate rifled 42 pounder, 7in. Projectile is Confederate manufacture, apparently following the design of "Harding", although at this point we really do not know who this designer was. The Harding sabot is very similar to the Federal Parrott sabots, it is a copper ring cast onto the shell and secured by notches. Shells are short and appear to have been manufactured for use in 42 pounder smoothbores, reconditioned and banded with rifling. Bolt has smooth sides, pointed nose. Fuze employed was a wood sleeved Girardey percussion fuze, Jones pg. 66, usually only the wood sleeve is recovered. All recoveries have been from Charleston, South Carolina. Projectile measures: diameter 6.8in., length 11.4in., weight 57lbs. Research Center: Artillery4221-Harding, Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 231.    Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery4221-Harding.html. |
| Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War. Artillery Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html.     Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html. |
| Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway, Civil War artillery, Relicman sales catalog. Click here: http://relicman.com/artillery/RelicmanSalesArtillery1.html.     Artillery for sale: http://relicman.com/artillery/RelicmanSalesArtillery1.html. |